Yesterday, the White House released a set of torture memos drafted by the Office of Legal Counsel under the Bush Administration. The memos attempted to justify brutal treatment of detainees, including slamming subjects against wall, striking them repeatedly in the face and abdomen, confining them to small boxes, and threatening them with stinging insects.

People For the American Way President Michael B. Keegan issued the following statement:

“Although we all knew that the Office of Legal Counsel went out of its way to condone torture during the Bush years, it is still shocking to see these memos in black and white. They constitute a concerted attack on our laws and on our deepest values. The White House should strongly consider appointing a special prosecutor to continue the investigation into how the rule of law was so blatantly tossed aside.

“It’s extremely important that these memos were released. Transparency is an essential part of the accountability that needs to be restored in the Department of Justice.

“These memos also reaffirm why it’s important to have a person of intellectual honesty and integrity leading the Office of Legal Counsel. The Bush OLC was utterly bankrupt of those values. It’s more important than ever that the Senate confirm Dawn Johnsen.”

To learn more, visit People For the American Way’s Campaign to Restore Justice.

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