Posted on 01/04/2008 3:24:33 PM PST by jdm
MIAMI (AP) - Convicted terrorism conspirator Jose Padilla sued a key architect of the Bush administration's counterterrorism policies Friday, claiming the official's legal arguments led to Padilla's alleged mistreatment and illegal detention at a Navy brig.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco claims that John Yoo, a former senior Justice Department official, wrote several legal memos that led President Bush to designate Padilla as an enemy combatant shortly after the U.S. citizen was arrested in May 2002 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on suspicion of involvement in an al-Qaida plot.
Yoo at the time was deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel, which provided many of the main legal justifications for Bush administration policy on treatment of terror detainees. The lawsuit seeks a judgement declaring that the policies violated the Constitution.
Yoo, now a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley, did not immediately respond to phone calls and e-mails seeking comment.
Padilla attorney Jonathan Freiman said Yoo was sued because ''he gave the green light'' to how to deal with Padilla, which ultimately led to his detention without criminal charge for 3 years at a Navy brig in Charleston, S.C.
The lawsuit repeats Padilla's claims that he was subjected to extreme interrogation techniques and mistreatment he contends amounted to torture. Justice Department and Pentagon officials have repeatedly denied Padilla's claims.
(Excerpt) Read more at newspress.com ...
good time to tell the rest of the prison population that he shanked his grandma, and beat up his little sister.
Let’s close Gitmo and bring more terrorists here to use our jutice system and recruit while they are in our prisons awaiting trial.
It’s time we wake up. Our nation is on a course of self destruction if we don’t.
In any previous war, this joker would have been on the 3rd year of an eternal dirt nap. I can only imagine what things can be like if we get a ‘kinder, gentler’ president and administration.
And any judge that would even hear this suit should be shipped there with them..!!!!!
Actually, they should hang the shyster who thought up the angle.
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