David Addington, Cheney's Chief Of Staff, Subpoenaed To Discuss Interrogation Practices

WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to compel a top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney to testify to the committee about the Bush administration's interrogation practices.

David Addington, Cheney's chief of staff, refused to testify without a subpoena. No date has been set for his appearance before Congress.

Addington is one of several lawyers believed to have played a key role in crafting the administration's interrogation policies shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, policies which some say amounted to torture.

John Yoo, the former Justice Department lawyer who wrote a now-repudiated memo allowing the harsh interrogations of military prisoners agreed late Monday to testify to Congress about those practices, averting a subpoena. Yoo is now a law professor at University of California-Berkeley.

Yoo's memo, dated March 14, 2003, outlines a legal justification for military interrogators to use harsh tactics against al-Qaida and Taliban detainees overseas _ so long as they did not specifically intend to torture their captives.

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft, former Under Secretary of Defense Douglas Feith, and former Assistant Attorney General Daniel Levin have also agreed to give testimony at a future hearing. Former CIA Director George Tenet is still in negotiations with the committee, according to House Judiciary Committee spokeswoman Melanie Roussell.

The Judiciary Committee hearings are meant to determine what role administration lawyers played in creating and approving interrogation procedures that went far beyond those traditionally used by U.S. forces, and whether any of them violated their legal or ethical obligations, said Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich.

Comments

[Dap]

The time is *WAY* past due to bring David Addington to account.

[got2Bkidding]

See Harry, the problem is...

We know what your idea of "The American Way" is. The fact that it involves rolling over, and large quantities of KY Jelly makes your opinion worthles.

In my opinion anyway.

[got2Bkidding]

Has anyone (besides myself) wondered what's happend to UC Berkely? I mean c'mon... isn't that supposed to be an impenetrable bastion of radical liberalism?

They hired Yoo... to teach law... at UC Berkeley. Now I know I live in bizzarro world.

[TodStewart]

email the dean of the law school...I did a couple months back

[edsel]

I wish the would to ou know that there not going to do a damn thing to either Bush or Cheney

[TodStewart]

I want to know when...and it had better be on the record and front/center. I want to see it and they had better damn sure treat this as a war crimes investigation

[moner44]

Oh I'm sorry, did i read that right? These Subpoenaed individuals have "agreed" to testify? Since when is a subpoena an invitation? Gee, I guess I’ve been wrong all these years about what a subpoena is!

Oh and let me guess… they will all agree ONLY if they get to testify together (ala Bush/ Cheney style), if all questions are submitted before hand, if they are not sworn in, and if nothing they say is recorded!

[got2Bkidding]

Bush will claim EP. They'll never go under oath.

[hawkeye58]

Does anyone here believe that if Congress wanted to talk to them, they could negotiate their appearance with the committee ?

[Mike169]

They shouldn't have to negotiate anything. Congress has the right to the information period.

[ctbutte]

Watching Addington shred the dipshit senators on c-span will be worth a sick day.

[wmfor]

If you want to see people shredded, I suggest you rent the Saw movies. They might not be quite gory enough to satisfy your taste, but I believe that's the best option you have, barring joining the military and becoming a guard at Gitmo, and that is something you would never do, being a Bushite supporter of the war/occupation.

[ctbutte]

How the hell is being a guard at Gitmo tough dumbass? Watchinga bunch of muslims get fat awaiting morons like you to release them so they can go blow themselves up in crowded markets?

You sir, are the epitome of a jackass and a fool rolled into one.

[Mike169]

What's the big deal? Congress has the right to ask questions. What is it with the Republicans who think this is all a joke? This administration has been competent in one thing keeping their incompetence under wraps.

[charlietuna11]

i really can't think of anything more imbarrasing than having to admit under oath that you worked for or supported dick cheney..it doesn't surprise me that he attracts people like mary matlin and addison..i­t would be impossible to stoop any lower..the­se low lifes shouldn't be allowed to breed. when i think of matlin, who doesn't move her mouth when she talks and the sock puppet shes wed to ,i have to think these two were meant for each other. i think both are the result of in breeding..­.

[Formulaplot3]

I would pay good money to see a BroadWay play about the trial of GWB & his cadre of crooks, liars & war criminals. It would be great standing in that immensely long line of liberal theatre goers to see some semblance of justice. I would make the production as dark & factual as possible. Who knows, it might even become the longest playing show in history. Hope someone takes me up on this. After all ridicule & derision are a right of every American. We may not be able to get this current Congress of conformist whimps to investigate & impeach these war mongers, but we can certainly fund a campaign in protest of their activities.

[CATO90025]

I saw the Jules Verges film--which had an unforgettable line.

This attorney had defended Klaus Barbie and others--

someone asked him if he would defend Hitler--he responded:

"I would even defend George Bush--but only if he plead guilty"

PURE POETRY--especially if you have a legal background

[mellene]

This Addington fellow is next to being the devil himself. I am so repulsed by his actions over the years that when I see him or his name I nearly become sick to my stomach.

[speakingtruth2power]

Good luck on getting anything out of Cheney's Cheney!

I mean besides a polite but firm, "Go Fuck yourselves".

[hopeless277]

He'll never show. Even if he does, he won't answer the questions and the Dems won't push.

I would describe the feeling of being represented by cowards and traitors as......ho­rrifying. Good-bye America, Harry Reid has sold you out. Lock, Stock, and Barrel.

[instagladiator]

Quite right. I doubt seriously that the Dems would "dare" ask anything relevant. Why should they? They're skating along with this administration so why 'rock the boat'? Furthermore, I whole heartedly agree with anothers comments about someone doing a "BroadWay play about the trial of GWB & his cadre of crooks, liars & war criminals.­" That would be priceless.

[Bluedog12]

Cheney is going to fly Addington's brother in from Sicily just for the hearing.

[woundedduck]

They're all Fredos.

[LibRS]

The next 20 to 50 years is going to be quite interesting in this country. I will be surprised if all out civil war doesnt break out before its over. The hate between liberals and conservatives is so rabid that it is amazing. It is going to be very hard to have a country with the two very different idealologies present. We can accomplish nothing politically because one side is constantly trying to shoot the other side out of the air.

So tell me, how much longer do you all think we have before America splits the sheets and becomes two countries? Ten years, fifty years?

[wally47]

Good Freaking Grief you are truly an idiot. It's stupid people like you that are causing all the problems. Get off the Kool-Aid and get a life.

[mooph]

That's right -- everything's fine in America! Just put on your kool-aid brand rose colored glasses.

/painful sarcasm

[Eoin45]

I think LibRS makes a good point and you're the one who may truly be an idiot. the comment is far from stupid. I know more than a few very well educated people who've at least considered the possibility. Our current national polarization reminds a lot of us of a civil war - thankfully bloodshed free so far. That's one of the reasons I support Obama. I'm hoping he can help to pull us back together. We've already had one civil war. What makes you so damn sure there couldn't be another?

[RnR]

you might want to refresh your basic Machiavelli - all out civil war would break out if the shadow government is successful in painting the "other side" as the enemy and not the shills who have cheated their way into office and hijacked our government (*our* = U.S. citizens' ).

The appropriate "war" would be citizens against the federal government as Thomas Jefferson suggested. The ploy is "divided they fall".