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Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military Lawyers

By Jeralyn, Section Judiciary
Posted on Fri Sep 15, 2006 at 06:31:10 PM EST
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Senators Richard Durbin and Edward Kennedy are calling for a new investigation into Bush judicial nominee William Haynes. Durbin and Kennedy sent this letter today to Sen. Arlen Specter asking for new hearings on Haynes in light of allegations he pressured military lawyers to support the Administration's military commissions bill. Here is the text of the letter, which I received by e-mail:

September 15, 2006

Dear Chairman Specter,

We recently learned of allegations that, in meeting earlier this week, the White House and Department of Defense General Counsel William J. Haynes pressured senior judge advocates general into signing a letter on the Administration's proposed revisions to the War Crimes Act and Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. It is alleged that the JAGs were kept in this meeting for several hours, until they agreed to sign the letter. That letter was subsequently used to suggest that the JAGs supported the Administration's proposals.

These allegations are disturbingly similar to other allegations that Mr. Haynes has ignored, circumvented, or overruled the nation's senior military lawyers. The Judiciary Committee has explored Mr. Haynes' attempts to overrule the JAGs in preparing interrogation guidelines that departed from long-standing military tradition and led to detainee abuses.

We believe these new allegations raise serious further questions about Mr. Haynes' fitness to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. We urge you to thoroughly investigate and hold hearings on these claims and others relating to Mr. Haynes' treatment of the JAGs before the committee takes any further action on his nomination.

Sincerely,

Edward M. Kennedy
Richard J. Durbin


Cc: Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Ranking Democrat, Committee on Judiciary

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    Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military Lawyers | 16 comments (16 topical)
    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#1)
    by jimcee on Fri Sep 15, 2006 at 08:17:04 PM EST
    Wow Sen's Durbin and Kennedy are given credibility with thier critcisms of the Bushies. Sen Durbin suggested that American's supervising GitMo are the equivilent of Nazis and Sen Kennedy...well I'll just leave his credibility to those who have naive daughters.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 15, 2006 at 11:12:00 PM EST
    It is alleged that the JAGs were kept in this meeting for several hours, until they agreed to sign the letter.
    Mmmmmm irony.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 15, 2006 at 11:12:00 PM EST
    And what, dear Jimcee, do you have to say regarding the accusations against Mr. Haynes? That being the topic of the post...

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#4)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Sep 16, 2006 at 01:49:35 AM EST
    krocek, It's called attacking the messengers.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#5)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Sep 16, 2006 at 07:08:40 AM EST
    et al - From the post:
    It is alleged that the JAGs were kept in this meeting for several hours, until they agreed to sign the letter.
    Now let me see. These are all very senior members of the US military, and we are supposed to believe that this judge forced them to remain in the room until they signed? That's so obviously untrue that it is laughable. But then the Demos do have the Fake But Accurate thing going.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#6)
    by Sailor on Sat Sep 16, 2006 at 09:45:43 AM EST
    once again ppj makes personal attacks because he has no facts to back his case with.
    Early Thursday morning, White House allies distributed the letter that the lawyers had signed, as evidence that the group, known as Jags, now supported the administration plan.
    That prompted loud protests from Republican senators opposed to the plan. They dismissed the letter on grounds that the lawyers would have signed it only under pressure. [...] General Dunlap said in his mind that signing the letter meant just to convey that trying to clarify ambiguous language was helpful and that it did not mean that he and his colleagues fully endorsed the administration view.
    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#7)
    by Sailor on Sat Sep 16, 2006 at 02:58:27 PM EST
    But then the Demos do have the Fake But Accurate thing going.
    Yeah, we'll just wait for ppj to condemn the repubs for objecting to bush's lies.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#8)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Sep 16, 2006 at 03:17:25 PM EST
    Sailor - This is the claim of the letter signed by Swimmer Kennedy and "The Troops are Nazis" Durbin:
    It is alleged that the JAGs were kept in this meeting for several hours, until they agreed to sign the letter
    . Your comments don't address my point that a rational person would not believe that these senior JAG's could be held in a room against their will until they signed a document that they disagreed with. Indeed:
    A spokesman for the Pentagon, Bryan Whitman, said it was nonsense to suggest that the military lawyers had been coerced, a point that General Dunlap agreed with.
    You embarass yourself if you do, and you insult those JAG officers involved.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#9)
    by Sailor on Sat Sep 16, 2006 at 04:38:21 PM EST
    Your comments don't address my point that a rational person would not believe
    Because you didn't say "a rational person" you accussed dems. It is nice to know that ppj considers repubs irrational but why does ppj lie about what the JAG officers said?

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#11)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Sep 16, 2006 at 08:48:08 PM EST
    Sailor - Show me where I said JAG lied?

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#10)
    by Richard Aubrey on Sat Sep 16, 2006 at 09:26:39 PM EST
    Update: The JAG officers deny any such thing happened. You ought to know better than to believe senators.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#12)
    by Sailor on Sat Sep 16, 2006 at 10:57:49 PM EST
    ppj, I didn't say JAG lied, I said you lied. RA, I call BS, provide links.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#14)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Sep 17, 2006 at 06:20:01 AM EST
    Sailor - My comments about JAG include a direct quote from Swimmer and Nazis Caller's letter, and the note that no rational person would believe that they could be held against their will and sign a document they didn't agree with. If you think that unreasonable, dear boy, please do so.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#13)
    by Richard Aubrey on Sun Sep 17, 2006 at 09:16:26 AM EST
    Sailor. Can you think of anybody who cares what you call? I'm not going to link, for two reasons. One is that if it isn't in The Nation, you'd dismiss it as coming from a right-wing rag, in order to change the subject. The other is that, even if it were in The Nation, it wouldn't make any difference to a liberal. You believe what you want to believe. I believe in letting you--with the occasional warning--continue to say things everybody knows are false. Keep it up.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#15)
    by Sailor on Sun Sep 17, 2006 at 06:34:36 PM EST
    My comments about JAG include a direct quote from Swimmer and Nazis Caller's letter ... If you think that unreasonable, dear boy, please do so.
    Your invective has hoist you on your own retard.

    Re: Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military L (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Sep 18, 2006 at 12:09:14 AM EST
    RA:
    Sailor. Can you think of anybody who cares what you call?
    Just about everyone here, aubrey. Except you and one or two others here who are chronically unable to substantiate most of your BS. I'd give you links, but they'd just whistle right through you. And anyone who feels reading the things you say are worth their time to read can google "site: talkleft.com aubrey".

    Senators Say Bush Nominee Pressured Military Lawyers | 16 comments (16 topical)