Torture

April 10, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement in response to new reports that high-ranking members in the Bush Administration authorized the use of torture in CIA interrogations.

“Today’s press reports bring yet another astonishing disclosure about the Bush administration and its use of torture.

Anti-Bush, anti-torture protester: Photo by jarnocan (CC)    » read more »

April 8, 2008 -- (Washington, DC)- Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) announced plans to hold a May 6 hearing to examine a recently released torture memo and the issue of executive power as it relates to interrogation and war-making authority. Conyers also sent a letter today to University of California - Berkeley professor John Yoo asking him to testify at the hearing.

Yoo is the former attorney in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel who authored the recently released memo seeking to clarify torture procedures and detailing the administration's extremely broad view of presidential powers during wartime.    » read more »

March 14, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy sent the following letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, requesting a report on all detainee interrogation videotapes, transcripts, and related documents that have been created or destroyed by the Department.

Senator Kennedy has previously made similar requests to the Attorney General and to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His letter also asks Secretary Gates to take appropriate steps to guarantee the preservation of all interrogation tapes in the Department’s effective control.    » read more »

March 8, 2008 -- Today, President Bush vetoed an intelligence bill because he opposed a provision in it that would ban the use of torture, such as waterboarding, even though a majority--58 percent--of Americans oppose the technique. A vocal opponent of the Bush Administration's use of torture in the past, John McCain has again changed his position and his principles and voted against the same provision last month in an attempt to cozy up to the right wing of the Republican Party. [CNN Political Ticker, 11/6/07; Washington Post, 2/14/2008]    » read more »

February 29, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on Congress sending the fiscal year 2008 Intelligence Authorization Act Conference Report to the President. President Bush has threatened to veto the legislation because it extends the prohibition on torture contained in the Army Field Manual to Intelligence Community personnel.    » read more »

Including A Provision Limiting The CIA To Interrogation Techniques Authorized In The Army Field Manual

February 13, 2008 -- This Report contains a provision that reinforces the prohibition against our Government engaging in torture. It expressly prohibits interrogation techniques that are not authorized by the United States Army Field Manual.    » read more »

February 13, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement on the passage by the United States Senate of the Intelligence Authorization Bill, which includes provision that will require all U.S. Government interrogators to comply with the Army Field Manual’s standards on interrogation.    » read more »

(As Prepared for Delivery)

February 13, 2008 -- The Senate will soon vote on the Intelligence Authorization Bill, which contains a provision requiring all U.S. government agencies, including the CIA, to comply with the Army Field Manual’s prohibition on torture. This reform is urgently needed, and I commend the Intelligence Conferees for adopting this provision. Its enactment will ensure that the government uses only interrogation techniques that are lawful.    » read more »

February 13, 2008 -- "I urge my colleagues to support the Intelligence Authorization conference report which includes a requirement that all government agencies, including the CIA, comply with the Army Field Manual on Interrogations in the treatment and interrogation of detainees.    » read more »

February 12, 2008 -- Washington, D.C.—Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following statement today, calling on Republicans to support the Intelligence Authorization conference report and establish a single standard of interrogation that does not permit torture:

“When the Intelligence Authorization conference report comes to the floor tomorrow, Republicans should join us to support one standard of interrogation – as outlined in the Army Field Manual – for the entire government.    » read more »

February 12, 2008 -- [Washington, D.C.] -- Today Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) called for the Justice Department's Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate the role of Justice Department officials in authorizing and overseeing the use of waterboarding by the CIA.

Text of letter appears below:

February 12, 2008

The Honorable Glenn A. Fine
Inspector General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20530

The Honorable H. Marshall Jarrett
Counsel for Professional Responsibility    » read more »

Urges President to Remove Veto Threat from Intelligence Authorization Bill

February 12, 2008 -- Washington, DC — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today called on President Bush to remove his threat to veto the Fiscal Year 2008 Intelligence Authorization Bill, which applies the U.S. Army standards for interrogation to U.S. intelligence agencies and contractors, and bans the practice of waterboarding. In a letter to the President, Senator Clinton urged him to live up to the standards that America has promoted around the world.    » read more »

February 11, 2008 -- The Defense Department announced today that charges have been sworn against six detainees at Guantanamo, alleged to be responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks upon the United States of America which occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. Those attacks resulted in the death of nearly 3,000 people. The charges allege a long term, highly sophisticated, organized plan by al Qaeda to attack the United States.    » read more »

February 8, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today urged the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Michael McConnell to provide the transcript of a recent interview with New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright. At issue is the exact conversation held between Director McConnell and Wright over the subject of waterboarding. Senator Feinstein questioned Director McConnell about this exchange during the open Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Following is the text of the letter sent by Senator Feinstein to DNI McConnell:    » read more »

WASHINGTON (Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008) – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who also sits on the panel, sent a letter Thursday urging Attorney General Michael Mukasey to clarify testimony given to the Committee during last week’s Department of Justice oversight hearing. In the letter, they ask the Attorney General to explain the scope of the Department’s investigation into the CIA’s destruction of videotapes showing the use of harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, of al Qaeda terrorist suspects.    » read more »