The Bare Minimum

by Patrick Appel

Scott Horton's analysis of the DOJ investigating CIA interrogators who went beyond what the Bush administration approved:

The passage of time and the destruction of evidence and a host of complex legal issues may very well make actual prosecutions coming out of the CIA interrogations program unlikely. But the attorney general has a duty under the law, and specifically under the Convention Against Torture, to insure that all credible allegations of torture are properly investigated. In this case, the CIA’s own internal watchdog concluded that the Justice Department’s involvement was warranted, and the Bush Administration engaged in a cover-up rather than seriously investigate the matters. In appointing Durham, Holder did no more than his office required. Indeed, the lingering question is whether he did enough: Durham is a serious professional, and he should be trusted to do his job, without the blinders that Eric Holder has insisted on strapping on him.