AG Nominee Holder Suggests Secret Memos May Be Released
Last week, we published the first comprehensive list of the Bush administration’s still-secret legal memos on torture, detention and warrantless wiretapping. There are far more secret memos than had been previously understood.
When we asked a Department of Justice spokesperson when or whether the memos will be released, he declined to comment. (Most of the memos were authored by DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel, whose decisions are binding for the executive branch.)
But as the Federation of American Scientists’ Steven Aftergood noticed earlier today, attorney general nominee Eric Holder said in a written response to questions from Sen. Russ Feingold that change may be coming:
“Once the new Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel is confirmed, I plan to instruct that official to review the OLC’s policies relating to publication of its opinions with the [objective] of making its opinions available to the maximum extent consistent with sound practice and competing concerns.”
Holder is expected to be confirmed by the Senate today. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Senate Judiciary Committee told us that the confirmation hearing for new OLC boss Dawn Johnsen hasn’t been scheduled yet.
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1 comments
wild watcher
Feb. 4, 2009, 9:17 p.m.
Nothing about Eric Holder Jr. esq. -attorney general designate- bothers me!! If ever I saw a real patriot!! wow.. I watched him mop the floor with the goon squad at Leahy’s committee hearing. Holder was sooo cool under pressure…personally I would of just popped that so & so with the stupid challenge of Holder’s integrity. But Holder shown himself as the professional he is. Oh yeah I expect the new AG will be the crown jewel in Obama’s theme of change. The others like Gates, Clinton, Guithner, etc..Daschel…Omg rofl, those of that ilk won’t show much. The only question I have for Holder is can he make the tricky transition, as chief prosecuter…when the gov. system has fouled up so much in recent years. I mean the whole reason Mulkasy,Gonzales..etc. never did ANYTHING REASONABLE, was because they preferred to ‘work with’ a perverted system. The proof will be in the confirmation vote…the republicans will all vote Holder -NO.
wild;)
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