Bush officials’ refusals to testify may lead to new inquiries
Published: July 14, 2009
Updated 4 months ago
In an effort to thwart a federal investigation of the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program, five former senior Bush administration officials refused to cooperate with investigators, among them former Bush chief of staff Andrew Card and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
But while their refusals to testify might have stymied in large part the Justice Department’s efforts, the defiance by the officials has only led powerful members of Congress to renew calls to have a bipartisan commission conduct their own inquiries.
Congressional sources also said that they plan to possibly question Justice Department officials in appearances before Congress as to how the noncooperation of witnesses undercut their investigations—in an effort to bolster support for future probes.
According to a report made public last Friday by the Inspector Generals of five federal agencies, five former Bush administration officials refused to be interviewed by investigators or cooperate in any other way.
The report named the officials as former Attorney General John Ashcroft; former White House chief of staff Andrew Card; former CIA director George Tenet; David Addington, a former chief of staff and legal counsel to President Dick Cheney, and John Yoo, a senior Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. Tenet was originally appointed to be CIA Director by President Bill Clinton, and retained by President Bush. The other four were solely politically appointees of President Bush.
In reaction to the refusal of the officials to cooperate with the Inspectors General, members of Congress renewed calls for investigations of the warrantless surveillance program and other Bush era abuses by a bipartisan commission, and also future inquiries by Congress.
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, after the Inspectors General of five federal agencies said that their probe of the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program was stymied by the refusal of officials to agree to answer questions, said: “The refusal of key Bush Administration officials such as David Addington and John Yoo to cooperate with the IGs’ review underscores the need for an independent commission with subpoena power to further review these issues.”
Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, similarly cited the non-cooperation of witnesses in renewing previous calls for the appointment of a bipartisan commission to probe of not only the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program but the use of harsh interrogation techniques on terror suspects.
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) also called for further investigation, saying: “This report leaves no doubt that the warrantless wiretapping program was blatantly illegal and an unconstitutional assertion of executive power.”
The report by the five Inspectors General concluded that former President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney personally misled the public about the effectiveness of the program, that the Bush administration did have adequate legal review of the program to make sure it was conducted within the law, and that senior officials throughout the government believed that the program was in part or entirely illegal.
A 220 page report by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility examining whether Bush administration attorneys violated their professional ethics in overseeing legal opinions allowing harsh interrogation of terror suspects, for example, will soon be declassified and made public, according to Justice Department officials.
In regards to that probe, like the one of the warrantless surveillance program, a number of Bush administration officials also declined to assist investigators.
Partly as a result of that non-cooperation, Attorney General Eric Holder is considering opening a criminal investigation or appointing a special prosecutor to examine the harsh interrogation technique policies of the Bush administration.
“It might seem like the common sense thing to do in the first place by not cooperating with the Justice Department,” says one senior congressional aide, who has worked on the surveillance program issue, “But in the long term it stiffens the resolve of everyone around here to press to get to the bottom of these matters.”
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Palin did the same thing when receiving a supeona. Refused to cooperate. This is the republican way. Doesnt matter ,the truth will come out..
We need to stand firm and press Holder to appoint a special investigator to get to the bottom of this illegal activity.
“We” have been standing firm since 2000 with protests, petitions, e-mails, phone calls, faxes, letters, and visits to capitol hill and you see the state of things don’t you? THEY HAVE IGNORED IT ALL.
Pssssssssssssssssst: These war criminals don’t give a damn what any of us think because we are not their owners. You STILL haven’t figured that out yet?
And you really expect one group of war criminals with a D behind their name to investigate and prosecute another group of war criminals with a R behind their name? Duh.
Why must one log in again to view ‘raw video’, fucking stupid. That ‘fried chicken and potato salad’ thing that Steele is doing always worked well for Bill Clinton, except he subituted watermellon for potato salad. Worked great for Hillary too, although I don’t recall an article ever being run here about that.
How exactly does one refuse to cooperation with Federal agents? I’d like to have that trick in my repertoire when the Feds are knocking on my door:
“Sorry, gents, I’m not cooperating with you lousy G-Men.”
“The refusal of key Bush Administration officials such as David Addington and John Yoo to cooperate with the IGs’ review underscores the need for an independent commission with subpoena power to further review these issues.”
Well no shit Mullmaster Johnny C. This situation has only been this way for a couple of years now. Don’t you need to do some more mulling about it first? You seem to be real good at mulling and getting your name in the news. Evidently it is the only thing in life that you can successfully do.
You have the spine of a worm, Johnny. But you can rest assured that you are in like company there amongst the spineless congressional dems.
Waterboard every Bushie until we get their full confessions.
Nah, seriously, haul them before Congress and JAIL them for CONTEMPT if they don’t talk.
This tide has barely begun to rise.
What tide? There’s a drought, haven’t you noticed?
“This tide has barely begun to rise”
That’s my sense too. This is not on the wane. The Dems may or may not, across the spectrum, welcome it, but it doesn’t appear to be going away — it’s coming on, and on, and on.
I suggest Congress get some balls and FORCE the criminals to testify. I’ve had just about enough of these assholes ignoring investigations, and shitting on subpoenas.
Enough is enough. Waterboard the motherfuckers if they have to - this would be the ONLY time I’d approve of torture. Give the cowards a taste of their own medicine …
This super-majority so-called “Democratic congress” may “force” the criminals to testify, but I can assure you that will be the end of it as with all charades called “hearings” since 2000. Any “forcing” will be purely theatre/show to pacify some Dem kool-aid drinkers who refuse to accept that their D parasite politicians ARE WAR CRIMINALS TOO.
So you really expect D war criminals to investigate/prosecute R war criminals? Wishful-thinking is one thing, but do you honestly believe that that would happen? That’s like the Bush regime investigating itself! What would that accomplish? NOTHING!
chop off their heads
The fact that all of these Bushies refused to cooperate can only mean that they had more to lose by testifying than by stonewalling. Conspiring to cover-up illegal actions constitutes a criminal conspiracy, which is quite an incentive for refusing to cooperate.
Criminal conspiracy.
Obstruction of justice.
Too late to impeach, so — Special Prosecutor.
Ahhhhhhh, political ebola. Well, at least we have a diagnosis. The patient is doomed, but now we know why. Okay, we can all go home now.
Only 15 people in America have actually responded to this vital story. What a shame. Has RawStory uploaded this story to any other site? Can you try to go viral? Can you work with allies at other news sites to distribute it more widely? I am not just bloviating here, but really want some response. So many of your stories just stop at the door. Are you too scared, too small, or too paranoid to allow somebody to carry the story to wider distribution? Just asking. This is of major importance, and at least copy it to a trusted Senator or media contact. Or ask a trusted blogger to get it out to a wider audience. It’s us against them, and every woman (or man) counts.
This is of major importance, and at least copy it to a trusted Senator or media contact. Or ask a trusted blogger to get it out to a wider audience. It’s us against them, and every woman (or man) counts.
———————-
A “trusted” senator? Well that’s dreaming. I can’t think of one at this point.
WE (all 10 of us) don’t count to the war criminals in congress. That’s why stories “stop at the door.” It has nothing to do with RawStory or any other website. The reality is that if the D and R war criminal parasites in congress cared about any of these stories AND the oath they took to the US Constitution, we wouldn’t be where we are today. And if anyone thinks anything of substance is going to be done about these D and R war crimes (including the war crimes under savior Obama), you’re dreaming.
Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause… for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country.” - George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775
To mrcoder, above.
You might actually look into Eisenhower’s speeches just before he left office. The military/industrial/congressional complex is alive and well and way too big to combat unless campaign finance is actually addressed. Which it won’t be, because of the lobbyist slaves in our government. What shall we do?
Nobody will be prosecuted because everybody in Washington is owned by corporate contractors. If there are any congressional staff reading this (doubtful) then speak up. We need a few honest representatives who will lead and not follow. I believe those people exist but are too cowed to say a word.
It would be appropriate on some level if these people got the same thing that the prisoners in Bagram, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo got, but we really can’t go there. There is such a thing, however, of being in contempt of court which puts you in jail until you decide to cooperate. I would like to see these guys incarcerated with some inmates who are Iraq veterans with messed up minds. I see nothing unethical with that.
Judith Miller went to prison for not cooperating with the Feds, and she was only a marginal player in the Bush Crime Family.
Separation of Powers means *nothing* if an Administration can just thumb its nose at Congress, and then say ‘let’s move on’ after they lose power.
What’s the statute of limitations on Administration crimes ?
Statutes of Limitations are probably not a problem yet, but I want Dick Cheney in prison before he cheats justice.
We have GOT to be aggressive and relentless about this.
This is much like driving a stake through the heart of a vampire. You’ve got to pin down the vampire, hold him down — he’s got superhuman strength — and complete the process of driving in the stake.
And then stand over his grave to make sure that he’s dead.
but I want Dick Cheney in prison before he cheats justice.
——————————
Since BOTH D and R war criminals served as accomplices to war criminals Cheney/Bush, who precisely is going to serve justice?
As some of us have said many times before, any SERIOUS investigations/hearings into these matters will implicate and incriminate the Bush-accomplice Dems as well.
Therefore, where is the justice going to come from? War Criminal Obama wants to “look forward.”
I could wishful-think just like you and other people, but I prefer to live in reality. I get the very strong sense that many people are living in Denial that their Bush-accomplice Dem politicians are war criminals also. It’s as if many people don’t want to believe that. Just like they didn’t want to believe War Criminal Pelosi when she said “impeachment is off the table.” The Dem kool-aid drinkers said, “she’s not serious. She’s just saying that to fool the Repugs and because she can’t put all her cards on the table.” I called that nonsense. I said she was indeed serious. History shows how very wishful-thinking and how wrong the Dem kool-aid drinkers were.
“five former Bush administration officials refused to be interviewed by investigators or cooperate in any other way. The report named the officials as former Attorney General John Ashcroft; former White House chief of staff Andrew Card; former CIA director George Tenet; David Addington, a former chief of staff and legal counsel to President Dick Cheney, and John Yoo, ”
These clowns need to be subpoenaed and jailed.
Email, write, call and fax Obama, AG Holder, and all members of Congress you can as often as you can to Investigate and Prosecute.
IT Will Not Happen Unless WE make lots of noise.
SIGN THE PETITION
Demanding both a
Commission of Inquiry
and a Special Prosecutor at ANGRYVOTERS.ORG.
http://ANGRYVOTERS.ORG
Forward this url to your friends
We can’t let them bury these crimes.
As soon as Cheney is safely on his way to Hell everything will be blamed on him and the rest of the criminals will go free and the Christo- Fascists will rise again. Don’t be shooting that energizer bunny yet.
i promise you,
if you put bush, cheney, rumsfeld, rice, rove, tennet, addington, yoo,
(limbaugh, o’reilley, hannity)
in a naked pile - hands bound,
and have a frothing german shepard straining at the leash
with bared teeth, after their genitals,
i will stand behind them,
smiling,
giving the thumbs up.
and all of the world will applaud -
except for its cancer.
fear
hate
greed
conceit
jealousy
dishonest
projection
subterfuge
no conscience
When no one will consider an investigation into Diebold (in spite of the “Bush v. Gore” idiotic ruling) or 9/11 (in spite of the nanothermite), why should anyone be surprised that nothing else is being investigated? Reason, it would seem, has been abandoned for forgiveness from some higher authority? Well, sickness is a process of forgiveness for exposure, perhaps?