Biden On Prosecution Of Bush Officials: "Not Ruling It Out"

In an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopolous, Joe Biden said he was 'not ruling out' prosecutions for Bush administration officials over torture.

STEPHANOPOULOS: The Senate Armed Services Committee last week had a unanimous report that said that the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, at Guantanamo, at prisons around the world is a direct and indirect result of decisions made by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other high officials. Should they be prosecuted for that?

BIDEN: First of all, that's a judgment, remember, four years ago on your program I made, so I haven't changed my mind. And this confirms.

But the questions of whether or not a criminal act has been committed or a very, very, very bad judgment has been engaged in is -- is something the Justice Department decides.

Barack Obama and I are -- President-elect Obama and I are not sitting thinking about the past. We're focusing on the future. Obviously, that if the Justice...

STEPHANOPOULOS: But should the cases be reviewed?

BIDEN: Well, that's a decision I'd look to the Justice Department to make.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But you're not ruling it out at this point?

BIDEN: I'm not ruling it in and not ruling it out. I just think we should look forward. I think we should be looking forward, not backwards.

Newsweek reported recently that Donald Rumsfeld and John Ashcroft could soon face "legal jeopardy" for their role in abusive interrogations.

Comments

[springsm]

This is one of the reasons the GOP is going after the appointee Holder as AG. Bush and the likes of him KNOW they are guilty. Joe ought to button is lip. They don't need fair warning. Can bush pardon them pre emptively? Can they then, not be touched. Gawd..they all need orange jumpsuits.

[GAPeach99]

Okay, I'm not very politically savvy, so let me see if I have this right. We got the good guys not yet in power and the bad guys still in power. The people supporting the good guys want them to layout in detail in the media how they plan to deal with the bad guys before they're in place with the power to do anything. Meanwhile the bad guys still have the power to screw things up even worse than they already are before the good guys take over. Do I have that right?

[CIgarCityGirl]

My thoughts exactly. Keep your cards close to your chest.

Why in the world do people not "get it?" Thirty-one days can be a LIFE TIME!!!

[dessertsfirst]

Bush/Cheney have so ruined this country and have left such an awful mess, that it may not be practical to bog the country down in both time and money to prosecute them, if we are to rectify the problems they are leaving us... something about losing the battle, but winning the war, comes to mind. We must choose our battles and do what is best for the over-all good.

[anney]

Sorry, but you're dead-wrong.

Breaking the law in so many ways as the Bush administration has is probably one of the worst things that's ever happened to America. NOT prosecuting them sets a precedent for every American president in the future, who can certainly expect to break the law with equal impunity.

Not prosecuting them is one of the most dangerous things I can imagine for America. It isn't a matter of losing a battle but winning a war. It's a matter of a Constitutional holocaust.

[leftLibertarian]

You are wrong. Crimes have been committed and the criminals must be tried.

If I committed murder, would you let me go free because it was too hard to bring me to trial?

[RTIII]

If we don't prosecute, our constitution means NOTHING.
.

[anney]

If the Obama administration doesn't prosecute the war-criminals in the Bush administration, instead excusing them with the label of a "very, very bad policy" instead of a crime, it's time to open up America's prison doors and let every felon go free. What's good for Peter is good for Paul.

[goldenbird]

I find it unbearable that people seem to think that the law is optional for them. Obama and Biden are going to take oathes to protect the constitution, which can only be done by prosecuting the violations against its principles. Protections like impeachment are authorized by the constitution, but meaningless if not put into practice. The democrats act as if they are magnanimous in overlooking the crimes of the Bush Administration, but in fact it makes them appear complicit.

[SangZe]

Like Pelosi and the rest of the chicken-hearted gang, the new guys are ready to roll over and do nothing about the obviously criminal activities of the administration of the last eight years. Our country is in ruins and these jokers keep playing their games. Next thing you know, they'll be cutting taxes for the rich as a way to git the 'conomy movi'. You betcha!

[roshni]

You MUST prosecute Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld and the lot of war criminals.
Anything we can do to help?
You certainly have our moral support.

[Machun]

How is it Martha Stewart goes to jail but the Bush crowd get off scott free because we're looking forward! We're looking at the disaster Bush left us is what we're looking at. Throw them in jail!

[grata2ude]

Go Joe. You cannot let Bush and Cheney get away with what they've done.

[jitterbug]

The country will not believe in the new administration unless it upholds the laws and constitution of the U.S. How can we move forward without prosecuting traitors (especially traitors that swore to uphold the Constitution?) Please don't ever forgive or forget these traitors.

[LanosIceland]

The mighty imperial nation of the USA will never be prosecuted for war crimes
because the pride, arrogance, and complete disregard and
mockery of international law by its citizens will never allow for it.
America doesnt take orders, they give orders; they don't invade, they liberate;
They don't commit murder, they bring justice.

[goldenbird]

Let's do it!

[treetracker]

I suggest giving them until the 28th of Feb. to get settled and, if at that time, zero has occured in moving forward with an investigation, the people should take to the streets demanding an investigat­ion/prosec­ution. If enough people show up in the streets all across the country demanding action we will show the world we want justice and they will be unable to deny us.

[BigBen]

So should people be brought to justice or should we look forward? We hold other people accountable for their war crimes do we not? Did we look to the future after WW2 or did we hold people accountable? Or is it only if they are not us that we hold them accountable?

[MissingAmerica]

Hooray!

[Telemachus]

Take a chill pill, folks. "Not ruling it out" will do for now.

I'd much rather see sure-footed, methodical progress than listen to a bunch of premature, immature trash talk ... "Bring 'em on" comes to mind.

These fellows have already proven they know what they're doing. So let's at least let them take the oath of office before demanding results, OK?

[lokipuck]

Proven what? Where? When? How?

[democracy7]

He has proven himself by being careful in his administration pick, he has not surrounded himself with yes men. Which is more than can be said for the Bush admininistration.

[BlueGirlRedState]

We can't move forward without looking back. We want our country back -- the one we had before Bush/Chene­y/Rumsfeld­/Rice/Ashc­roft/Gonza­lez/Rove/e­t al. Pelosi, Reid, Conyers, Specter are all big talk and no action. Obama/Biden's approval will plummet if they let us down on this one. America and the World are waiting for restoration of the rule of law and justice.

[lizziekw]

His tone is just about right. The Obama administration cannot be seen as spending all its time going after the Bush Junta. It's political suicide for them to get bogged down in this.

We'll see what happens at DOJ and with the next Congress. If they decide to let it go, there's probably nothing we can do about it.

[BigBen]

Not the Obama administration. The International court of Justice at the Hague.

[lizziekw]

Meh. We never let them go after Americans or they'd have had Kissinger decades ago.