Justice Dept. Hiring Practices Illegal: Report

Says no lawyer should be blamed for their clients' positions

(NEWSER) - Michael Mukasey today joined the chorus of conservatives and legal professionals decrying Liz Cheney’s “Al-Qaeda 7” attack ad, which portrayed Justice Department lawyers who’d once represented Guantanamo detainees as terrorist sympathizers. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal , the former attorney general argues that lawyers, from those who defended Bernie Madoff to those who made legal arguments for Bush administration torture policies, should be held responsible for the clients or views they represent. More»

Ex-AG compares torture to speeding (really)

(NEWSER) - Alberto Gonzales did not mean to endorse Eric Holder’s probe of alleged CIA torture during the Bush administration by calling it “legitimate,” the former AG tells the Washington Times, which broke the story. “I don't support the investigation by the department because this is a matter that has already been reviewed thoroughly,” he says. “Another investigation is going to harm our intelligence gathering capabilities.” More»

Target Mukasey, Gonzalez, Ashcroft

(NEWSER) - A coalition of mostly left-leaning organizations is attempting to get a gaggle of Bush officials disbarred for sanctioning torture, the Legal Times reports. In complaints filed with five state bar associations today, the groups accuse ex-attorneys general Michael Mukasey, Alberto Gonzalez, and John Ashcroft—along with nine others—of violating professional standards, the Constitution, domestic laws, and international treaties. More»

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama made a dangerous mistake in yesterday releasing Justice Department memos about interrogation techniques from 2005, say former Attorney General Michael Mukasey and former CIA Director Michael Hayden. By releasing the details of these methods, Obama is eliminating a crucial intelligence tool—not just for his own administration but forever, the two argue in an outraged Wall Street Journal op ed. They'll be ruined for future presidents, as well, because our enemies will know their precise limits. More»

Yoo memo also let military attack buildings inside US

(NEWSER) - Immediately after 9/11 the Justice Department under President Bush approved military attacks on apartments and offices, high-tech surveillance of citizens, and a suspension of press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. The actions detailed in the newly released memo, co-written by John Yoo and sent to Alberto Gonzales, were seen as so extreme that they were never taken—but the authorizations were not revoked until 2008, Newsweek reports. More»