Mukasey gets to work
Attorney General Michael Mukasey launched a criminal investigation into the destruction of videotapes of terrorism interrogations by CIA personnel. What a "refreshing break," said Newsday. Mukasey is acting like he really wants to get to the bot
What happened
Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Wednesday launched a criminal investigation into the destruction of videotapes of terrorism interrogations by CIA personnel, and appointed Connecticut federal prosecutor John Durham to oversee the FBI’s investigation. (Legal Times via Yahoo! Finance)
What the commentators said
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What a “refreshing break,” said Newsday in an editorial. “Michael Mukasey is behaving like an attorney general who actually wants to find out who authorized the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes and whether that person or persons broke the law.” Durham is a tough prosecutor, but he’ll have to “navigate a minefield of powerful interests” to find out how high up in the Bush administration the fate of the tapes was decided.
Congress will have to be patient and let Durham do his job, said the Los Angeles Times in an editorial (free registration). “The fact that criminal charges are a possibility means that some CIA figures who might have testified before Congress” won't be available. Lawmakers will have to “accept that reality” as they look into the matter themselves to avoid “jeopardizing prosecutions.”
Mukasey is the one jeopardizing possible prosecutions by appointing a Justice Department employee to lead the investigation, said Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, in USA Today. This scandal cries out for an independent special counsel. “The recent scandal over the firing of U.S. attorneys has taught us that this administration cannot be trusted to keep politics out of prosecutions, and when administration officials are alleged to have committed crimes, we need more independence, not less.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Thailand's war on blackchin tilapia
Under The Radar The invasive 'alien' fish are causing economic damage but can their spread be stopped?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
10 recent scientific breakthroughs
In Depth From cell reparation to monkey communication
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
TV to watch in September, from 'Agatha All Along' to 'The Penguin'
The Week Recommends A 'WandaVision' spinoff, a DC Comics villain's starring turn and a silly Netflix original
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published