March 22, 2007 - After years of largely ignoring the issue, two Senate committees have launched major inquiries into the handling of terrorist suspects captured after the September 11 attacks, congressional staffers tell NEWSWEEK. Although they are still in the early stages, the probes into allegations of torture, abduction and mistreatment of detainees hold the potential for an even bigger congressional showdown with the White House (and ultimately Attorney General Alberto Gonzales) than the current standoff over the firing of U.S. attorneys.The Senate Armed Services Committee is conducting an inquiry into "detainee abuse," said Kathleen Long, a spokeswoman for Sen. Carl Levin, the new Democratic chairman of the panel. The probe is a formal, full-scale investigation and several committee staffers have been assigned to it, according to a Senate staffer who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject. At the same time, the Senate Intelligence Committee, under new chairman Sen. Jay Rockefeller, has launched its own "review" of detention, interrogation and "extraordinary rendition" activities of the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies, said Wendy Morigi, a spokeswoman for Rockefeller. An official familiar with the Intelligence Committee inquiry said that Rockefeller has already held one closed-door hearing on rendition and will soon hold another classified hearing on CIA detention activities.
Wow. It just never stops.
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Topic - Torture: "the potential for an even bigger congressional showdown with the White House" - GliderGuider 11:57:48 03/23/07 (8)
- Anyone see those rumors/reports that the Bush family bought acreage in Paraguay? - suits_me 20:04:05 03/23/07 (0)
- About damn time ..nt - late 13:55:56 03/23/07 (0)
- The stench in the administration is good ol' Texas horseshit... - gino 12:24:02 03/23/07 (0)
- I've mentioned here recently several times that what we're now seeing is - tinear 12:06:41 03/23/07 (4)
- I followed both Watergate and Iran-Contra very closely, but I've never seen anything like this. - GliderGuider 12:17:47 03/23/07 (3)
- I think there is a big distraction factor here, GG. - Jim Pearce 12:21:53 03/23/07 (1)
- Investigation lead to impeachments. - GliderGuider 12:24:03 03/23/07 (0)
- Absolute power, which is what they had, just can't control itself. This is "Macbeth" with - tinear 12:20:43 03/23/07 (0)