War court prosecutor quits post (Gitmo)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: LA Times

The chief prosecutor for the Guantanamo military commissions has resigned, raising the prospect of further delays in the Bush administration's six-year effort to bring prisoners in the war on terrorism to trial.

The Pentagon confirmed Friday that Air Force Col. Morris Davis, a steadfast supporter of the controversial detention and judicial processes at the U.S. Naval Base in southern Cuba, had asked to be relieved of his duties. Defense Department spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said a successor has yet to be named.

Davis' departure occurred amid reported disagreement within the Office of Military Commissions about how to proceed with war-crimes trials amid pending U.S. federal court challenges and pressure from the Bush administration to produce convictions.

Smith said the Pentagon was "taking measures to ensure a prompt and orderly transition." She declined to say whether the first trial, which had been expected to start next month would be delayed.

Asked why he was leaving his position, Davis said in an e-mail message that he was "ordered not to communicate with the news media about my resignation or military commissions without the prior approval of the Department of Defense General Counsel and the Department of Defense Public Affairs."


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gitmo6oct06,0,1938867.story?coll=la-home-center

[Canuckistanian]

1. Suddden attack of conscience, perhaps?

I think the wheels are falling off this bus....

[nuxvomica]

2. Sounds like he just had micromanagement issues

I read the whole article hoping it was conscience-related but it looks like he just didn't like the meddling of his superiors.

[Frances]

3. The New York Times article

suggested that he did resign for ethical reasons. I think he's like some of the Republican prosecutors that Rove fired. He was a Bush supporter and a Gitmo prosecution supporter but the Bush administration was asking him to do something obviously legally questionable.

[cstanleytech]

13. After 6 years? I kinda doubt

that was the reason. I'm thinking more that perhaps he was asked to step down as a tactic at further delaying any proceedings. After all things don't look well with the courts recently in regards to these things so perhaps the military is hoping to use it as a delaying tactic.

[Ian David]

4. He needs to be subponaed by Congress. n/t

[OneAngryDemocrat]

5. War-Crimes Prosecutor Quits in Pentagon Clash

Source: New York TImes

In the latest disruption of the Bush administration’s plan to try detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for war crimes, the chief military prosecutor on the project stepped down yesterday after a dispute with a Pentagon official.

The prosecutor, Col. Morris D. Davis of the Air Force, was to leave his position immediately, a Defense Department spokeswoman said. But the spokeswoman, Cynthia O. Smith, said officials were working to minimize interruption in the work of the prosecution office, which includes military lawyers supplemented by civilian federal prosecutors.

Yesterday, Colonel Davis said he could not discuss the developments. “I’m under direct orders,” he said, “not to comment with the media about the reasons for my resignation or military commissions.”

“This is further evidence that the military commission process is completely unraveling,” said J. Wells Dixon, a detainees’ lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/us/nationalspecial3/06gitmo.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

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Please visit my anti-war website, www.shockedandawful.com

[truthisfreedom]

6. bushco started off on the wrong foot with Gitmo. Now they've twisted their ankle.

They're not going to come up with a solution to this mess.

[Xipe Totec]

9. Happend when he stuck his foot in his mouth.

Hard not to twist your anke that way.

[WritersBlock]

7. Well, now that he's got time on his hands....

I suggest he work with civilian prosecutors on an investigation of the real war criminals: Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Wolfie, etc. - hell, just give him a list of the PNAC signers to start with & let 'er rip.

/dream

[aquart]

8. Is this the Friday night dump?

[MADem]

10. Yep, but how long can they hold that Colonel on ACDU? Really, his job is done.

He will be 'stashed' somewhere and retired. I'll bet he's already written his letter--or they wrote it for his signature.

Figure he has some leave to burn, he will need a few weeks to do transition shit, he'll want the max possible retirement check, so he retires effective 1 FEB 08 (to get the JAN payraise).

We'll hear from him in earnest by next March at the latest, with any luck. All they've done is delay the inevitable.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. K&R

[Gregorian]

12. Thanks for posting this.

More evidence that reality has finally resurfaced.