International lawyer shocked by memos

[Robbien]

The World Today - Wednesday, 9 June , 2004 12:30:00
Reporter: Eleanor Hall
ELEANOR HALL: While the Pentagon spokesman is playing down the significance of this legal advice, a senior partner in a US legal firm says it's shocking and that the lawyers involved could face professional sanctions.

Scott Horton is a partner at the New York based international law firm, Patterson Bellnap Webb and Tyler and in his capacity as a member of the US Bar Association, he was paid what he describes as an unusual visit by military lawyers last month in relation to the memoranda. Scott Horton spoke to me a short time ago from his office in New York and began by describing that visit from military lawyers.

SCOTT HORTON: It was a group of six very senior uniformed officers – lawyer officers, the JAG corps. And they said they were very concerned about policy decisions that had been taken at the top of the Pentagon, that were creating an environment or an atmosphere of legal ambiguity surrounding detainees and the global war on terror and interrogation of those detainees.

And indeed they said this was a disaster waiting to happen. I guess, with the disclosure of these two memoranda in the American media today and yesterday, it's now quite evident to me that it was these memoranda that sought to justify torture and abuse of prisoners that led them to come in and seek us out.

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2004/s1128053.htm

in addition to the transcript of the entire interview there is also an audio link.

[dand]

1. JAG lawyers know war criminals when they see them

the thugs in this administration are the worst nightmare of our military. God help any of our service men or women who are captured, they will get no mercy from the enemy.

[anarchy1999]

2. This deserves more attention!

n/t

[Gin]

3. I love this line.............

"so John Ashcroft is speaking falsely when he says"

Sounds like lying to me....John...your god is not happy with you for lying.

[Padraig18]

4. This is why Sen. Graham (R-SC) is so concerned.

Lindsey Graham was a former Army prosecutor, and he is quietly raising hell about these memos. The Repubs would frankly like for him to shut up about them, but they can't quite figure out a way to do it that wouldn't cause even MORE of a fuss.