AG won't share info from CIA tapes inquiry

[Gunny]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Friday rejected lawmakers' demands for information as the Justice Department investigates the destruction of tapes showing CIA interrogations of two al Qaeda suspects.

In letters to the House and Senate Judiciary committees, Mukasey also said he would not appoint a special prosecutor to conduct the investigation, as some lawmakers had requested.

Mukasey said he would not turn over the material key congressional leaders are seeking because doing so might be seen as bowing to "political influence."

"At my confirmation hearing, I testified that I would act independently, resist political pressure and ensure that politics plays no role in cases brought by the Department of Justice," Mukasey said.

"Consistent with that testimony, the facts will be followed wherever they lead in this inquiry and the relevant law applied."

He sent a third similar letter to Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, who was the first to issue demands for information from the Justice Department.

"With regard to the suggestion that I appoint a special counsel, I am aware of no facts at present to suggest that department attorneys cannot conduct this inquiry in an impartial manner. If I become aware of information that leads me to a different conclusion, I will act on it," Mukasey said.

more ... http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/14/mukasey.cia.tapes/index.html

Got to love it. Somebody with some balls telling the micromanagers to go pound sand.

 

[mattskramer]

Got to love it. Somebody with some balls telling the micromanagers to go pound sand.

This does not surprise me. It is just one of many examples of secrecy in the Bush administration. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. It is none of your business. Leave the executive branch alone to do its job. Give me money to fight the war but with no strings or oversight involved. Cheney’s conferences with energy companies are none of your business. So we shredded some papers. No. We are not going to answer questions relevant to the firing of attorneys.

I lose more and more respect for the Bush administration mainly due to its secrecy. If it has done nothing wrong, they why won’t it be more transparent? People thought that Bill Clinton was evasive. Yes. I know that under the 5th amendment and executive privilege, the Bush administration does not have to let us know practically anything. I’m just saying that it would be nice if it would let us in on just a tiny bit more of its questionable activities.