More Conyers - Special Counsel Requested Over Alleged War Crimes

John Conyers Jr. (D-MI 14) is not only keeping the underhandedness by the Republican hypocrites over recent elections and election reform in the forefront as outlined in the previous post, he now appears to be going after Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. It is being reported exclusively by The Raw Story that a letter signed by 51 other House members is being circulated requesting the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate claims that the U.S. has violated the War Crimes Act at secret detention facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. May 12, 2005 The Honorable Alberto R. Gonzales Attorney General of the United States U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Mr. Attorney General: We are writing to request that you appoint a special counsel to investigate whether high-ranking officials within the Bush Administration violated the War Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. 2441, or the Anti-Torture Act, 18 U.S.C. 2340 by allowing the use of torture techniques banned by domestic and international law at recognized and secret detention sites in Iraq, Afghanistan Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. One year and 10 investigations after we first learned about the atrocities committed at Abu Ghraib, there has yet to be a comprehensive, neutral and objective investigation with prosecutorial authority of who is ultimately responsible for the abuses there and elsewhere. While more than 130 low-ranking officers and enlisted soldiers have been disciplined or face courts-martial for the abuses that occurred, there have been no criminal charges against high-ranking officials. Yet the pattern of abuse across several countries did not result from the acts of individual soldiers who broke the rules. It resulted from decisions made by senior U.S. officials to bend, ignore, or cast rules aside. If the United States is to wipe away the stain of Abu Ghraib, it needs to investigate those at the top who ordered or condoned torture. As a result, it is in our interest to finally show the world that we are taking these matters seriously and resolving them free of political taint. You can read the entire letter, and also see if your representative has signed on at The Raw Story. If not, I would urge you to contact your representative and inquire if they intend to sign, and if not, why not. Rather than using underlings as scapegoats in these crimes which are mostly men and women from reserve units with little or no interrogation training, the command of the military both civilian and enlisted personnel should be held accountable if the investigation is to be seen as legitimate. This includes Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and anyone else in the administration that is involved in this mess and the cover-up that appears to be going on in order to protect them.