Torture? Obviously, But What About Litany Of Other Crimes?
So, just a quick thought here, and with a little prompting by Jon Turley, obviously there is torture, and outright homicide thereon, spelled out and specified by the SSCI Torture Report. As I have said on Twitter, there are many things covered in the SSCI Torture Report and, yet, many things left out.
There are too many instances in the SSCI Torture Report to catalogue individually, but let’s be perfectly clear, the failure to prosecute the guilty in this cock up is NOT restricted to what is still far too euphemistically referred to as “torture”.
No, the criminality of US Government officials goes far beyond that. And, no, it is NOT “partisan” to point out that the underlying facts occurred under the Cheney/Bush regime (so stated in their relative order of power and significance on this particular issue).
As you read through the report, if you have any mood and mind for actual criminal law at all, please consider the following offenses:
18 U.S.C. §1001 False Statements
18 U.S.C. §1505 Obstruction of Justice
These are but a few of the, normally, favorite things the DOJ leverages and kills defendants with in any remotely normal situation. I know my clients would love to have the self serving, toxically ignorant and duplicitous, work of John Yoo and Jay Bybee behind them. But, then, even if it were so, no judge, court, nor sentient human, would ever buy off on that bullshit.
So, here we are. As you read through the SSCI Torture Report, keep in mind that it is NOT just about “torture” and “homicide”. No, there is oh so much more there in the way of normally prosecuted, and leveraged, federal crimes. Recognize it and report it.
Your omitting DoJ’s lately-much-beloved crime, 18 USC 4 (I think): Misprision of felony.
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In other words, failure to report someone else’s crime.
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And that rolls over into 18 USC 371 (IIRC) – conspiracy.
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Another of DoJ’s faves….
Misprision I didn’t think about.
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Conspiracy I meant to include and forgot.
Bingo!! Misprison of Felony. Notwithstanding bmaz’s list, I can’t count on both hands the number of times I’ve mentioned Misprison of Felony on various comment sections. Every time I did, someone would scoff. Seems to me though.. it would put 90% of WDC behind bars. Which would actually be a good thing. :)
In addition to the above, the medically unnecessary and involuntary “rectal rehydration” and “rectal feeding” procedures could constitute rape, sexual assault, sodomy, or a lesser included offense.
Yes, absolutely.
“In addition to the above, the medically unnecessary and involuntary “rectal rehydration” and “rectal feeding” procedures could constitute rape, sexual assault, sodomy, or a lesser included offense.”
Perhaps Edwin Meese could be consulted wrt possibly prosecuting any persons involved in recording these patently obscene acts and distributing such obscene materials? He’s quite familiar with special prosecutors too.
Sadly, this will go away on the next false flag event, coming soon to a neighborhood near you.
So sad and so obviously true.
Don’t know if it is a good time to read James Risen’s new book simultaneously.
Wolf is interviewing John Rizzo right now. Looks like all the blame goes to James Bybee and the DOJ.
Saw it.
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Wanted to puke. That is about a $350 tie Rizzo is wearing while criminally covering for abject torture he helped orchestrate.
It’s strange. So much of this is simply boring, because anyone who spent time on emptywheel and firedoglake all those years ago knew the important parts of it all already.
And just watching BBC coverage of it makes me sick to my stomach. Where’s the outrage! The USA under Bush and particularly Cheney trashed everything we were supposed to believe in, all the things drummed into us by the Nuremberg Trials, and we can still let shills for the system whinge on about whether useful intelligence was garnered. As if it matters!
When I was growing up “We have ways of making you talk!” (in a cod German accent of course ) was shorthand for bad evil nasty people. But no longer.
The next time I hear President Obama talk about the rule of law I am going to puke. He protects the powerful and prosecutes only those who want to tell us the truth. While Edward Snowden is living in exile to avoid imprisonment, John Kiriakou is rotting in jail, and James Risen is facing jail for contempt. Meanwhile, the torturers and Wall Street criminals stay free. Apparently, murder, torture, perjury, and fraud are not as important to President Obama as the unauthorized disclosure of classified documents. On a related matter, would someone here please tell me if the torture report could be used to arrest and charge some of these thugs for war crimes if they ever visited, say, a European country? I’m thinking of the precedent of General Pinochet.
Yea, I forget exactly how he put it, but today he gave a new version of his looking forward and not looking back to prosecuting anyone
I’m sorry, these offenses pale in comparison to the death, injury and destruction caused by the US’s wanton wars.
The perjury and other crimes are part of how they sold the wars to the public.
mark mazzetti’s article in the NYT is a disgrace. For example:
I mean, wtf. Then Mazzetti’s gives the CIA version of hacking Senate computers. And in his conclusion lets the DOJ assholes off the hook.
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I regret giving money directly to Mazzetti’s by buying his book.
What’s the statute on the CIA not propagandizing domestically? Or is there one? Seems like this report summary would make for pretty substantial evidence that it happened.
what do folks think about a qui tam action against the shrinks who thought up this stuff? they got $81 million…for advising violation of domestic and international law…if nothing else I’d like my money back
Problem is, I think they are indemnified by….the US Government.
that is probably true, but am wondering if you could attack the indemnity agreement as ultra vires part of the criminal conspiracy? bit of stretch I realize, but would like to see the shrinks sweat
But isn’t this what Floyd Landis is doing to Lance Armstrong? Of course, in the case of Landis the feds joined the lawsuit. I can’t see that happening here. I guess the best we can hope for is a number of people can’t leave the US for fear of arrest and prosecution.
How is Landis doing in that? I know there were motions to dismiss lodged, but not sure what happened to them. Looks like the case is still active.
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Also, great to see you again, been awhile. Happy holidays!
I’ll try not to make your lovely readers’ eyes glaze over because they are rightly more concerned about more pressing matters… Latest I read is Landis/Team Fed are arguing with Tom Weisel’s lawyers about which emails Weisel would have to disclose. The reason this is important is Weisel owned US Postal and clearly Landis/Team Fed believe there are emails between Lance Armstrong and Weisel about doping. If so they will have gone a long ways to making their case. It’s entertaining but only if one is as into bicycle racing as you are into F1.
quote”Problem is, I think they are indemnified by….the US Government.”unquote
The label “US Government” is only the latest trademark of Legal Imperilaism masquerading as the enforcer of rule of law. Indemnified by a monopoly of the most nuclear weapons and the power to use them while lying through their teeth. After all..Legal Imperialism has been around 10k yrs. Ask the British Empire.
…also not at all sure that government can provide indemnity for criminal acts or fraud on itself
That certainly should be the case, but of course the government itself will never take position it was illegal, conspiracy etc. Also, obviously would assert state secrets over anything not specifically disclosed.
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I love the thought though. Anything that hurts these pricks is a net positive in my book. I was saddened that med boards didn’t do anything significant. It is just rotten in every regard.
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By the way, thought I remembered this, but the government separately gave Mitchell and Jessen $1 million “to protect the company from legal liability.” Not sure what that means, but assume was used for premiums on some kind of risk coverage.
So glad to see that John Yoo has a forum in Time today. Because, well, there just isn’t enough disgusting shit happening over the past 48 hours.
Don’t forget about the fact that the torture was begun (by the contractors) as a series of “experiments”. And human experimentation is a war crime:
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http://therapysblog-fromtpm.blogspot.com/2010/09/human-experimentation-is-war-crime.html