Bush lawyers nervous about DoJ investigation into torture policy

by: Jay Stevens

Sun Feb 15, 2009 at 07:50:11 AM MST

This is what he said about LiTW kicking-boy, John Yoo:

His legal opinions are truly appalling. There's no one I know -- and respect -- who supports them. It appears he was essentially used to rubberstamp a predetermined policy. And that, I think, takes him across a line. It's not just bad lawyering, it's not just unprofessional legal advice, it takes you into the realm of complicity.

And I think if evidence emerges from further investigation that abusive techniques of interregation had already been embarked upon without appropriate legal authorization, and they needed to find someone to sign off on it, and he was the person to sign off on it, then I think it becomes particularly certain.

It turns out the Mukasey DoJ started an internal investigation into Bush lawyers' role in approving torture -- and rumor has it that the findings are grim...for Bushies.

OPR investigators focused on whether the memo's authors deliberately slanted their legal advice to provide the White House with the conclusions it wanted, according to three former Bush lawyers who asked not to be identified discussing an ongoing probe. One of the lawyers said he was stunned to discover how much material the investigators had gathered, including internal e-mails and multiple drafts that allowed OPR to reconstruct how the memos were crafted. In a departure from the norm, Jarrett also told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee last year he would inform them of his findings and would "consider" releasing a public version. If he does, it could be the most revealing public glimpse yet at how some of the major decisions of Bush-era counterterrorism policy were made.

Naturally ex-administration officials are apopelectic. ("'OPR is not competent to judge [the opinions by Justice attorneys]. They're not constitutional scholars,' said [a] former Bush lawyer." Sounds suspiciously like David Addington, doesn't it? Of course, what does he know about the Constitution?)

In any case, just the fact this story appeared in print may mean we'll see the results of the report...and might create more public pressure to investigate and prosecute Bush officials for their role in the illegal government activities of the last eight years.