“This investigation is very appropriate,” Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, “No one is above the law. This is not a political process. This is a legal process. It’s a legal process to find out whether the law was broken.”
Cantwell was answering Republican criticism – most notably from former Vice President Dick Cheney - that the recent decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to open an investigation into CIA interrogations was politically motivated and runs the risk of making the spy agency timid in tracking down terrorists who intend to do the country harm.
Related: CIA probe is political, Cheney says
“They’re making it so the people at the CIA are afraid to do anything,” said Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee. “Frankly, it’s gone way too far,” Hatch told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King.
But Cantwell rejected the notion that pursuing an investigation of possible wrongdoing would make the CIA shy away from combating terrorism in the future.
“This is not about being timid. This is about being effective,” Cantwell said, “And if we want to be effective in the war on terrorism, we have to communicate to everyone that we are going to follow the law and we want their help in bringing about justice for the American people and to make them secure.”
“I applaud the Attorney General,” Cantwell added, “because I’m sure it’s a tenuous issue to be the chief law enforcement officer of this country.”
From CNN Politics
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
The sad part is that people like Dick Cheney absolutely think that there are certain people who are above the law - himself included. The Neocons have a very bizarre view of themselves and their place in history. They are convinced down to the last one of them that they are somehow above the rest of humanity in intelligence and especially the will to use power. The latter is in no doubt which is more than I can say about the former. No manner of crime or failure is enough to convince this crowd that they are mortal. Perhaps prosecutions would help them see the light.
Some people ARE above the law.
Michael Jackson (dope smoking pedofile)
Ted Kennedy (drunk driving murderer)
Bill Clinton (cigar in fat chic in oval office).
Priests (raping little boys)
It is very clear, if you have power and money – you are above the law.
The rest of you peasants just need to deal with it.
The entire Bush Administration ARE MURDERERS and must be punished!!!
Anybody that thinks what these people did was justifiable needs to have ALL of the torture techniques done to them!!!
These people, using the term loosely, ARE the BIGGEST COWARDS on the planet!!!
Funny how they refuse to face The American Public...are they SCARED?
If we never took the time to 'look back' then there wouldn't be anybody in the prison system as I am sure they can justify why they did whatever they did to be sent to prison as well!!!
OH!, That's Right, Prison is for everyone that isn't ONE OF THEM!!!
I doubt that CIA professionals are afraid to do their jobs. It would be a more worthwhile exercise to invite retired CIA on the program and detail what their purpose and jobs are and how that measures up against the past few years of interrogation activity. Since Hatch and Cantwell have not worked deep inside this organization, I don't think there opinions are any more valuable than ours.
I was downtown on 9/11,and knew some people who died that day. So far as I'm concerned, there are no constitutional rights for terrorists. For all you who disagree, go call a mother, or father, or son, or daughter of someone lost that horrible day. if you weren't there, you can't possibly feel the horror of that morning. By the way, nobodu can convince me that this isn't political. All the Bush haters out there want to see him brought to justice. if you lost a family member, you'd want to do much worse to those creeps.
Laws were undoubtedly broken. EVERYONE IN THE WORLD KNOWS THIS. We are a nation of laws and it is inexcusable to allow torture to go unpunished. The most significant impact of our CIA torture techniques has not been the information we have gained in these "interrogation" sessions, but that we have converted a number of formerly moderate Muslims into militants who view the USA as evil and are willing to wage war against us and our allies.
We need to show the world that we are not complete hypocrites.
Those who commit crimes need to be punished.
If we allow this to slide, we are leaving a bigger mess for later generations.
Cheney makes nixon look honest. Sick of we need to look forward crap, That is like saying yea officer i did rob that bank but that was a whole month ago!
The hypocrisy of the left is showing.
Worse than hypocrisy is that BHO order the continuation of the CIA investigation and the dismissal of the Richardson investigation in order to take the press off the stink of his "single payer option".
Politics as usual? Not quite, this is "Chicago style".
"... doesn't uphold the American way. Which American way? The one the Democrats support which is to stop what they call torture so that they can make the neighbors across the big pond think better of us; or the one that Republicans have proven works, which is why we were not attacked for eight years.
I have a question for the dems and their followers : If the new interrogation team tell president Obama that they capture a terrorist suspect who is planning an attack against america. They need informations about this attack and they can obtain it after one day with traditional intrrogation techniques or after few hours with harsh interrogation techniques. What will Obama do ?
"They're making it so the people at the CIA are afraid to do anything," said Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch
No, we're trying to make it hard for them to do anything ILLEGAL! If they can't follow the laws embedded in the constitution, the one thing they have all taken an oath to protect and defend, then they sure as hell shouldn't be in the CIA or for that matter pass a security check clearance.
If the rep administration had any accountability the investigation would have taken place 8 years ago, of course the dems should do it now. If not them who?
the Democarts need to investigate they own but you can,t convict for stupid
In response to SA's comment, "I guess no laws were broken on 9/11?":
The fact that laws were broken on 9/11 is immaterial. It does not justify the CIA breaking laws. Vengeance may be tempting, but it is illegal.
I can only hope that if another terrorist attack occurs on our soil it will only affect liberals that agree with the current administration on this issue. The current leader has more to hide (birth certificate, school records, medical records, past relationships with communists and known terrorists) and you bleeding heart liberals want to investigate policies that have kept us safe on our soil for the last 8 years. Sleep well you ignorant, egotistical moronic hypocrites. I fully expect the moderators to flag this post because the media is not interested in the truth only their fictional fantasy world they live in.
crook dems always above the law..libtard just lier
Evidently Charlie Rangel is.....
No one is above the law except Obama because hes our messiah
you'd be begging for the CIA to get them back any way they could....
Don't you see how phoney and hypocritical you are????
An investigation should not make it difficult for anyone to do their job as long as they are doing their job within the law. Every day citizens are investigated for wrong doings, face trial and if found guilty fined and or sent to prison. There are always bad apples in every bunch regardless of who they are and Dick Cheney is indeed a bad apple.
Being willing to punish our own "evil doers", no matter who they are, is the only way to restore trust in America, both at home and abroad. We must return to protecting the rule of law above all else. That former shining light is flickering dangerously. For the sake of my grandkids, please don't let it go out.
With this kind of policy and mentality among American people and government, we will loose the war!
If they are going to investigate the CIA for doing their job and saving American lives, and if Sen. Cantwell agrees that no one is above the law, then Geitner and all the tax cheats in Washington need to be investigated and put in jail with the rest of them. With any luck they will be in the same cell as the CIA specialists! At least they are there on honorable terms, but deceived and betrayed by our messed up system!! I wonder if any of these politicians would change their tune if it were their family members killed by a terrorists!
I assume conservatives are comfortable with their homegrown terrorists like McVeigh, abortion clinic bombers, and gun-toting crybabies who actively threaten our President, getting waterboarded to obtain information about their associates ... or are they only comfortable with minorities being tortured?
thats good senator canwell we should apologize to people or i should say scum who would just as soon kill you and our families you liberals live in a fantasy land where you think talking will stop these maniacs. as for all living under the same law i know this will go way over your head a senator was buried yesterday who let a girl drown just to save his political skin what is it with you liberals to me you have turned into marxists and communist