Groups seek disbarment for Bush's top lawyers
Monday, May 18, 2009
As reported by CNN, today a coalition of progressive groups are now seeking the disbarment of 12 Bush administration top lawyers. Why? Because they need to be accountable for their actions, as an attorney for the coalition says "It is time to hold these lawyers accountable for violating their legal oath," as was presented in a legal statement. "Just as the bar would suspend an attorney who advised a police officer to torture and brutalize a detained immigrant or criminal defendant, the bar must suspend these attorneys for advocating and causing the torture of war detainees. The disciplinary boards that hear these complaints must act or they will be seen as complicit in the use of torture."
So who are these lawyers? Here are theier names....
David Addinton - was chief of staff (2001-2005) and former legal counsel to former Vice President Dick Cheney (2005-2009).[1] During 21 years of federal service, Addington has worked at the CIA, the Reagan White House, the Department of Defense, four congressional committees, and the Cheney Office of the Vice President.
John Ashcroft - is an American politician who was the 79th United States Attorney General. He served during the first term of President George W. Bush from 2001 until 2005. Ashcroft was previously the Governor of Missouri (1985–1993) and a U.S. Senator from Missouri (1995–2001).
Stephen Bradbury - nominated June 23, 2005, by President George W. Bush to be an Assistant Attorney General (Office of Legal Counsel) at the Department of Justice. His nomination[1] was sent to the U.S. Senate on June 23, 2005. Bradbury replaced[2] Jack Landman Goldsmith, who resigned.
Jay Bybee - while serving as Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel, approved of "enhanced interrogation techniques" through the legal memoranda he authored. This memo has been the source of some controversy and calls for his impeachment.
Michael Chertoff - was the 2nd United States Secretary of Homeland Security, under George W. Bush, and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act.
Douglas Feith - served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for United States President George W. Bush from July 2001 until August 2005. His official responsibilities included the formulation of defense planning guidance and forces policy, United States Department of Defense (DoD) relations with foreign countries, and DoD's role in U.S. Government interagency policymaking.
Alice Fisher - appointed by President George W. Bush in a recess appointment August 31, 2005, as Assistant Attorney General to head the Criminal Division in the United States Department of Justice.
Timothy Flanigan - President George W. Bush nominated him as Deputy Attorney General of the United States, the #2 position in the Department of Justice. On October 7, 2005, his name was withdrawn from consideration. [1] He was replaced by Paul McNulty.
Alberto Gonzales - was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales was appointed to the post in February 2005 by President George W. Bush.
William Haynes II - an American lawyer, and former General Counsel of the United States Department of Defense during president George W. Bush's administration. Haynes resigned as General Counsel in February 2008. From 2003 until 2007, he was a nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Michael Mukasey - a lawyer and former judge who served as the 81st Attorney General of the United States. Mukasey, an American lawyer, was appointed following the resignation of Alberto Gonzales. Mukasey also served for 18 years as a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, six of those years as Chief Judge.
John Yoo - is an American attorney and former official in the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ashcroft, Gonzales and Mukasey served as attorney general in former President George W. Bush's administration. Chertoff served as homeland security secretary.
The complaints, filed with the bars in California, the District of Columbia, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, also seek other forms of disciplinary action in addition to disbarment.
It appears that there is no call for criminal prosecution, but the high focus centers around Bradbury, Bybee and Yoo. These three men held former Office of legal Counsel, and were the top officials who provided the legal guidance, including the permissible interrogation procedures for the CIA and other branches of government. Bybee and Yoo wrote the permissible interrogation procedures that were used directly in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, which allowed very harsh interrogation techniques which were eventually withdrawn. One of the techniques used extensively, especially directly after 9/11 was the use of waterboarding, a procedure that the prior administration Vice-President Dick Cheney condoned.
This procedure can be the beginning or the end of the investigation process concerning torture that the prior administration is being accused of. If the lawyers involved in the prior administrations acts of mishandling prisoners do not receive legal reprimands, and in some cases the loss of their license to practice law, then most likely President Bush will get out of any further possible charges that may come against him.
The aura of President Obama seems to preclude that he is interested in finding out all the truths of the past, but not at the expense of taking the eyes and ears of the media and public from what he is actually doing presently in his administration. I do not feel that President Obama would consider to pursue further hearings or proceedings against his predecessor President George Bush, but it is my opinion if he does so, a good percentage of his popularity will diminish. So President Obama is again walking a fine line here. But the fact of the matter is that eventually if Obama does not persue finding out the historical facts centered around these attorneys, then eventually the media and press will come up with information, and then the posibility exists that President Obama may be charged for withholding evidence that he may have known about in an attempt to quiet things down.
Last week, President Obama disallowed the publishing of dozens and dozens of torture pictures and maybe some videos. Many take it as President Obama's first mistake as President of the United States. He may just be making his 2nd biggest mistake in office in just as little as 2 weeks.
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