Democrats are moving aggressively to push for a congressional
investigation into prisoner abuse abroad, RAW
STORY has learned.
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In a release
Friday, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), ranking member on
the House Committee for Government Reform, introduced
legislation to create a committee to investigate prisoner
abuse.
The move appears to have broad backing
from all sides of the Democratic House caucus, including
the Democrats' liberal and moderate leaders in the House,
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD).
The move to introduce legislation to create
a select committee on abuse comes in the wake of a federal
judge's ruling Friday that Americans must be allowed
to see Abu Ghraib photographs.
As the minority party in the House, Democrats
would need to woo a number of Republicans to support
the measure to create the committee.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Democrats to Introduce Legislation to Create Select
Committee to Investigate Prisoner Abuse
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman, along
with Democratic Leader Pelosi, Armed Services Ranking
Member Skelton, and other senior congressional leaders,
announced plans to introduce legislation to create a
House select committee to investigate the abuses of
detainees held in U.S. custody in connection with the
war in Iraq and the global war on terrorism. The resolution
would charge a bipartisan group of 14 Members with thoroughly
investigating evidence of detainee abuse and torture
in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay.
"We first introduced this resolution a year ago
after the Republican majority refused repeated requests
to investigate the accounts of prisoner abuse in Abu
Ghraib," said Rep. Waxman. "Since then, the
scope of the problem has exploded. Nearly every week
brings new reports of horrific abuse of individuals
in U.S. custody. Yet still there has been no serious
congressional investigation. The failure of Congress
to conduct responsible oversight, which is our constitutional
duty, is shameful."
In just the past week, new evidence emerged of the
desecration of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay, the involvement
of Navy Seals in beating detainees in Iraq, and the
gruesome, ultimately fatal torture of Afghans at the
U.S. detention center in Bagram, Afghanistan.
The select committee would conduct a full review of
the alleged abuses of detainees, investigate who is
responsible, and assess whether legislative or executive
action should result.
Current sponsors of the legislation:
Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Ranking Minority Member, Committee
on Government Reform
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, Democratic Whip
Rep. Robert Menendez, Chairman of the House Democratic
Caucus
Rep. James E. Clyburn, Vice Chairman of House Democratic
Caucus
Rep. John M. Spratt, Jr., Assistant to the Democratic
Leader
Rep. Ike Skelton, Ranking Minority Member, Committee
on Armed Services
Rep. Jane Harman, Ranking Minority Member, Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence
Rep. Tom Lantos, Ranking Minority Member, Committee
on International Relations
Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Minority Member, Committee
on the Judiciary
Rep. John D. Dingell, Ranking Minority Member, Committee
on Energy and Commerce
Rep. David R. Obey, Ranking Minority Member, Committee
on Appropriations
Rep. Charles B. Rangel, Ranking Minority Member, Committee
on Ways and Means
Rep. George Miller, Ranking Minority Member, Committee
Education and the Workforce
Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey, Committee on Appropriations
