Torture

November 8, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Below is a statement of Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) on the Senate’s vote to confirm Judge Michael Mukasey as United States Attorney General:

“Judge Mukasey takes the helm at a time when the Justice Department is in desperate need of leadership and good judgment.

The Attorney General must be someone absolutely committed to upholding the Constitution. He must be someone committed to protecting civil rights and restoring respect for the rule of law, including unequivocally rejecting the use of torture.    » read more »

November 8, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – The following are Senator Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) remarks as prepared for delivery on the Senate floor:

Mr. President, I rise today to express my opposition to the nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey to be our next Attorney General.

I thank Chairman Leahy and his committee for working hard to examine the nominee’s record and help us provide the advice and consent required by our Constitution.

I have respect for Judge Mukasey’s background, his dedication to public service, and his reputation as a distinguished jurist and a good man.    » read more »

Administration’s Lack Of Oversight Cooperation Overshadowed Mukasey Confirmation Proceedings

WASHINGTON (Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007) – In a letter sent Wednesday to White House Counsel Fred Fielding, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) again requested legal memoranda outlining the White House’s justifications and policies on torture and interrogation. Such documents have long been requested but not provided.    » read more »

November 8, 2007 -- Tonight the Senate will vote on the nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey to be Attorney General. His nomination comes at a critical time. At this moment in history, America is faced with serious challenges both at home and abroad. We are at war in Iraq and Afghanistan and are engaged in a long-term struggle against al Qa’ida and other extremists.    » read more »

State Department Official Reportedly Refuses To Declare Waterboarding Of Americans Illegal

WASHINGTON (Wednesday, Nov. 7) – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is asking Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to clarify reports that a senior aide in the State Department refuses to deem illegal under international law the waterboarding of Americans abroad.    » read more »

Testimony Before the Senate Judiciary Committee

November 6, 2007 -- "Judge Mukasey has a distinguished record of public service and, but for one issue, speaks with clarity on the law. His nomination hinges on that issue: the cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners held by our government.

On that issue, the late historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. said this about the Bush Administration’s legal defense of torture: “No position taken has done more damage to the American reputation in the world—ever.”    » read more »

United States Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Session

November 6, 2007 -- (As Prepared for Delivery)    » read more »

November 6, 2007 -- "With today’s vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Mukasey’s nomination to be the next Attorney General of the United States now goes to the full Senate for consideration. As I have stated, I oppose Judge Mukasey’s nomination. I believe we need an Attorney General who has the strength to challenge this Administration when it is wrong, who is committed to reestablishing the independence of the Department of Justice and to restoring respect for the Constitution and the rule of law.    » read more »

November 6, 2007 -- Washington, DC — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today:

“I was profoundly disturbed by statements Judge Michael Mukasey made during his confirmation hearings concerning executive power, and about the legality of the use of waterboarding as an interrogation technique. As a result, I cannot in good conscience vote to approve his nomination to be Attorney General of the United States.    » read more »

Letter Sent To Judiciary Chairman Says Plainly What AG Nominee Will Not

WASHINGTON (Monday, Nov. 5) – On the eve of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s scheduled vote on the nomination of Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Monday released a letter from four retired military generals who concur with Leahy that “waterboarding” is torture and that it is illegal.    » read more »

Burlington, Vermont -- November 2, 2007 -- "Nothing is more fundamental to our constitutional democracy than our basic tenet that no one is above the law.

This Administration has undercut that precept time and time again. We have seen this Administration promote immunity over accountability, secrecy over responsiveness to congressional oversight, and unilateral power over the checks and balances that have defined this Nation and protected Americans’ rights and freedom for more than two centuries.    » read more »

November 3, 2007 -- "I will support Judge Michael Mukasey for attorney general.    » read more »

11/01/2007 -- WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator John Kerry made the following statement today on the nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey for Attorney General of the United States.    » read more »

Three Of Four Documents Made Available To Judiciary Committee Previously In Public Domain

WASHINGTON (Tuesday, Oct. 30) – Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday repeated his call for the White House to declassify one of four torture documents provided to the Committee last week. The documents were supplied to Leahy after repeated requests for full disclosure of the Administration’s interrogation policies and the legal basis for those policies.    » read more »

October 30, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – The Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement:

"We asked Judge Mukasey a simple and straightforward question: is waterboarding illegal?"

"While this question has been answered clearly by many others -- including John McCain, the Judge Advocates General, and John Warner -- Judge Mukasey spent four pages responding and still didn’t provide an answer."    » read more »