NYT: Pentagon Primed TV Military Experts

Staff / Truthdig Apr 20, 2008 The Bush administration's skill in working the media to promote its interests is not a new story, but The New York Times has just uncovered a new twist: According to the paper, administration insiders courted a troop of retired military men to serve as trained PR agents for the White House on major broadcast outlets. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Bill Maher on Smear Tactics

Staff / Truthdig Mar 3, 2008 In this edition of "New Rules," the "Real Time" host takes on Alberto Gonzales, Mexican cruises and conservative slurs: "To honor the life of William F. Buckley, conservatives have to take the high road against Barack Obama." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mukasey: Miers, Bolten Not in Contempt of Congress

Staff / Truthdig Mar 1, 2008 On Friday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey thwarted the efforts of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers to bring White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential counsel Harriet Miers before a federal grand jury for ignoring subpoenas to testify before the House Judiciary Committee about the firings of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mukasey Dodges Senators’ Grilling on Waterboarding

Staff / Truthdig Jan 31, 2008 During a visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey irked certain senators by wiggling out of directly stating whether or not he believes that waterboarding is a form of torture, an expected but apparently exasperating dodge in the estimation of Sens. Edward Kennedy and Patrick Leahy, among others. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

White House Held Torture Tape Discussions

Staff / Truthdig Dec 19, 2007 A new report by The New York Times suggests that the White House was a lot closer to those secret CIA torture tapes than has been previously suggested "At least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes," according to the Gray Lady. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Standing Up for Torture, at Home and Abroad

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Nov 8, 2007 Sheldon Whitehouse, new to the Senate, was searching for what he called a "moment of moral clarity." Seated alongside the other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in its crowded hearing room, the Rhode Island Democrat was looking in precisely the wrong place. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Schumer and Feinstein Hand Torture a Victory

Staff / Truthdig Nov 7, 2007 Do we really need another attorney general who doesn't know what torture is? The Senate Judiciary Committee just barely approved the nomination of Michael Mukasey on Tuesday. He is expected to breeze through the rest of the process. Remember some weeks from now, when the head of the Justice Department is a man who, despite fact and testimony and common sense, can't call torture by its name, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Charles Schumer are responsible. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Cronies Defend Torture

Staff / Truthdig Oct 31, 2007 CIA Chief Michael Hayden has issued a passionate defense of extraordinary rendition, claiming that the practice, which so often involves abduction and torture, is justified by the "irreplaceable" intelligence it produces. Meanwhile, President Bush's preferred successor to loyal henchman Alberto Gonzales refuses to call torture by its name, though he claims to find it "repugnant." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Don’t Give Mukasey a Pass

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Oct 25, 2007 The nominee for attorney general doesn't know "what is involved" in waterboarding, and he appears to back Bush's usurpation of power. Isn't it time for the Democrats to grow some spine? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Secret Torture Memos Shame Justice Dept.

Staff / Truthdig Oct 4, 2007 In 2005, the Justice Department issued two secret opinions on torture that endorsed and protected the administration's desire to use physically and psychologically traumatizing interrogation techniques. Then-Deputy Attorney General James Comey reportedly warned his colleagues that they would be "ashamed" when their work became public. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Taps Former Judge to Head Justice Department

Staff / Truthdig Sep 18, 2007 President Bush has selected former federal judge Michael Mukasey as his new attorney general. Mukasey has a reputation for being tough and impatient, which is fortunate, considering that he'll have only 15 months to turn around an ailing Justice Department. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Jack Goldsmith

Staff / Truthdig Sep 8, 2007 Truthdig tips its hat this week to Jack Goldsmith, who speaks out about his experiences during his nine-month tenure as head of the Office of Legal Counsel during a crucial phase of the Bush presidency in 2003-4 in his troubling and illuminating new book, "The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )