Democrats race to hearings on interrogation memos

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Democrats race to hearings on interrogation memos

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Wednesday's hearing will be chaired by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who also is a member of the Intelligence Committee and attended secret briefings on the interrogation methods by intelligence officials in the George W. Bush administration.

Whitehouse said in an interview that he offered legislation in the Intelligence Committee to ban the harsh methods. His measure became part of legislation that passed under the sponsorship of the committee chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

But Whitehouse said he never protested to the Bush administration because "it never crossed my mind that it would make the least bit of difference."

The hearing of the Judiciary administrative oversight and the courts subcommittee, he said, will focus on legal issues that are not part of the intelligence inquiry. The primary issue is the conduct of Justice Department lawyers who wrote or approved memos justifying waterboarding, sleep deprivation and other harsh interrogation methods.

A draft report from an internal Justice Department investigation said Bush administration lawyers who approved harsh methods should not face criminal charges but said two of the attorneys face possible professional sanctions.

"I have spoken to my leadership and to Sen. Feinstein. Everybody seems very comfortable with what I'm doing," Whitehouse said.

Whitehouse said he had "no feedback of any kind" from the Obama administration. "I assume if they had discomfort they would have communicated that to someone. I get zero sense that the administration is concerned about what particular committee should do this."

A White House spokesman, Ben LaBolt, said the administration would have no comment on Whitehouse's hearing.

One witness scheduled to testify Wednesday, Philip Zelikow, was among the Bush administration's top State Department officials who fought the interrogation techniques in fierce internal battles with former Vice President Dick Cheney and the Justice Department. He wrote a memo protesting that the techniques violated the Constitution.

Is he going to use the findings to do anything or is it going to be just another listening session with no follow up?

he doesn't seem to me to be the kind to let this pass.

angry. I don't think he'll let this pass either, at least I hope not.

He's on the same side of the fence with us and not just this issue either.

hopefully he is not letting this go, blatant crimes were committed, I give him full support on this one.

as well as the whole of bushco. We have several good dem senators but only a hand full of damn good ones and he's one of them. I wish I could be so fortunate to have a senator like him. I have a chance of one if our present governor, Brad Henry, runs for the senate.