Will Bush Issue Preemptive Pardons for Administration War Criminals?

by Erik Larson | November 15, 2008 at 11:26 pm

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George W. Bush is considering issuing blanket pardons for people in his administration involved in torture and rendition. While these may be extended to include low-level operatives who were just following orders, they would likely also cover high-level administration officials who should have known what they were authorizing was unconstitutional and illegal. Pre-emptive pardons, prior to convictions and even charges, would be unprecedented.

Senior intelligence officers are lobbying the outgoing president to look after the men and women who could face charges for following his orders in the war on terrorism.

Many fear that Barack Obama, who has pledged to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and put an end to the policy of extraordinary rendition, could launch a legal witch hunt against those who oversaw the policies after he is sworn in on Jan 20.

Most vulnerable are US intelligence officers who took part in intensive interrogations against terrorist suspects, using techniques including water boarding, which many believe crossed the line into torture.

A former CIA officer familiar with the backstage lobbying for pardons, said: "These are the people President Bush asked to fight the war on terror for him. He gave them the green light to fight tough. The view of many in the intelligence community is that he should not leave them vulnerable to legal censure when he leaves.

"An effort is under way to get pre-emptive pardons. The White House has indicated that the matter is under consideration."

In addition to frontline CIA and military officers, others at risk could include David Addington, Dick Cheney's former counsel, and William Haynes, the former Pentagon general counsel who helped draw up the regulations governing enhanced interrogations.

i agree mazevedo, we are living in interesting times. Obama is versed in Constitutional law, and is between a rock and a hard place. So far, his voting record and cabinet picks indicate he supports the Corporate State, not the United States, but if there's enough public pressure and systemic meltdown, he may have to serve the public interest and uphold his Oath to defend the Constitution.

The white collar criminal class causes way more damage to society and costs more dollars than street crime, and also has bigger negative effects on the public's trust and investment in the system. These scoundrels who've caused the dollar to lose some 98% of its value since the Fed Act in 1913, and whose short-sightedness and greed caused the housing market bubble and burst, with the subsequent loss of jobs and 401Ks, on top of decades of offshoring jobs to countries without environmental, human rights and labor protections, has proven they are not fit to be managing public companies or the People's government.

imho, a message needs to be sent to treasonous pretenders; stay out of public office and off corporate boards because if you commit high crimes or misdemeanors, you will be impeached and prosecuted, your wealth will be confiscated and your family ruined.

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Will Bush Issue Preemptive Pardons for Administration War Criminals?

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