Bush Lawyers Face Calls for Dismissal

But disbarring Yoo or impeaching Bybee is an uphill battle
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted May 7, 2009 7:00 AM CDT

The Justice Department has signaled it won't prosecute the Bush administration lawyers who approved interrogation tactics widely considered to be torture, but they may have trouble keeping their jobs. A forthcoming report from the DoJ will recommend possible disciplinary action by state bar associations for the Bush lawyers, sources tell the AP. Jay Bybee, currently an appeals court judge, is facing calls for his impeachment, while students and faculty at Berkeley, where John Yoo now teaches, want him fired and disbarred.

"We believe there is a lot of evidence to suggest that war crimes were committed," says one activist. But legal experts tell the Washington Post that state investigators face "nearly insurmountable challenges," including a lack of subpoena power. Unless they can demonstrate that Yoo and Bybee provided advice that was illegal, and not merely poor, a case is unlikely to proceed.
(More John Yoo stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X