torture

Quick Hits

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 18 May 2009 10:07:11 -0400

* An anti-torture coalition is seeking to disbar Davidson College graduate William J. Haynes II, among others, for Bush-administration memos.

* The anonymous backer of a "Draft Coop" blog tries to determine who he should support now that Attorney General Roy Cooper is out of the Senate race.

* Between opening day and the crossover deadline, 303 Senate bills and 424 House bills passed, including substanial numbers during crossover week itself.

* It will be tricky for Democrats to replace U.S. Attorney George Holding in the middle of an investigation into former Gov. Mike Easley.

Burr: Mistake to release memos

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:49:43 -0400

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr said he is disappointed that President Obama released memos from the Bush administration.

In an e-mail to Dome, the Winston-Salem Republican said that making public the memos from the Office of Legal Counsel supporting the brutal interrogation methods used by the CIA could hurt the troops and help terrorists.

"I am disappointed that the Administration chose, over the objections of some of our most respected intelligence experts, to selectively release for seemingly political purposes, highly classified OLC memos detailing the legal analysis relating to the CIA’s sensitive interrogation techniques," he said.

He also said that the torture methods outlined in a recent Senate Armed Services Committee report were "shocking," but they would not happen again.

"The unfortunate incidents outlined in the recently released Armed Services Committee report that occurred at some of our nation’s detention facilities were shocking and damaged our reputation in the global community, but measures have been taken to prevent occurrences like this from happening in the future," he said.

Previously: Sen. Kay Hagan 'deeply concerned' by report.

Hagan 'concerned' by torture report

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:53:35 -0400

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan said she is "deeply concerned" by a recent report on torture.

The Greensboro Democrat told Dome that she was troubled by a report from the Senate Armed Services Committee about the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and Afghanistan.

"I am opposed to torture and deeply concerned about the information revealed in these documents," she said in a statement. "I have two nephews serving our country on active duty and the thought of them being tortured is unfathomable to me."

Hagan added that military psychologists have said the information gleaned from suspects "may have been unreliable and unusable."

"Our country needs reliable and accurate information to protect itself; I'm concerned that the information gained using these techniques was neither," she said.

The 232-page report was drawn from more than 70 interviews and 200,000 pages of classified and unclassified documents.

Both Hagan and Sen. Richard Burr serve on the committee.

Quick Hits

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:44:06 -0400

* U.S. Sen. Richard Burr praises Sen. Ted Kennedy's bipartisanship, saying he wishes every bill was co-sponsored by him.

* Gov. Beverly Perdue will speak at funeral services for state Sen. Vern Malone at Martin Street Baptist Church in Raleigh tomorrow.

* If Congress moves to impeach federal Judge Jay Bybee over the torture memos, Reps. Howard Coble and Mel Watt will be on the committee.

* U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan takes umbrage at the U.S. trade representative saying there's no need to reconsider the NAFTA trade agreement.

Hendrix on Mukasey nomination

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0500

John Ross Hendrix would not vote to confirm Michael Mukasey as attorney general.

The Cary graphic artist, who is running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, said he would not support Mukasey because of the former judge's reluctance to characterize waterboarding as torture.

In a satirical e-mail to Dome, Hendrix said he will begin selling "custom built waterboards" on Craigslist.

There should be a good market, with potential sales to every police department in the country, and maybe even mall security companies. If the waterboarding procedure is ok for prisoners of war and international criminals, it should be ok for criminal suspects in the U.S., too.

Hendrix said that Mukasey's testimony will lead to "Americans being waterboarded by terrorist claiming to have the same respect for the Geneva Conventions as the United States."

Previously: Chapel Hill investment banker Jim Neal opposes Mukasey nomination, state Sen. Kay Hagan says she's not sure.

Neal: No on Mukasey nomination

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:28:35 -0500

Jim Neal says he would not vote to confirm Michael Mukasey as attorney general.

The Chapel Hill investment banker said he would not support the Bush nominee because of his reluctance to characterize the technique known as waterboarding as torture.

"I believe if we tacitly acknowledge torture as an option for interrogation techniques, we only magnify the likelihood that members of our armed services will be subject to torture," he told Dome.

Neal said that the United States needs to "restore its image in the world community."

Previously: State Sen. Kay Hagan, Neal's opponent in the Democratic primary, said she was not sure if she would vote to confirm Mukasey or not.

Hagan on Mukasey nomination

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:15:00 -0500

State Sen. Kay Hagan said she does not know whether she would vote to approve Michael Mukasey for attorney general.

The Greensboro Democrat told Dome that she has "not had the privilege" of hearing his testimony before Congress on torture and the Bush administration's policies. However, she did say that she thinks he is "a reputable individual that has great credentials."

"I don't have a vote in this right now, so I'm going to let the sitting senator decide that," she said.

She said she does not agree with Mukasey's reluctance to characterize the practice known as waterboarding — in which terrorism suspects are made to feel they are drowning — as torture.

"Waterboarding seems like torture in my book," she said.

Hagan is running against Chapel Hill investment banker Jim Neal for the Democratic nomination to face U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008.

Separation (of powers) agreement?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:44:29 -0400

John Edwards said he would like a little less power, if elected.

At a town hall meeting in Tilton, N.H., the former North Carolina senator said that President Bush has overreached while in office, hurting the historical separation of powers.

"We've seen the most dramatic expansion of executive power in our lifetimes under this president," he said.

He said he would restore transparency to presidential decision-making, end the use of signing statements to amend laws, stop "illegal spying" on American citizens, close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and prohibit torture.

"I understand that there are three branches of the federal government," he said, to a burst of applause.

Tortuous torture

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 23 May 2007 17:32:07 -0400

A House bill would direct the state Sentencing Commision to study outlawing torture.

Rep. Paul Luebke said the study is necessary because of allegations that a Smithfield-based company has sent terrorism suspects overeseas to be interrogated and tortured.

The Durham Democrat said that Attorney General Roy Cooper said that current law does not cover the alleged activities by Aero Contractors at an airport in Kinston.

Rep. Leo Daughtry, a Smithfield Republican, said that the company does "the bidding of the United States government" and should not be prosecuted.

"The state of North Carolina has got no more business investigating the people in Johnston County than they do Fort Bragg," he said.

A decision on the bill was postponed, possibly until later today.

Daughtry on torture