Feds Calling Witnesses Before Secret Grand Jury Probing (Bush Era) CIA Abuses

[kpete]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Federal prosecutor John Durham has begun calling witnesses to testify before a secret grand jury probing the 2003 death of a man in CIA custody and other abuses at the agency, Adam Zagorin reported for Time.

A subpoena signed by Durham obtained by the publication indicates that "the grand jury is conducting an investigation of possible violations of federal criminal laws involving War Crimes (18 USC/2441), Torture (18 USC 243OA) and related federal offenses."

Durham, a Republican-appointed U.S. attorney based in Connecticut, was appointed by Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate whether some at the CIA went beyond the Bush DOJ's guidance on the use of so-called "enhanced interrogation" techniques.

Nearly a year ago, Holder said Durham was "close" to making recommendations to him about how to move forward if it was determined individuals went beyond what Holder called "pretty far out" legal opinions issued during the Bush era.

Read more: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/06/feds_calling_witnesses_before_secret_grand_jury_pr.php

[JTFrog]

1. K&R!

[Greybnk48]

2. Am I being cynical if I view this as a dog and pony show

to legally vindicate the Bush era CIA of any wrongdoing? And of course, Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeldt, Powell, Ashcroft and the rest of the evil fucks associated with that dark and dirty era didn't do anything illegal either...riiiiiiigghhtt.

[lovuian]

3. I agree this is just smoke ...its an Abu Ghahib trial underlings

get the wrap while Bush and Cheney walk ...we saw the Department of Justice under Fitzgerald with Scooter Libby
who walked


this is just a facade ...this is NOT Justice

a Republican appointed investigating a Republican president

this looks like searching for a scapegoat

[Kaleko]

4. Not cynical.

Realistic.

[jwirr]

8. Every so often they pull this - they monitor the attitude of the American

people regarding their interference in world and US affairs and when it gets very negative they have a little investigation. Nothing ever changes.

[fascisthunter]

20. no, you are being realistic

lets see what happens... I bet you are right.

[jtrockville]

5. BEYOND DOJ guidance? Didn't DOJ guidance violate torture statute?

[hedgehog]

6. It certainly did, but it's like eating an elephant: you do it one bite at a time.

[JDPriestly]

7. First you question the lowest guy on the totem pole -- the one who

was just following orders. After all, Cheney has already confessed to his part in what happened.

[Hubert Flottz]

9. This case needs to pick up speed before 2012...

It's about time we look back, Mr. president.

[gratuitous]

10. Yes, it is about time; past time, really

But I share the cynicism that says this "investigation" will end with a clean bill of health for CIA, or at most the end of one or two low level paper pushers' careers. The folks giving the orders, monitoring the results and demanding more will skate away unmolested.

[Hubert Flottz]

15. Probably right...the laws only apply to the small fish.

[gkhouston]

11. Until I saw "2003" I was wondering which Bush they were referring to. n/t

[democrank]

12. What a joke.....

"....went beyond the Bush DOJ`s guidance......."

[gkhouston]

13. Has this adminstration prosecuted anyone from the Bush administration for anything?

Anything at all?

[defendandprotect]

18. Obviously, the CIA is not accountable to anyone ....

well, maybe still a handful of Senators they can control and that's all --

the full Congress has no right to know what they're doing any longer.

And, imo, they've continued to take over more and more of our government,

but seemingly not yet enough of our DOJ?


Certainly, when Poppy held office, they were controlling the entire government/presidency.

Have they given up their aims in that regard?

[dotymed]

19. "Poppy Bush"

was the head of the CIA before he was VP. The POLITBURO has it's hands around our necks.

They help the corporations, they help them..

This "transparency" thing that candidate Obama promised, has really happened.

:sarcasm:

[closeupready]

14. The not-secret secret grand jury.

When it hits DU, it's not exactly a secret anymore.

[SoapBox]

16. It would be nice to hold them accountable...but it will go no place.

n/t

[defendandprotect]

17. Slightly aside from this ....

obviously, the CIA will now have to take over more of our DOJ -- !!!

But, recognizing the imo conspiracies put in place by W/Cheney ... noted comments

by Sy Hersh on Amy Goodman's show one night last week where Hersh was stressing that

much of the "structure" put in place by Cheney when he was in office sitll exists!!


The CIA with Operation Mockingbird has kept America from knowing what has really been

going on in this nation -- and their own evil doings.

America needs to have this information and wake up quickly!

[fascisthunter]

21. yuh... well, I'll believe it when I see people getting locked up

and not just underlings either.

[obama14]

22. CIA ABUSE - This can only go to The CIA Director.

Notice, its CIA Abuse. Bush wont get touched. At the most the director would get nailed.

Its a none starter - unless they find Bush told the director to do something.

[pacalo]

23. Both Holder & Obama having said they wanted to "look forward" in regard to

Bush/Cheney crimes, this doesn't make sense. This particular crime, plus the other crimes against humanity at Abu Ghraib, began at the top. Those who carried out these horrors were, at the very least, influenced by Bush's/Cheney's thuggish leadership. And as long as the torture continued, that administration had to have known about it.

So WHY -- out of the blue -- is Holder going after the small fish in this rather old crime?

And he is asking a lot of questions -- like who took photographs of the body, and when. Durham, according to these sources, has also asked about civilian contractors at the site, mentioning one by name, and has probed the source of the multiple shoe prints apparently found on material used to wrap the "Ice Man's" body.

If this is a foot in the door in an attempt to stealthily work up to getting those at the top, I'd be thrilled. But I've learned enough about the BFEE to feel certain that's not the case. At this point, I'm confused at this investigation at this point in time.