01-15-09 AP-Democrats Seek Criminal Probe of Bush 'Abuses'

The Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee released a report recommending that the incoming Obama administration launch a criminal investigation into whether Bush administration officials broke laws related to national security policies. The report also calls for an independent commission, similar to the 9/11 commission, to investigate the misuse of power. However, President-elect Obama has not endorsed the report and wants to focus on moving forward instead of looking back. Vice President Cheney defended the Bush administration policies and said officials followed legal opinions.

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01-15-09 AP-Democrats Seek Criminal Probe of Bush 'Abuses'

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January 15, 2009

Democrats seek criminal probe of Bush 'abuses'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The incoming Obama administration should launch a criminal investigation of Bush administration
officials to see whether they broke the law in the name of national security, a House Democratic report said Tuesday. President-
elect Barack Obama has been more cautious on the issue and has not endorsed such a recommendation.
Along with the criminal probe, the report called for a Sept. 11-style commission with subpoena power to gather facts and make
recommendations on preventing misuse of power, according to the report by the Democratic staff of the House Judiciary
Committee.
The report covers Bush administration policies that Democrats have protested for some time. Among them: interrogation of
foreign detainees, warrantless wiretaps, retribution against critics, manipulation of intelligence and political dismissals of U.S.
attorneys.
The White House was asked for comment on the report Tuesday, but did not immediately respond.
However, in an interview this month with The Associated Press, Vice President Dick Cheney said, "I can't speak for everybody in
the administration, but my view would be that the people who carried out that program — intelligence surveillance program,
the enhanced interrogation program, with respect to al Qaeda captives — in fact were authorized to do what they did ... ."
Cheney said legal opinions supported the officials.
"And I believe they followed those legal opinions and I don't have any reason to believe that they did anything wrong or
inappropriate," the vice president said.
Obama said last week in a television interview, "We're still evaluating how we're going to approach the whole issue of
interrogations, detentions and so forth. And obviously we're going to be looking at past practices, and I don't believe that
anybody is above the law. On the other hand, I also have a belief that we need to look forward, as opposed to looking
backwards."
Obama said intelligence officials were "extraordinarily talented people who are working very hard to keep Americans safe. I
don't want them to suddenly feel like they've got to spend all their time looking over their shoulders and lawyering."
Obama said he has not made a final decision about a Sept. 11-type commission.
The criminal probe may need a special prosecutor named by the attorney general, the report said.
An alternative would be expansion of an existing investigation into the CIA's alleged destruction of a tape or tapes showing
harsh interrogation methods against a prisoner.
The criminal investigation would include issues apart from national security, such as whether laws were violated in the
politically inspired firing of U.S. attorneys.
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said his staff has met with the Obama transition officials on
the report. The president-elect's transition team has not endorsed it.
The congressionally appointed commission should have subpoena power, the report said. It suggested the new president order
"full cooperation by all present and past federal employees with requests for information."
Conyers already has introduced legislation to form the commission.