Category: Politics

Congress, Criminal law, International, Justice, Politics, Society

Pelosi Aide: Speaker Was Told About Torture Being Used on Subjects

220px-nancy_pelositorture -abu ghraibHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been struggling to explain contradictions between her public statements and the release of documents showing that, despite her earlier denials, she was told about the torture of subjects. She recently (and implausibly) insisted that, while she was told of the torture, she was not told that it was actually being used. Now, one of her own aides, Michael Sheehy, has directly contradicted her and said that she was directly told and had no objections to the torture of Abu Zubaydah.

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Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering, Politics, Society

Judge Samuel Kent Sentenced to 33 Months in Federal Prison

gavel2Federal judge Samuel Kent has been sentenced to 33 months for obstruction of justice for lying to a judicial committee investigating allegations that he sexually harassed an employee. Kent, who was viewed as a harsh sentencer for criminal defendants, avoided a maximum sentence of 20 years. One of the alleged victims referred to him as a “drunken giant.”
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Congress, International, Politics, Society

Cheney: We Will Be Vindicated in Use of Torture

118px-richard_cheney_2005_official_portraitVice President Dick Cheney continued his campaign to get the nation to embrace torture this weekend. He appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation. He insisted that they were “not in the torture business” despite previously admitting to using waterboarding, a well-known torture technique. It may be that he believed that this was more of a passion or calling than a business enterprise. I discussed the interview on this segment of Countdown.
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Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Maryland Police Conduct Another Mistaken “No Knock” Raid on a House, Bust Down Front Door, and Later Ticket Owner for Having a Door Laying on This Front Yard

250px-swat_teamAndrew Leonard, 33, is understandably ticked. Police in Baltimore conducted a mistaken “no knock” raid on the wrong house: busting through his front door, handcuffing him, and interrogating him and his wife about his relationship with a drug dealer who he has never met. They had the wrong address. Now, after refusing repeatedly demanded to pay for his front door, the city has ticketed him for leaving a door on his front lawn.

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Criminal law, International, Politics, Society

“Torture Sheik” Detained in Abu Dhabi

Sheik Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the brother of the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Prince Mohammed, has been detained on allegation of torture involving as many as 25 victims. While the government clearly knew of these crimes, the incriminating videos of the torture sessions were smuggled out of the country recently and caused an international outcry. This is why our own CIA destroyed the tapes of its own torture sessions. Amateur.

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Bizarre, Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, International, Media, Politics, Society

Reid: Torture Might Have Been Illegal But Still “Right” Thing To Do

225px-harry_reid_official_portraitChristiane Brown has released an amazing audio interview with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid where he admits that waterboarding is torture and we did torture people. However, he suggests that it was “the right” thing to do and should not be punished. The audio tape is worth listening to. It is a brilliant interview by Brown.
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Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, International, Military, Politics, Society

Pelosi Changes Account On Briefing On Torture

220px-nancy_pelositorture -abu ghraibSpeaker Nancy Pelosi has issued a new statement (and explanation) after released documents appeared to contradict her earlier denials that she had ever been briefed on the use of torture. As discussed in a prior blog, Pelosi previously insisted that she was never told that these “enhanced techniques” (aka torture) were being used and assumed that the briefing concerned just a hypothetical use of the methods. Now, she is changing her story to acknowledge that she, at a minimum, knew that the methods would be used — even though she is denying that she was actually told that they had been used. I discussed the story on this segment of Rachel Maddow’s show.
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Columns, Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, International, Justice, Lawyering, Media, Military, Politics, Society

Three Legal Truths: The Case for The Prosecution of War Crimes By the Bush Administration

torture -abu ghraibBelow is today’s column in the U.S. News and World Report on the case for prosecuting torture and responding to the dwindling number of defenders of the Bush torture program:
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