Justice Department review reduces criticism of Bush-era lawyers on interrogation memos
By Devlin Barrett, APFriday, February 19, 2010
Justice scales back criticism of Bush-era lawyers
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has concluded Bush administration lawyers showed poor judgment — not professional misconduct — in writing memos authorizing harsh interrogation techniques.
The decision is described in documents sent to lawmakers, capping a two-year examination of the government attorneys who wrote memos that authorized tactics such as waterboarding and enforced nudity to make terror suspects talk.
The conclusion comes from a senior Justice career official who chose to downgrade the harsher finding of misconduct made previously by investigators.
The inquiry centered around one-time government attorneys Jay Bybee, John Yoo and Steven Bradbury, who worked in a Justice Department office that issues interpretations of federal law that are legally binding on executive branch employees.
