When it comes to the CIA’s destruction of video footage of U.S. torture of detainees, the White House, on the advice of counsel, has stopped commenting. About the only thing we’ve gotten from the Bush gang of late were vague comments from the president himself: “There’s a preliminary inquiry going on and I think you’ll find that a lot more data, facts will be coming out, that’s good. It will be interesting to know what the true facts are.”
It will be, indeed. Today, the NYT moves the ball forward with some more “true facts,” reporting that White House lawyers weren’t just aware of the torture tapes, but discussed their handling in some detail.
At least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives from Al Qaeda, according to current and former administration and intelligence officials.
The accounts indicate that the involvement of White House officials in the discussions before the destruction of the tapes in November 2005 was more extensive than Bush administration officials have acknowledged.
Those who took part, the officials said, included Alberto R. Gonzales, who served as White House counsel until early 2005; David S. Addington, who was the counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney and is now his chief of staff; John B. Bellinger III, who until January 2005 was the senior lawyer at the National Security Council; and Harriet E. Miers, who succeeded Mr. Gonzales as White House counsel.
Who would have guessed? Oh wait, that’s right, everyone could have guessed.
No Trackbacks To “White House lawyers and the torture tapes“
True lies, true facts… why quibble over semantics.
Absolutely false. No one guessed; everyone knew.
The claim that the White House didn’t give effective approval to this was the most transparent lie ever told by the Bush administration, and that says a hell of a lot.
Congress will ignore this crime along with everything else. Congress: Yes sir Mr. President, heres the money you requested.
How to tell when a “loyal Bushie” is lying: His or her lips will be moving.
what the hell does Bush have on congress? Some late night video taped Congressional circle jerk we don’t know about? :)
The only surprise here is that the cabal of evil men running the US is perhaps somewhat larger than many people realized.
So we have the AG, Bush’s former lawyer Gonzo AND his present personal lawyer Meyers, as well as Cheney’s lawyer AND his Chief of Staff talking to the CIA about these tapes as laste as 2005, but we are to believe their bosses in the White House didn’t send them, nor did they report back to Bush and Cheney anything about their trip to the CIA?
Just when you thought you couldn’t be any more insulted by just how stupid this administration takes us to be (or how arrogant they can be).
Any time cheney has his evil hands in anything, I do not expect it to be good or legal. I just can’t imagine cheney, miers or gonzo saying, Don’t destroy those tapes that show our guys torturing people. They might be needed for evidence some day in a trial involving this administration.
Nope, those words don’t fit with the actors and their reputations.
“There’s a preliminary inquiry going on and I think you’ll find that a lot more data, facts will be coming out, that’s good. It will be interesting to know what the true facts are.” - the Chimp
I hope the ICC at the Hague or some other authoritative international body is making an inquiry into these war crimes. Bush is a war criminal who deserves to be locked up in solitary for the rest of his natural life.
If you destroy the evidence, they can getcha for destroying it, mebbe, but they can’t getcha for what the evidence reveals…
Delinquent kids have a similar rule: Forgiveness is more easily come by than permission.
OT but kind of ………well you decide. Time magazine looked into Putin’s eyes and made him their person of the year for 2007. Wonder what the chimp thinks of that?
Rob J @ 2:
Gee, I’m also really surprised. But I think this is a hard call as to whether this is the most transparent lie ever told by this administration. The list is soooooo long, it’s difficult to decide.
It will be interesting to know what the true facts are
true facts? jesus.
Naw, it couldn’t be. I’m surpirsed that this happened. Now I’ll sit and wait on Santa Claus.
Damnit!!! I want my country back!
No John Yoo?
That rat-bastard made a career of justifying torture as a government weasel.
centralilgirl @ 15:
Who was it that said “If you’re not angry you’re not paying attention?”
We are so past due for some law enforcement.
If Bush and his WH minions discussed this among themselves, the original crime (destruction of evidence protected by Statute law) has been enlarged to include the crime of conspiracy. The nature of the group committing these crimes certainly puts them within the definition of “Corrupt Organizations”. It would seem RICO statutes would apply.
We have gotten to the point where we accept the notion that a man holding elected office is protected from criminal prosecution by virtue of holding that office. The President of the United States of America is immune from criminal prosecution.
Good-bye, America. Hello, Rome.
I predict that as per usual, the Bush administration will get off scott free, no consequences, no accountability. Would someone be kind enough to please make a list of all prior allegations against this administration for lawless or unethical behavior?? Still, nothing is done. And nothing will be done this time. I’m tired of holding my breath, hoping, and feeling outraged. I literally have outrage fatigue, so all I can do now is ignore it all because I’m tired of feeling angry, particularly when there’s not a darn thing I can do. No one is listening to the people. No one is defending the Constitution. We’ve become a country where certain people are above the law (i.e., Bush, Cheney, and all the other “president’s men”). We impeached a president for lying about a sexual indiscretion, yet ignore lawbreaking when it comes to torture, lying about war, habeus corpus, illegal spying, corruption, and generally lying about everything and anything that really matters. I just can’t take it anymore, so must numb myself to the corruption, ignore it, and move on. This is what our country has become. It’s sad, very sad.
if Torture pRESIDENT Bush isn’t actually Al Quaida - and he may well be - “the terrorists”
have already won.. it’s all over, America is on it’s last legs and done for.. last one to leave
turn out the lights and drain the waterboarding tank..
pissed off patricia @ 8:
Agreed. Those tapes were destroyed because they lead directly to the Bush regime who are the very ones that authorized the use of those methods. The Bush regime is doing what every criminal regime or organization always does. They destroy the evidence so that it can not be used against them.
[Quit spamming the threads with the same off topic message. Thank you-Sitemonitor]
“Your Government: Proudly Producing (and then destroying) Snuff Films Since 2003″
Is it any wonder that Busholini opposes funding of the World Court?
He and all his jesters need to be arrested, indicted and frog-marched into the Hague for WAR CRIMES.
Why again are these people not in prison?
I picture bush watching the tapes and thinking it was just a bunch of Hollywood actors.
Bush the Liar @ 3:
Oh, but of course! Par for the course with Pelosi and the Keystone Kongress. Have a look……..
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITI.....index.html
Nine years ago today President Clinton was impeached for lying under oath and obstruction of justice.
Obstruction of justice? That has a familiar ring to it. Where is that ring coming from?
Imagine what would have happened to him if he had destroyed evidence.
“It will be, indeed. Today, the NYT moves the ball forward with some more “true facts,” reporting that White House lawyers weren’t just aware of the torture tapes, but discussed their handling in some detail.”
You know, that one word “tapes” always gets me because obviously there was at least one set or many duplicates. If there are or were duplicate tapes made then you have to wonder how the White House and its lawyers can be so certain that all of the tapes were destroyed and one won’t just pop up somewhere or be used as blackmail against them. I wonder just how thorough the White House in making sure that all of the tapes were destroyed. In any event, you can be sure that when you work with or for the Bush regime you had better play dirtier than they do.
Way to go, Congress!!! Thanks for caving, yet again, to Busholini’s demands!!!
$70 BILLION more for the never-ending carnage in the ME.
NO MORE $ for SCHIP.
There is no shame in DC.
Dammit, we already know who these yo-yos are.
I want to know when someone in this friggin Administration is going to jail for treason.
The court order refers to Guantanamo Bay, doesn’t mention anywhere else. The “procedures” happened elsewhere. Addington wins again.
The Political Junkie @ 30:
Not until the administration is out of office. This Justice Department would never prosecute anyone in the administration for treason.
the Pinochetism knows no bounds with this crew
The White House is on fire!!!! OMIGOD!!! Unfotunately I think the evidence is being destroyed .It’s a shame that we have to be so cynical but the timing is quite remarkable. Please note what offices are in that building.
wisedup @ 25:
“Hey Dick, which one of these guys is Jack Bauer?”
rome @ 34:
It’s not the White House. It’s the Eisenhower Executive Building which houses — get this — the OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT!
Seriously there is a fire .Turn on the T.V. It gets curiouser and curiouser!
I know it’s not literally the white house (it’s part of the complex)Can you say “false flag” . The point is the medeia will emphasize the white house angle.Can you say “false flag”
Many other offices , like ,oh, the White House LEGAL COUNSEL, NSA offices,etc.,etc. How conveeeinient!!!!!
Dr. Acula @ 29:
Reminds me of the scene in ‘History of the World” when the Roman Senators jump up and say “F–k the poor!”
burn down the Reichstag!
Any other torture tapes are going up in flames in a building close to the White House as we blog.
Seems as though everything that happens has to do with lawyers. Damn, do lawyers have no common decency? Since when are they allowed to break laws with impunity? Where is the touted “self-policing” that lawyers claim happens? Where is the ABA in all of this?
i am watching cnn and they are covering the fire in w.h office next to Cheney.
i guess here goes all his secret documents permanently burned
The building that’s on fire houses cheney’s ceremonial office, not his day to day office. It’s not the white house but the Eisenhower exec building.
Seems those in the white house are not too happy with this story today in the NY Times about the tapes.
I want to know when there’s going to be a full, no holes barred investigation of this White House for massive offenses, including cover-ups. I suspect they’ve already destroyed much, if not all, of the evidence that would implicate them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard congressmen refer to this administration’s assaults on our Constitution and lawless behavior, yet still no one even mentions impeachment. It’s absurd. How do these people justify this?!?! I’m so angry that Pelosi decided long ago to remove impeachment from the table.
AND THEN THER WAS THAT FIRE!!!
Boy, if ‘they’ were putting together legal powerhouses like Miers and Gonzales, I wonder how much time ‘they’ set aside to teach them to spell ‘Tapes’?
And after that failed, were they just left alone to play patty-cake, except when needed for a photo-op?
Probably all Miers did was serve tea and little cakes while the grown people chatted.
Preacher Boob @ 48:
Impeach Traitor Bush! Impeach Traitor Cheney! Impeach them now!
EISENHOWER BUILDING
Houses various agencies that comprise Executive Office of the President
Includes Office of the Vice President, National Security Council
Occupants included 16 Navy Secretaries, 21 War Secretaries, 24 Secretaries of State
I guess the paper shreder couldnt handle the the extra load. ;)
Since 2001 David Addington has been the architect and facilitator of many of the White House’s crimes. This comes as no surprise whatsoever. Cheney and he are a match made in heaven when it comes to their evilness. Cheney’s the politician, Addington is the legal gymnast.
Since 2001 David Addington has been the architect and facilitator of many of the White House’s crimes. This comes as no surprise whatsoever. Cheney and he are a match made in heaven when it comes to their evilness. Cheney’s the politician, Addington is the legal gymnast.
SEE :Michael Ledeen