The President releases key Bush Justice Department torture memos, but strongly renounces calls for criminal prosecutions.
In a widely-anticipated action, President Barack Obama released (with some redactions) Bush Administration Justice Department memos that authorized harsh treatment of U.S. detainees. Without characterizing the treatment as torture, Obama said in a prepared statement that he has already barred the use of the
methods “because they undermine our moral authority and do not make us safer.”
You can read the President’s full statement here.
The formerly top secret memos prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department can be read here.
While the President earned wide praise for releasing the memos, the reaction to his other announcement on the subject today–that he was firmly opposed to prosecuting those who engaged in the now banned practices–was mixed to say the least. Although the Washington Post praises the decision for striking “just the right balance,” others like prominent George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley and MSNBC’s Keith Olberman, bitterly criticized Obama’s explanation that “this is a time for reflection, not retribution.”
Update: Zachary Roth at Talking Points Memo has the background on Jay Bybee and Steven Bradbury, the Bush Justice Department appointees over whose signatures the “torture” memos were promulgated. Bybee is now a federal appelate judge in the Ninth Circuit.
