[Infowarrior] - Justice Dept. Rebuffs Leahy Request for Secret Docs

[Richard Forno]

Justice Dept. Rebuffs Leahy Request for Secret Docs
By Justin Rood - January 2, 2007, 4:54 PM
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002262.php

The Justice Department has declined to provide documents on the CIA's
detention and interrogation of terror suspects that were requested by a
Democratic Senator.

In a letter to incoming Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy
(D-VT), the Justice Department said it "was not in a position" to give him
copies of the the two documents he had requested in November.

"We remain committed to continuing these discussions," the Dec. 22 letter
stated. "We must do so, however, in a manner that protects classified
information and the confidentiality of legal advice and internal
deliberations within the Executive Branch."

In a statement e-mailed to reporters, Leahy said he was disappointed by the
administration's decision to "brush off" his request, but wasn't dropping
the matter. "I have advised the Attorney General that I plan to pursue this
matter further at the Committee¹s first oversight hearing of the Department
of Justice."

Leahy's full statement, after the jump.

Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),
Incoming Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
On Department Of Justice¹s Response To Request
For Documents Relating To Bush Administration¹s Interrogation Policies
January 2, 2007

"It is disappointing that the Department of Justice and the White House have
squandered another opportunity to work cooperatively with Congress. The
Department¹s decision to brush off my request for information about the
Administration¹s troubling interrogation policies is not the constructive
step toward bipartisanship that I had hoped for, given President Bush¹s
promise to work with us.

³I requested two documents concerning CIA interrogation methods, which the
Administration recently acknowledged in a lawsuit, and other relevant
information. The Administration¹s refusal to provide any of this information
other than forwarding a couple of public documents suggests that the
President¹s offer to work with us may have been only political lip service.
I have advised the Attorney General that I plan to pursue this matter
further at the Committee¹s first oversight hearing of the Department of
Justice.²

³I hope the Department and the White House will reconsider their response
and work with the Judiciary Committee to promptly share this information,
with any appropriate confidentiality safeguards. The Committee will continue
its efforts to obtain the information that it needs for meaningful oversight
and accountability on this and other issues of importance to the American
people.²