Gonzales Counters Cheney, Backs Holder CIA Probe
Wednesday, September 2, 2009 12:19 PM
By: Ben Conery (Contact) and Joseph Weber (Contact) Article Font Size
Former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, who was criticized widely for politicizing the Justice Department and providing legal justifications for detainee abuse in the Bush administration, praised as an independent legal decision his successor's probe into whether CIA agents tortured terrorist suspects.
In stark contrast to former Vice President Dick Cheney's vigorous criticisms during the weekend of Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.'s reopening of investigations of CIA employees, Mr. Gonzales said Tuesday that Mr. Holder was correct to pay no heed to President Obama's often-stated desire to look forward on the issue and instead to make a legal decision based on the facts.
"As chief prosecutor of the United States, he should make the decision on his own, based on the facts, then inform the White House," Mr. Gonzales said Tuesday on The Washington Times' "America's Morning News" radio show.
Bush administration attorneys clearly defined what interrogation techniques were legal, and those who went beyond the rules should be investigated, despite any chilling effect it might have on future intelligence-gathering, Mr. Gonzales said.
"We worked very hard to establish ground rules and parameters about how to deal with terrorists," he said. "And if people go beyond that, I think it is legitimate to question and examine that conduct to ensure people are held accountable for their actions, even if it's action in prosecuting the war on terror."
Mr. Gonzales made his remarks just two days after Mr. Cheney, who has taken the lead in defending the conduct of the war on terrorism, blasted Mr. Holder's decision to name federal prosecutor John Durham to conduct the review as "an outrageous political act" that "offends the hell out of me."
"It's clearly a political move; I mean, there's no other rationale for why they're doing this," Mr. Cheney said on "Fox News Sunday," in comments echoed on Sunday's talk shows by two Republican senators -- John McCain of Arizona and Orrin G. Hatch of Utah.
Attempts to reach Mr. Cheney for comment Tuesday were unsuccessful.
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/gonzalez_holder_probe/2009/09/02/255492.html?s=al&promo_code=87EE-1
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OMG...now how's that for a 'ROYAL KICK IN THE ARSE'...dear, dear HERR CHENEY...LMAO
The former AG Gonzales {who some have said} did your biding and fired those State appointed AG's because you directed him too; has come out in favor of this investigation...HMMM. PAY BACKS are a real bite in the arse aren't they, or as they say: "what goes around comes around"