Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

August 30, 2008 8:33:40 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Mukasey Won't Budge on Waterboarding

Posted Jan 30, 08 4:47 PM CST in Politics 

(Newser) – Testifying before a Senate committee today, Attorney General Michael Mukasey frustrated attempts to get him to answer on whether waterboarding constitutes torture. "I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to pass definitive judgment on the technique’s legality,” said Mukasey, hedging in a manner that, as it did in past appearances, infuriated questioning senators, the New York Times reports.

“So let me ask you this,” Sen. Ted Kennedy asked at one point, “would waterboarding be torture if it was done to you?” Replied Mukasey, “I would feel that it was.” An exasperated Kennedy compared Mukasey's stance to being "opposed to stealing but not quite sure that bank robbery would qualify," the Times notes.

Source New York Times

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Hitchens Agrees: Waterboarding Is Torture

    Jul 3, 08 3:10 PM CDT
    Hitchens Agrees: Waterboarding Is Torture "You may have read by now the official lie about this treatment, which is that it simulates the feeling of drowning," Christopher Hitchens writes of waterboarding in Vanity Fair. "You feel that you are drowning because you are drowning," concludes the author, who experienced the controversial interrogation technique himself. "I find I don't want to tell you how little time I lasted." More »

  • Gitmo Prisoner Charged in Cole Bombing

    Jul 1, 08 2:18 AM CDT
    Gitmo Prisoner Charged in Cole Bombing A suspected al-Qaeda terrorist held at Guantanamo Bay for six years has been charged with masterminding the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors and injured 50 others. The treatment of Saudi prisoner Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri in custody, which included waterboarding by interrogators, will be a key element of his defense, reports the Washington Post. More »

  • Alleged 9/11 Leader Faces Gitmo Tribunal

    Jun 5, 08 8:07 AM CDT
    Alleged 9/11 Leader Faces Gitmo Tribunal Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, will be arraigned today at a special military tribunal at Guantánamo Bay, reports the Washington Post. Five years after his arrest in Pakistan, the detainee and four others will appear in a specially designed, $4 million courtroom to face charges of terrorism and "murder in violation of the law of war."  More »

  • Ex-Detainee Describes Gitmo Tortures

    May 21, 08 12:02 PM CDT
    Ex-Detainee Describes Gitmo Tortures A man arrested in Pakistan and held as an enemy combatant in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay was hung from the ceiling, beaten, and shocked with jolts of electricity, he testified to Congress yesterday. The German-born Turkish citizen told lawmakers that US interrogators also forced water down his throat. He was released without charge after nearly 5 years in custody. More »

  • Judge Orders CIA to Release 'Torture' Memo

    May 9, 08 6:30 AM CDT
    Judge Orders CIA to Release 'Torture' Memo A federal judge has ordered the CIA to release a 2002 memo believed to outline interrogation methods that may amount to torture. The ACLU, which brought the suit sparking the order, claims that the memo details harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, and calls it "one of the most important torture documents still being withheld by the Bush administration." The judge will decide whether to make the memo public on Monday, reports Reuters. More »

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., right, accompanied by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., questions Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday,...   (Associated Press)
Attorney General Michael Mukasey is sworn-in on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008, prior to testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the Justice Department....   (Associated Press)
Attorney General Michael Mukasey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008, before the Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the Justice Department. (AP Photo/Dennis...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

torture  • Michael Mukasey  • waterboarding


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Politics Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »