Washington, Oct 6 (Prensa Latina) US Congresspeople asked the Justice Department on Thursday to demand that the George W. Bush government release the secret memos authorizing harsh CIA interrogation techniques, as part of the “war against terrorism” proclaimed in 2001, The Washington Post reported today.
However, the Justice Department said that those methods did not violate anti-torture laws approved by Congress.
The scandal broke out on Wednesday, when The New York Times disclosed that in 2005, then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had authorized harsh interrogation techniques never used before by the Central Intelligence Agency.
That was the first time the government provided explicit authorization to barrage terror suspects with a combination of painful physical and psychological tactics, including head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures, The New York Time reported on Wednesday.
“The memos create an unwelcome complication for the Bush administration as it tries to win confirmation of former federal judge Michael B. Mukasey as the next attorney general, said The Washington Post today.
In that regard, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he would ask Mukasey about his opinion on the issue during confirmation hearings this month.
“After telling us and the world that torture is abhorrent . . it appears that under Attorney General Gonzales they reversed themselves and reinstated a secret regime by, in essence, reinterpreting the law in secret,” said Leahy, referring to Justice Department officials.
The Senate Judiciary Committee demanded the release of the memos and promised to hold hearings on the issue.
“Both the alleged content of these opinions and the fact that they have been kept secret from Congress are extremely troubling,” said Sen. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.)
The Washington Post noted that the Republican administration has repeatedly refused to report on interrogation tactics.