Goldsmith Gets It Wrong: The Facts Aren’t Too Much to Ask For

In a Washington Post column today, Jack Goldsmith argues against any further investigation into the Bush Administration’s interrogation policies and practices. He argues that the relevant facts are well known inside the government, and that existing investigations have done the job adequately. But the crux of his argument is that “second guessing lawyers’ wartime decisions” will cause lawyers to become excessively cautious in offering advice “and will substitute predictions of political palatability for careful legal judgment.”

But isn’t that danger he warns about exactly what got us into trouble in those heady days after 9/11? Except that, in those days, harsh and abusive interrogation policies were more politically attractive to some Administration lawyers than support for human rights, the rule of law, and compliance with U.S. and international laws.

Goldsmith, who worked at the Justice Department from 2003 to 2004 on issues that probably would be subject to new investigations, also claims that “the ordeal of answering subpoenas, consulting lawyers, digging up and explaining old documents, and racking one's memory to avoid inadvertent perjury is draining, not to mention distracting, for those we ask to keep the country safe.”

But accountability isn’t too much to ask.

Goldsmith claims that little will be gained by further investigation: “The people in government who made mistakes or who acted in ways that seemed reasonable at the time but now seem inappropriate have been held publicly accountable by severe criticism, suffering enormous reputational and, in some instances, financial losses.”

In our Blueprint for the Next Administration on Ending Torture, Human Rights First has recommended the establishment of a nonpartisan commission, modeled on the 9/11 Commission, to investigate the facts behind U.S. government detention and interrogation policies since 9/11, in order to assess the strategic impact of these programs, to identify lessons learned, to make recommendations to avoid future abuse, and to let the public know what really happened.

Despite the multiple investigations cited by Goldsmith in his column, the information currently available to Congress and the public is fragmented and incomplete. In order to learn from the mistakes of the past and prevent future abuse, the president should establish a commission to produce a complete public report of U.S. detention and interrogation practices and policies since 9/11. The establishment of such a commission would signal U.S. commitment to the rule of law and accountability, and is an important part of moving forward preventing further abuse and protecting our national security.

HRF in the News

In his long piece “After the Imperial Presidency” in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, Jonathan Mahler discusses the assertion and expansion of presidential power under George W. Bush, the role that partisan politics has played in the complacency of the Congress, and the difficulty faced by the legislative branch when trying to push back against strong and determined president. In the article, he highlights the role played (and, more importantly, not played) by Congress with respect to U.S. interrogation and detainee treatment policies and quotes HRF Executive Director Elisa Massimino:

McCain first got involved in the torture fight in early 2005, when it was by no means a popular cause, particularly inside his own party. “At a time when there was not a single person in the United States who had any influence who was willing to take this issue on, he took it on,” says the executive director of Human Rights First, Elisa Massimino, who worked with McCain on the torture bill.

Yesterday, in Slate, he jumped on the “Dismantling Guantanamo” bandwagon, and wrote about the difficulties facing the Obama Administration in dealing with the approximately 250 detainees still imprisoned at Guantanamo. He writes, “It seems safe to say that Obama's preferred venue for trial will be the federal courts. This is the approach many on the left have been agitating for since 9/11. Last May, Human Rights First issued a 183-page report, "In Pursuit of Justice: Prosecuting Terrorism Cases in the Federal Courts," aimed at supporting this argument.” Yes we did.

Retired Military Leaders Speak Out Against Torture

These retired officers are speaking out to bring detainee treatment back into line with the Geneva Conventions and ensure that torture is never again a part of U.S. policy.