Yoo And Baybee Cleared On Interrogation Memos

Neoavatara ^ | February 19, 2010 | Neoavatara

[Neoavatara]

John Yoo and Jay Baybee, the two Justice Department officials most responsible for the memos that guided the Bush Administration's policy on harsh interrogations, were cleared by the Obama/Holder Justice Department of professional misconduct. It also cleared Stephen Bradbury, who headed the Office of Legal Counsel.

The conclusion resulted from a decision by top career Justice Department executive David Margolis to reverse a recommendation of investigators that found the two lawyers' legal memos did constitute professional misconduct. That tentative conclusion, which was overruled by Margolis, said the lawyers should be referred to their state bar associations for potential disbarment.

But in the final report, the examination of the legal guidance written by Justice Department lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee found they did not constitute a professional breach that could have led to state disbarment.

The harsh techniques they authorized included waterboarding of terrorism suspects as the Bush administration tried to elicit intelligence after the September 11, 2001, attacks for capturing or killing anti-American al Qaeda militants.

Of course, most angered by this are the political left. Yoo has been made out to be a villain of astronomical proportions. His interview with Jon Stewart (where he basically schooled Stewart) was waited for with bated breath. Baybee and Bradbury have been slightly less prominent in their defense of their actions, but are just as hated by the left.

Ultimately, other than Congressional hearings, this likely ends this probe for good.

[Verginius Rufus]

Good news. I don’t know if this means the Department of Justice can’t change its mind later.

[G Larry]

Gotta say......those names could easily have come from this administration.....OR ....the one before Bush......just sayin’....

[Tallguy]

Don’t think that anything was ever going to happen to these DOJ lawyers. This was nothing but a case of bringing a heavy charge in-public, only to quietly drop it later on after the damage was done to the target’s reputation (Bush-Cheyney).