Tornado Alley (PROG)

[StephanieVanbryce]

IT's OFFICIAL ! - U.S. prosecutor named to probe CIA prison abuses

Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:43pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Justice Department officials have urged prosecutors to reopen probes into CIA prisoner abuse cases, which could distract President Barack Obama from his efforts to enact healthcare reform.

The department's ethics watchdog has recommended considering prosecuting Central Intelligence Agency employees or contractors for harsh interrogations in Iraq and Afghanistan that went beyond approved limits, a government official said.

The administration on Monday confirmed it was setting up a new group to interrogate terrorism suspects in accordance with established rules.

These developments came as the Justice Department was about to release a long-awaited CIA inspector general report on Monday that will offer new details of prior abuse, such as coercing suspects to confess after threats of bodily harm.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is also expected to decide soon whether to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations of abuse, including death threats.

These decisions coupled with more graphic details about interrogation practices, which Obama ordered halted when he took office in January, were likely to ignite a political storm at a crucial time in Washington.

Obama has repeatedly said he wants to move forward rather than dwell on Bush administration actions after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. But the White House said the decision was up to Holder.

"The president thinks that Eric Holder, who he appointed as a very independent attorney general, should make those decisions," White House spokesman Bill Burton said in Martha's Vineyard, Mass. where Obama was on a weeklong vacation.

Republicans will likely accuse Obama of being soft on national security while some liberal backers will be upset if the probe is limited to those who conducted interrogations while excluding the officials who approved the policies.

Obama has been trying to keep attention focused on his top legislative priority -- overhauling the $2.5 trillion health care system. Now, lawmakers could be distracted with hearings and debate over past interrogation methods.

CIA CHIEF PUSHES FOCUS TO THE FUTURE

When the CIA first referred its inspector general's findings to the Justice Department during the Bush administration, it decided none of the cases merited prosecution.

The American Civil Liberties Union has sued to have the CIA report released.

CIA Director Leon Panetta sent a note to employees that tried to keep their eyes on the future, calling the information in the report an "old story." There have been concerns the release could hurt intelligence gathering.

"For the CIA now, the challenge is not the battles of yesterday, but those of today and tomorrow," he said in the note obtained by Reuters.

One civilian CIA contractor was charged with detainee abuse and convicted in North Carolina in 2006 for assaulting an Afghan prisoner who later died.

When Obama took office, he ordered government agencies to abide by interrogation limits in the U.S. Army Field Manual, which do not include the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding.

Bush officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, have denied that torture was used and defended their interrogation practices, which included sleep and food deprivation as well as waterboarding of a handful of suspects.

Obama has decided to establish a new group of experts to handle interrogation of terrorism suspects. They would be limited to the Army manual and techniques used by law enforcement officials.

The group will be housed at the Federal Bureau of Investigation but will answer to the National Security Council, giving the White House more direct say over its actions.

It "will draw on experienced interrogators from different departments, including the intelligence community and law enforcement," an official said. "Their goal will be intelligence collection."

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE57N2X020090824?sp=true