Holder and Craig Supported Releasing DOJ Interrogation Memos
As administration officials debated whether to release Justice Department memos authorizing harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects, two lawyers argued for their disclosure: Attorney General Eric Holder and White House counsel Gregory Craig.
The debate is detailed in a Washington Post story. Craig had warned that a federal court case seeking release of the memos could force disclosure. An April 2 federal court deadline was looming in the suit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations.
Justice Department lawyers had told Craig they were prepared to defend keeping all or part of the memos secret in the ACLU case, but the argument was weak in part because much of the information was leaked in a report on detainee mistreatment by the Red Cross, the Post story says.
A press release by Holder on the day the memos were released said they were being disclosed “consistent with our commitment to the rule of law.”
Since the release of the documents, “debate is swirling in Washington not only about the merits of the techniques but also about the wisdom of Obama’s decision to exercise his unique authority to instantly transform the ‘top secret’ documents into public ones,” the story says.
