According to his report, Missouri Sen. Kit Bond, one of the most hardline authoritarian and pro-torture Senators, claims that Attorney General nominee Eric Holder assured Bond privately that he wouldn't prosecute Bush-era torture crimes.
This sounds unlikely to me. The Attorney General can't really make such a pledge before he takes office and gets an inside look at the evidence. What the Moonie Times reports from Republican Sen. Arlen Specter sounds much more plausible:
Mr. Specter called "satisfactory" Mr. Holder's statements that interrogation techniques authorized by legal opinions would provide a strong cover from prosecutions. According to Mr. Specter, Mr. Holder could not make any more explicit statements without knowing the facts of specific cases.I'm thinking this story says more about how devoted Kit Bond is to continue the Cheney-Bush torture program than it does about Holder's or Obama's position.
Update: An aide to Eric Holder denies the claim made - according to the Moonie Times - by hardline torture supporter Kit Bond (Holder Aide: We Made No Special Promises to Bond by Elana Schor TPMDC 01/28/09))
Tags: obama administration, torture
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