Judge urged not to ask about CIA tapes

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

The Bush administration has told a federal judge it was not obligated to preserve videotapes of CIA interrogations of suspected terrorists and urged the court not to look into the tapes' destruction.

In court documents filed Friday night, government lawyers told U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy that demanding information about the tapes would interfere with current investigations by Congress and the Justice Department.

It is the first time the government has addressed the issue of the videotapes in court.

Kennedy ordered the Bush administration in June 2005 to safeguard "all evidence and information regarding the torture, mistreatment, and abuse of detainees now at the United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay."



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071215/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_videotapes

[tekisui]

1. "when you told us not destroy the tapes, you didn't mean us."

Criminal thugs.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. Do not look at that crime scene!

Nothing to see there judge, move along.

[pacalo]

3. It's like a serial killer asking a judge not to analyze the weapon because he is currently under

investigation.

[tom_paine]

9. Yep, and it is precisely because what few Loyal Americans are left in power

are so deferential to what is now obvious are the biggest arch-criminals ever to rule America, that I am so convinced we have little hope of ever restoring the Old American Republic.

Not in my lifetime, anyway.

But there is always hope, and even if our cause is ultimately hopeless, like the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against the German Bushies in 1943, what matters is that we go down fighting.

[caligirl]

39. reminds me of what Sheldon whitehouse read on the senate floor

Bush is the maker of all laws and he can't break any becuse if he deems to, he just amends them to suit his purposes. Kennedy was told by a Bushie 'we make the laws not you you idiot judge'.

[Honeycombe8]

4. If the W.H. gets away with this....it shows who is in total control of our country...

despite who is in the majority in Congress.

Whose country is this, anyway?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

35. you could say that for many countries in the world

however the junta is losing it's grip lately

[Rene]

5. WHY didn't the judge impound all the material/computers/film involved.

No one can trust any aspect, this administration for a second.

I suggest * and the dick, become 'banned' individuals once out of office....and only be in public when their trials takes place.

I will vote for any Democratic candidate who promises a full investigation of the previous 8 years of illegal activity.....and promises to jettison ALL * administration appointees.

[Frustratedlady]

6. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't those secret prisons "discovered" by others?

THEN, pResident Bush acknowledged (admitted might be a better word) those tapes. The article says:

"By the time President Bush acknowledged the existence of those prisons and the prisoners were transferred to Guantanamo, the tapes had been destroyed."

Also, I'm wondering if they tape all interrogations, or were these just taped for the king's enjoyment?

[Toots]

7. The Fox says don't look in the Henhouse, he is investigating the missing Hens himself

If anyone else looks into the missing Hens it will destroy the Fox's investigation....Sounds completely Logical to me I believe the American people will buy it with not even a shrug of their shoulders. As long as we know what Britney is up to anyway....

[orleans]

8. my god. if this judge had the audacity to order all the evidence to

be safeguarded then i hope the judge has the audacity to go after these criminal motherfuckers!

[rodeodance]

13. CROSS ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOOTSIES

[peacebird]

10. Bush admin tells judge he's interfering with congress and justice dept investigations while

Justice Dept tells congress to stop its investigation because it is interfering with Justice investigation.... Mukasey gets a nice pat on the head and extra treats this holiday season from WH.

Thanks to Biden, Clinton, Obama, and Dodd for skipping that vote on Mukasey as AG. Special thanks to DiFi, Schumer, and LIEberman for voting lockstep with the repukes to hand Justice over to this oh-so "independent" and "non-political" bastard

[robinlynne]

19. You got it sooo right.

[cal04]

11. Congress, Bush in clash over CIA interrogation tapes

http://news.smh.com.au/congress-bush-in-clash-over-cia-interrogation-tapes/20071216-1hbb.html

(snip)
It "is one more argument that supports the contention that the CIA has been involved and continues to be involved in the use of interrogation techniques that violate the absolute prohibition against torture," special rapporteur Martin Scheinin told journalists.

Scheinin, who is the UN expert on human rights and counter-terrorism, said the behaviour of CIA officials he met on a visit to the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba this month only strengthened these suspicions.

[rodeodance]

12. damm it!

[rodeodance]

14. Here is the WH excuse/reason:

Government lawyers told Kennedy the tapes were not covered by his court order because Zubaydah and al-Nashiri were not at the Guantanamo military prison in Cuba. The men were being held overseas in a network of secret CIA prisons. By the time President Bush acknowledged the existence of those prisons and the prisoners were transferred to Guantanamo, the tapes had been destroyed.

In court documents, acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey S. Bucholtz was concerned that Kennedy might order CIA officials to testify about the tapes. Bucholtz said that "could potentially complicate the ongoing efforts to arrive at a full factual understanding of the matter."

The administration has taken a similar strategy in its dealings with Congress on the issue. On Friday, the Justice Department urged Congress to hold off on questioning witnesses and demanding documents because that evidence is part of a joint CIA-Justice Department investigation.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey also refused to give Congress details of the government's investigation into the matter Friday, saying doing so could raise questions about whether the inquiry was vulnerable to political pressure.

[1monster]

15. Wait a minute! Didn't the Justice Department ask Congress to delay (indefinitely)

their investigation of the tape destruction because that would obstruct the Justice Department's investigation of the same?

Hmm... Just the foxes investigation which foxes raided the hen house and ate all of the chickens and all of the eggs...

demanding information about the tapes would interfere with current investigations by Congress and the Justice Department.

[Donkeykick]

16. WOW!

Bush knows more about the law than a judge knows. But then there again he knows everything to start with--including the location of WMDS! :wtf: :sarcasm:

And if you don't believe me just ask him! :eyes:

[Heywood J]

17. Disregard the man behind the curtain

and the men behind the hoods. Pay no attention to destruction of evidence.


Off to the greatest page with you, for more exposure.

[tridim]

18. Typical.. They did the same thing with the 9/11 investigation.

Like the mob they realize it's easy to break the law if you own the police.

At the least this proves that there's a there there.

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. You just KNOW there's a copy somewhere.

[fascisthunter]

21. Is This Intent to Obstruct Justice

Would this action by the White House be considered a crime?

[Morereason]

22. White House to judge: Don't probe CIA tapes

Source: MSNBC/Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration told a federal judge it was not obligated to preserve videotapes of CIA interrogations of suspected terrorists and urged the court not to look into the tapes' destruction.

In court documents filed Friday night, government lawyers told U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy that demanding information about the tapes would interfere with current investigations by Congress and the Justice Department.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22272157/

---

Holy Cow.. Now the Bush administration can order Judges what they should do and not do???? Unbelievable....

[LiberalFighter]

23. I doubt that judges like to be told what they can or can't do

[bullimiami]

24. 1) dont tell us what to do 2) leave us alone

[tbyg52]

41. Bingo. Rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules. nt

[Xipe Totec]

25. Judge Urged Not to Ask About CIA Tapes

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration told a federal judge it was not obligated to preserve videotapes of CIA interrogations of suspected terrorists and urged the court not to look into the tapes' destruction.

In court documents filed Friday night, government lawyers told U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy that demanding information about the tapes would interfere with current investigations by Congress and the Justice Department.

(snip)

Government lawyers told Kennedy the tapes were not covered by his court order because Zubaydah and al-Nashiri were not at the Guantanamo military prison in Cuba. The men were being held overseas in a network of secret CIA prisons. By the time President Bush acknowledged the existence of those prisons and the prisoners were transferred to Guantanamo, the tapes had been destroyed.

In court documents, acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey S. Bucholtz was concerned that Kennedy might order CIA officials to testify about the tapes. Bucholtz said that ``could potentially complicate the ongoing efforts to arrive at a full factual understanding of the matter.''



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7155775,00.html

---

Don't ask any questions, because that could complicate things... :eyes:

[Flabbergasted]

26. Uh so why does it make a difference where these guys were kept? nt

[Xipe Totec]

28. It doesn't, really

"Even if Kennedy accepts the argument that government did not violate his order, he still could demand a hearing. He could raise questions about obstruction or spoliation, a legal term for the destruction of evidence in ``pending or reasonably foreseeable litigation.'' "

I think they are thoroughly screwed.

[TwilightGardener]

27. Yes, allowing those involved to testify in court, under oath, would SURELY

hinder the truth. Allowing a judge to look into the matter of the destroyed tapes would SURELY wreck the investigation. Puh-leeeze! This tells us something about Congress' and the Justice Dept's investigations: the White House seems to expect a favorable outcome from the Dem-controlled Congress and Mukasey, but NOT from a federal judge--very, very revealing.

[fascisthunter]

29. Bush Administration Broke the Law Again

and until this administration is held accountable, no other administration will be held to such a standard again.

America is not a country bound by laws. Some pay for their crimes while others never do or never will. That's been the compromise for the last 7 years.

[dailykoff]

30. Investigations could interfere with investigations

yeah that makes a lot of sense.

[Xipe Totec]

32. A watched boil never pops

that's seems to be the main White House argument.

To which I say, sometimes you just have to lance it.

[dailykoff]

36. Don't ask, don't tell.

Why can't we all just get along?

:sarcasm:

[RufusEarl]

31. It appears that judge Kennedy was appointed in 1997,

that would mean he's a President Clinton appointee. So yes this could be trouble for the Bu$h admin, unless judge Kennedy is a Bushie.

Peace!

[snappyturtle]

33. K&R It just keeps getting better and better.............

:sarcasm:

This delay is an excuse based on a technicality: the fact the the prisoners were being held in foreign, secret prisons rather than Guantanamo.

What ARE we going to do now? I am almost depressed over the state of affairs in this nation.

[Trillo]

34. It's lies and deceit that needlessly complicate things,

usually done to sell something or otherwise obfuscate the truth.

[cal04]

37. Justice Dept.: Back off on CIA tapes

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071215/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_videotapes


The controversy over destroyed CIA interrogation tapes is shaping up as a turf battle involving the courts, Congress and the White House, with the Bush administration telling its constitutional coequals to stay out of the investigation.

The Justice Department says it needs time and the freedom to probe the destruction of hundreds of hours of recordings of two suspected terrorists. After Attorney General Michael Mukasey refused congressional demands for information Friday, the Justice Department filed late-night court documents urging a federal judge not to begin his own inquiry.

The administration argued it was not obligated to preserve the videotapes and told U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy that demanding information about them "could potentially complicate the ongoing efforts to arrive at a full factual understanding of the matter."

The documents represent the first time the government has addressed the issue in court. In the papers, acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey S. Bucholtz said Kennedy lacked jurisdiction and he expressed concern that the judge might order CIA officials to testify.

[djp2]

38. How were tapes "erased"?

What method was used to "Erase" the tapes? Were they destroyed, thrown away, run through a machine, bulk erased with magnet, etc. Where are the physical tapes, which were used? There are methods to recover some "Erased" tapes, but probably not the CIA tapes as they probably uesd some method to prevent recovery.

[Prophet 451]

40. Basic rule of thumb

Basic rule: When someone in power tells you not to ask a particular question, that should be the very first question you ask.

[CreekDog]

42. Actually, none of us are supposed to ask questions about anything

With the exception of how much does John Edwards spend on his hair, what's with Hillary's laugh and why are there rumors that Obama is a Muslim.

So go about your business, the decider is deciding, you shouldn't be asking why.

[humbled_opinion]

43. Off to Gitmo with him... n/t