Speaking at an event in Washington, D.C., former Acting Assistant Attorney General Daniel Levin, who headed the Bush Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel from 2004-2005, said that Sen. Patrick Leahy's proposed Truth Commissions to investigate torture "would be useful."
Daphne Eviatar reports:
"I personally am not opposed to criminal investigation of my conduct and others during the period in question." Levin was referring to the period between 2002 and 2006, when the Office of Legal Counsel was producing memos justifying the use of "extreme" interrogation tactics on detainees in U.S. custody which many legal experts now say amounted to torture.
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"Maybe the [Office of Professional Responsibility] report will give some of the factual basis that will allow people to make judgments about that," said Levin, referring to the ethics report of the OLC lawyers' work conducted by a division of the Justice Department which has yet to be released. The report was drafted over several years and completed by the end of the Bush administration. "But I would agree if you could have a serious look at this it would be very valuable."