John Yoo

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Cuomo: He's Not 'King Trump'


Cuomo: He's
Not 'King Trump'
the rundown

Cuomo: He's Not 'King Trump'

New York governor says he would defy a presidential order to reopen state

(Newser) - A fight between President Trump and various governors over the easing of coronavirus restrictions appears to be on the horizon. On Monday, Trump insisted that he can order states to reopen for business when he sees fit. "The president of the United States calls the shots," he said...

3 Views on Manning's Verdict
 3 Views on Manning's Verdict 
OPINION

3 Views on Manning's Verdict

Including one that suggests we'll need to wait 50 years to truly assess him

(Newser) - Bradley Manning's acquittal today on the most serious charge against him, aiding the enemy, may not mean much in terms of his freedom—he could well spend the rest of his life in prison anyway. But that specific decision still has huge implications for the nation. A sample of...

Russia Blacklists John Yoo, Gitmo Honchos
 Russia Blacklists 18 Americans 

Russia Blacklists 18 Americans

John Yoo, Gitmo honchos among those named in retaliation for US list

(Newser) - Russia and the US are engaging in a little diplomatic war over alleged human-rights abuses, and one of the new casualties is former Justice Department lawyer John Yoo—the man who wrote the legal memos justifying harsh interrogation in the Bush administration. Yoo, former Cheney chief of staff David Addington,...

Court Kills Terrorist's Suit Against Bush Lawyer

Jose Padilla can't sue John Yoo, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules

(Newser) - Convicted terrorist Jose Padilla can't sue the Bush administration lawyer who helped craft the legal justification for torturing him—nor can any American citizen in the same predicament, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today. Padilla, an American citizen dubbed an "enemy combatant" in 2002, has been...

Osama Intel Boosts Waterboarding Fans

'Enhanced' interrogation may have led to terror mastermind

(Newser) - Did waterboarding finally nail Osama bin Laden? Intelligence leading to the killing of the terror mastermind gleaned from prisoners, possibly during "enhanced" interrogation techniques, is reigniting debate about waterboarding. US officials learned the identity of bin Laden's key courrier from Guantanamo Bay inmates, and tracking that courrier led...

Torture Memo Author Says CIA Went Too Far

Bybee says agency exceeded guidelines

(Newser) - The Bush administration lawyer who gave legal cover to the CIA to use waterboarding and other brutal tactics is throwing the agency under the bus. Jay Bybee, who co-wrote the so-called torture memos, told a House panel that the CIA went way beyond what the Justice Department sanctioned, reports the...

Mukasey Joins Liz Cheney Pile-On
Mukasey Joins Liz Cheney Pile-On

Mukasey Joins Liz Cheney Pile-On

Says no lawyer should be blamed for their clients' positions

(Newser) - Michael Mukasey today joined the chorus of conservatives and legal professionals decrying Liz Cheney’s “Al-Qaeda 7” attack ad, which portrayed Justice Department lawyers who’d once represented Guantanamo detainees as terrorist sympathizers. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal , the former attorney general argues that lawyers, from...

Yoo: I Defended 'Torture Memos' for Obama's Sake

Bush lawyer says he was fighting to preserve executive power

(Newser) - The Bush administration lawyer who authored memos blessing harsh interrogation techniques and warrantless wiretaps says he's been defending himself in order to help...President Obama. The president "may not realize it, but I may have just helped save his presidency," by winning a fight "to protect his...

Ethics Report Clears Bush Lawyers in Torture Memo

John Yoo and Jay Bybee accused only of 'poor judgment'

(Newser) - Good news for the Bush lawyers who provided the legal rationale for waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics: An upcoming Justice Department report clears them of serious misconduct charges, reports Newsweek . The report's final reviewer softened an earlier version that accused John Yoo, now a law professor, and Jay Bybee,...

Jon Stewart: I Should Have Nailed John Yoo

Stewart apologizes for a disappointing Daily Show interview

(Newser) - Jon Stewart has taken down a lot of people on The Daily Show —but Monday’s guest John Yoo wasn’t one of them, and last night he apologized for the disappointing interview. Yoo, author of the Bush torture memos—or, as Stewart put it, “the memo that...

Yoo Fights Back on Torture
 Yoo Fights Back on Torture 

Yoo Fights Back on Torture

(Newser) - The embattled Bush administration lawyer who drafted memos justifying waterboarding and warrantless wiretaps is fighting back as his role comes under greater scrutiny, the Washington Post reports. John Yoo, now a University of California law professor, has been giving speeches around the country defending the tactics and his view that...

Bush Considered Deploying Military for US Terror Arrests

(Newser) - President Bush seriously considered deploying the military to arrest terror suspects in a Buffalo suburb in 2002, former Bush administration officials tell the New York Times. Dick Cheney was in favor of the almost unprecedented deployment of troops on American soil, the officials say, while Condoleezza Rice and others were...

Pranksters Crash Lecture by Torture Memo Writer

(Newser) - If ex-Justice Department hand John Yoo thought he could fade into obscurity after writing infamous memos justifying the government’s use of torture and warrantless wiretapping, he was wrong. An Australian comedian crashed his class at Chapman University School of Law in California last week, dressed up like a detainee...

Yoo: Wiretaps Were Legal and Necessary
Yoo: Wiretaps Were Legal and Necessary
OPINION

Yoo: Wiretaps Were Legal and Necessary

President had right to violate 'obsolete' FISA, Bush lawyer writes

(Newser) - Last week the inspectors general of the Justice Department, CIA, and other agencies suggested the Bush administration violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, singling out lawyer John Yoo for memos justifying warrantless wiretapping. Yoo defends himself today in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, writing that FISA was "an obsolete...

Wiretap Program Had 'Limited' Value: Fed Report

(Newser) - The Bush administration's warrantless wiretap program wasn't such a great anti-terror tool after all, says a new federal report. The wiretaps—on the international communication of Americans—"generally played a limited role" in counterterrorism efforts, despite the assertions of President Bush, Dick Cheney, and other top officials that they...

Wiretapping Memos Drafted in 'Inappropriate' Secrecy: Report

Only 3 Justice officials knew of program

(Newser) - The legal justification for the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program was handled with unprecedented secrecy that sidestepped usual Justice Department procedure, the Washington Post reports. Only three Justice officials—John Ashcroft, John Yoo, and staff attorney James Baker—were made aware of the program and participated in drafting memos...

Terrorist Can Sue Over Torture Memos: Judge

Ruling on Padilla may open door against former Justice lawyer

(Newser) - A convicted terrorist can sue a former Bush administration lawyer for drafting the legal theories that led to his alleged torture, ruled a federal judge who said he was trying to balance a clash between war and the defense of personal freedoms. The order by judge Jeffrey White of San...

Bush Lawyers Face Calls for Dismissal

But disbarring Yoo or impeaching Bybee is an uphill battle

(Newser) - The Justice Department has signaled it won't prosecute the Bush administration lawyers who approved interrogation tactics widely considered to be torture, but they may have trouble keeping their jobs. A forthcoming report from the DoJ will recommend possible disciplinary action by state bar associations for the Bush lawyers, sources tell...

Bush Lawyers Unlikely to Face Criminal Charges

(Newser) - The Bush lawyers who gave their blessing to waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques should not face criminal charges, a Justice Department report has concluded. The report does, however, say that Jay Bybee, John Yoo, and Steven Bradbury showed poor judgment and suggests that state bar associations consider reprimands and...

Torture Convictions Would Be a Long Shot
Torture Convictions
Would Be a Long Shot
analysis

Torture Convictions Would Be a Long Shot

Prosecution possible, but nailing Cheney a legal headache

(Newser) - Those calling for Bush administration prosecutions on torture-related grounds may have their way—but whether those in question can actually be convicted is a whole other kettle of fish, Jeffrey Rosen writes in New York. Much of the case would likely hinge on whether authorities believed their own claims in...

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