Former Attorney General John Ashcroft and Justice Department official John Yoo may wind up being held personally liable for the abuses of detainees in post-9/11 terror sweeps, as federal judges refuse to throw out cases in three courts.
In the wake of 9/11, Ashcroft pushed forward with a policy of preventive detention to round up virtually anyone the Justice Department thought it might have any pretext to hold.
Yoo issued a flurry of legal opinions in late 2001 claiming, among other things, that the Federal Government could conduct warrantless searches and that the military could ignore Constitutional provisions while conduct ing anti-terror operations on American soil.
The cases involve innocent people who were detained without evidence and in at least one case sent to Syria to be tortured. Ashcroft’s former spokesman complained that people aren’t going to want to serve in government in the future if the cases are allowed to continue.
"Ashcroft’s former spokesman complained that people aren’t going to want to serve in government in the future if the cases are allowed to continue."
Only unethical people with bad intentions will be dissuaded from "serving" if the cases continue. That would be a good thing.
Ashcroft and/or Yoo in prison? Deemed to be guilty of treason by a jury of their peers? Could such a dream come true in Imperial Amerika?
Ashcroft & Yoo should have thought of the consequences before changing the rules! While the Justice Dept. is at it they should launch a FULL investigation into the June 8th, 1967 ISRAELI ATTACK on the USS LIBERTY that killed 34 and wounded 174 U.S.Navy Sailors. ISRAEL is NOT our friend. REMEMBER the LIBERTY!!!