NY Times: Prosecute Cheney for torture

The New York Times editorial board is calling for President Obama to authorize a full and independent criminal investigation into the CIA's use of torture against suspected terrorists. It argues that the "nation cannot move forward in any meaningful way without coming to terms, legally and morally, with the abhorrent acts that were authorized, given a false patina of legality, and committed by American men and women from the highest levels of government on down."

The editorial states that any "credible investigation" needs to include former Vice President Dick Cheney; his chief of staff, David Addington; former CIA director George Tenet; and John Yoo and Jay Bybee, the Office of Legal Counsel lawyers who authored the torture memos. Other people who could be considered include Jose Rodriguez Jr., a CIA official who instructed that videotapes of torture sessions be destroyed; the psychologists who came up with the torture methods; and the CIA employees who actually committed the acts.

This isn't a matter of payback, the editorial says, but rather "ensuring that this never happens again and regaining the moral credibility to rebuke torture by other governments." Read the editorial in its entirety at The New York Times.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up