56 Members of Congress Petition A.G. Mukasey To Investigate Bush Administration For War Crimes!

The Honorable Michael Mukasey
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Mr. Attorney General:

We are writing to request that you appoint a special counsel to investigate whether the Bush Administration’s policies regarding the Interrogation of detainees have violated federal criminal laws. There is mounting evidence that the Bush Administration has sanctioned enhanced interrogation techniques against detainees under the control of the United States that warrant an investigation.

Congress is already aware of the pattern of abuse against detainees under the control of the United States and the Bush Administration. In 2004, prisoners being held at Abu Ghraib prison were subjected to abuse, sexual exploitation, and torture. At the Guantanamo Bay Detention facility prisoners have been held indefinitely, subjected to sleep deprivation, and drugged against their will. An independent investigation by the International Committee of the Red Cross documented several instances of acts of torture against detainees, including soaking a prisoner’s hand in alcohol and lighting it on fire, subjecting a prisoner to sexual abuse, and forcing a prisoner to eat a baseball. In October 2005, the New York Times reported that three detainees were killed during interrogations in Afghanistan and Iraq by CIA agents or CIA contractors.

We believe that these events alone warrant action, but within the last month additional information has surfaced that suggests the fact that not only did top Administration officials meet in the White House and approve the use of enhanced techniques including waterboarding against detainees, but that President Bush was aware of, and approved of the meetings taking place. This information indicates that the Bush Administration may have systematically implemented, from the top down, detainee interrogation policies that constitute torture or otherwise violate the law. We believe that these serious and significant revelations warrant an immediate investigation to determine whether actions taken by the President, his Cabinet, and other Administration officials are in violation of the War Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. 2441), the Anti-Torture Act (18 U.S.C. 2340-2340A), and other U.S. and international laws.

Despite the seriousness of the evidence, the Justice Department has brought prosecution against only one civilian for an interrogation-related crime. Given that record, we believe that it is necessary to appoint a special counsel to insure that a thorough and impartial investigation occurs, and that the prosecution of anyone who violated federal criminal statutes prohibiting torture and abuse is pursued if warranted by the facts.

Again, we strongly urge you to act in a timely manner to appoint a special counsel. We look forward to hearing from you in response to our request.

Sincerely,

Jan Schakowsky, Member of Congress
John Conyers, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee
Jerrold Nadler, Chairman, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Barney Frank, Member of Congress
Jim Oberstar, Member of Congress
Sheila Jackson Lee, Member of Congress
Carol Maloney, Member of Congress
Peter DeFazio, Member of Congress
Ed Markey, Member of Congress
Maurice Hinchey, Member of Congress
Jim McGovern, Member of Congress
Lynn Woolsey, Member of Congress
Jim McDermott, Member of Congress
Bob Filner, Member of Congress
Tammy Baldwin, Member of Congress
Keith Ellison, Member of Congress
Steve Cohen, Member of Congress
John Olver, Member of Congress
Betty McCollum, Member of Congress
Sam Farr, Member of Congress
Jim Moran, Member of Congress
Betty Sutton, Member of Congress
Bobby Scott, Member of Congress
Dennis Kucinich, Member of Congress
Lois Capps, Member of Congress
Joe Serrano, Member of Congress
William Jefferson, Member of Congress
Michael Capuano, Member of Congress
Pete Stark, Member of Congress
Lucille Roybal-Allard, Member of Congress
John Tierney, Member of Congress
George Miller, Member of Congress
Luis Gutierrez, Member of Congress
Steven Rothman, Member of Congress
Rush Holt, Member of Congress
David Wu, Member of Congress
Paul Hodes, Member of Congress
Andre Carson, Member of Congress
Robert Wexler, Member of Congress
Lloyd Doggett, Member of Congress
Diana DeGette, Member of Congress
Raul Grijalva, Member of Congress
John Larson, Member of Congress
Rick Boucher, Member of Congress
Hilda Solis, Member of Congress
Linda Sanchez, Member of Congress
Danny Davis, Member of Congress
Rosa DeLauro, Member of Congress
Michael Honda, Member of Congress
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Member of Congress
Peter Welch, Member of Congress
Tim Ryan, Member of Congress
Barbara Lee, Member of Congress
Zoe Lofgren, Member of Congress
Chaka Fattah, Member of Congress
David Price, Member of Congress