Leahy: Truth Commission Or Consequences

(CBS)

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Face The Nation Sunday that a non-partisan "truth commission" to investigate the authorization of controversial interrogation techniques (such as waterboarding) is necessary so that America can come to terms with "what happens when we lose our national honor."

"I know some people say, 'Let's turn the page,'" Leahy said. "Frankly, I'd like to read the page before we turn it."

He declared he was not seeking such an investigation out of "some idea of vengeance."

Leahy said that some aspects of the use of torture which are known — from the photographic evidence of abuse at Abu Ghraib prison to the recently released memos on waterboarding — point to areas where Bush administration officials were not straightforward about their practices. "We know that people did not tell the truth when they said 'We weren't doing that'; we know they weren't telling the truth when they said, 'Well, you only had to waterboard [a detainee] once or twice and you'd get everything you needed.'"

The memos revealed, for example, that two suspected al Qaeda operatives were waterboarded 266 times.

"We know that there were a number of people that made the decision to violate the law, a number of people who said that we don't have to follow our Constitution, others who wrote memos basically saying the president and the vice president are above the law; the laws of the United States [don't] apply to them like they do to you and me."

"I want to know who was it who made the decisions that 'We will violate our own laws. We'll violate our own treaties. We will even violate our own Constitution,'" he said. "That we don't know. We don't know what that chain of command was."

Leahy said the creation of a panel similar to the 9/11 Commission would avoid a "piecemeal" approach to investigating the matter (via the Judiciary, Armed Services, Intelligence and other congressional committees) and help ensure that such abuses never happen again.

Host Bob Schieffer noted that some in Congress – including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – were apparently briefed at some point on the interrogation techniques. He asked if Leahy was going to target members of Congress in any investigation.

"The commission can look at that," Leahy said. He noted that there is "a great deal of dispute" over the extent to which Senators were briefed. "If you had a bipartisan commission or a nonpartisan commission, they'll look at all those questions. And they'll look at the transcripts of what was said."

Schieffer also commented on former Vice President Dick Cheney's recent remarks calling for more details about interrogations be released, on the assumption that "proof" information obtained from terror suspects was valuable would mitigate questions about the tactics used.

"Well, you know, I find this very interesting, considering the fact that the vice president didn't even want to admit that he was part of the three branches of government," Leahy said. "He was saying that, when people were asking questions, 'We're kind of a fourth branch, so we don't have to answer.'

"I would be delighted if he wants to come up and talk about it under oath," he said.

Asked by Schieffer if he would subpoena the former vice president if Cheney refused to speak under oath, Leahy said he would not. "He can go on his talk shows and do a postmortem thing," the Senator suggested.


More from Face The Nation (4.26.09):

McCain: Don't Investigate Torture Memos

Roundtable Discussion On Obama's First 100 Days With Editor Tina Brown And Reporter Bob Woodward

Schieffer: Bo Has Left The Building

Read The Complete Transcript> (pdf)

To watch Senator Leahy's appearance on Face The Nation click on the video player below.

[tincup356]

Where do the politicians go to get the facial reconstruction to be able to speak out of both sides of their mouth. I agree with an earlier input which asked where was the desire to "read" everything when passing the atrocious spending bill.
As a retired Navy Senior Chief, I find the current congress to be without question the worst makeup of leadership that I have every had the misfortune to have represent me.
I am thankful that the men and women of the armed services are made of better ilk, than those in congress who are forming the (mis)direction of leadership
Posted by atcsret at 9:45 PM : Apr 27, 2009 .....................................................................
Sir with all due respect,,,,But to refer to ANYONE in Washington as a representative of the people,,,is an outright lie. They are ALL harlots to the lobby dollar.

[atcsret]

Where do the politicians go to get the facial reconstruction to be able to speak out of both sides of their mouth. I agree with an earlier input which asked where was the desire to "read" everything when passing the atrocious spending bill.
As a retired Navy Senior Chief, I find the current congress to be without question the worst makeup of leadership that I have every had the misfortune to have represent me.
I am thankful that the men and women of the armed services are made of better ilk, than those in congress who are forming the (mis)direction of leadership

[royspost]

Sen Leahy: What a joke to read your words, 'Frankly, Id like to read the page before I turn it". Did you say that about the 1100 page bill that was crammed down every Americans throat? Tell me, did you read the bill. Then again don't answer because I don't want to call you a liar. That would upset all those who think your doing your job.

[jntlw]

I agree with Leahy completely. If we don't step up to those evil thugs (bush cabal) who broke the law intentionally and blackened our country's name for years to come, then we don't derserve to be a country anymore - for we stand for nothing but allowing evil to perpeuate.

[Craxy8]

Bob Schieffer has shown again and again that he is a Republican. This means that what he does has nothing to do with journalism. To be fair he should retire and let someone with integrity moderate Face the Nation. Someone the public can trust would be a good idea.

[starleo146]

ou know Ole D*i*c*k* should step up and speak under oath, he always claimed to be a straight shooter, even if he was shooting people in the back!!!!!!!!!
Posted by HAIRYONETOOOO at 6:00 AM : Apr 27, 2009


THE MAN DOESN'T KNOW THE MEANING OF THE WORD TRUTH.Shoot on the back, and the face, remember that man that went hunting with him. Makes no difference to Cheney

[starleo146]

Someone waterboard Cheney and Rumsfeld and make them talk.

[rlsutter]

I have one description for any U.S. citizen who would recommend usurpation of U.S. rights in favor of an international court: traitor.

[inventagod]

"In 1983, Texas Sheriff James Parker was charged, along with three of his deputies, for handcuffing prisoners to chairs, placing towels over their faces, and pouring water on the cloth until they gave what the officers considered to be confessions. The sheriff and his deputies were all convicted and sentenced to four years in prison. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15886834

Humpy Parker was at the center of a law enforcement scandal in the 1970s and 80s that was finally interrupted in 1983 when an undercover FBI agent was arrested and subjected to water torture and other illegal tactics. Gary Parker was a patrol sergeant at the time the corruption scandal was uncovered. Parker's deputies testified at trial that they would park on U.S. 59 and watch for 'long-hairs' driving vehicles displaying a bumper sticker for Houston radio station K-101.

'Humpy' Parker died in 1999 of cancer after he served a 10-year sentence in federal prison. The American Civil Liberties Union also won a judgment against San Jacinto County for three Kentucky residents and a Baytown man. The county was ordered to pay $40,000 per year until each person named in the class action lawsuit received $1,500. News reports at the time indicated thousands of people may have joined the class action lawsuit. The long-running corruption scheme was the subject of a book and movie, 'Terror on I-59'.'

[heavynne]

But at any moment we could have another major attack. And when we are possibly burying thousands of more citizens....then let's see how popular your Party and your "truth commissions" are to the American people.
Posted by Forbus56 at 6:59 PM : Apr 26, 2009
+ report abuse + permalink

Why? Are you Republicans planning on paying some terrorists for another attack just because you don't like President Obama?