In Politicizing Justice, 'Appalling' Betrayal

Bush attorney general slammed for imprisonment without charges

(NEWSER) - Former Bush attorney general John Ashcroft can be held personally responsible in a lawsuit brought by a US citizen who was detained on suspicion of being a material witness to terrorism but was never charged with a crime, an appellate court ruled today. Abdullah al-Kidd alleged the detention, begun in 2003, was unconstitutional and cost him his marriage and job; Ashcroft claimed immunity due to his position, the New York Times reports. 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»

(NEWSER) - AG Eric Holder today named a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of torture against CIA operatives who interrogated terror suspects during the Bush administration, the Washington Post reports. John Durham, who is currently probing the destruction of interrogation tapes, will look into fewer than 12 cases detailed in a CIA report released today and determine if a full-scale investigation is warranted. The Bush-era Justice Department investigated and dismissed the cases. More»

AG: 'American people would be surprised'

(NEWSER) - The chilling big picture suggests that “the radicalization of Americans” who leave the country and return wanting to do “harm to the American people” is a growing threat, Eric Holder tells ABC News. It’s “something that didn’t loom as large a few months ago as it does now," says the AG. "That’s the shifting nature of the threats that keeps you up at night.” More»

Only 3 Justice officials knew of program

(NEWSER) - The legal justification for the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program was handled with unprecedented secrecy that sidestepped usual Justice Department procedure, the Washington Post reports. Only three Justice officials—John Ashcroft, John Yoo, and staff attorney James Baker—were made aware of the program and participated in drafting memos that established its legality. More»