PANAMA CITY, Panama-Bush defended U.S interrogation practices Monday November 7. Bush defended CIA interrogation practices following reports of secret CIA prisons.
Controversy has swirled around the issue as Vice- President Dick Cheney pushes to modify or block a proposed senate ban on torture.
Cheney is pushing to convince congress to exempt the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, from a torture ban if one is passed.
Bush stated that interrogations would not break the law, but need to be pursued aggressively to “make it possible, more possible, to do our job.” Bush continued, “anything we do … to that end in this effort, any activity we conduct, is within the law. We do not torture,” Bush continued at a press conference in Panama City.
Since the September 11 attacks, the US has been detaining terror suspects at known locations including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
However, the European Union (an economic and political union) has been investigating reports that there are secret CIA prisons in Asia and Eastern Europe that are used to interrogate suspected al-Qaida members.
Bush neither confirmed nor denied these allegations in his press conference.
Democrats in the Senate are pushing for the creation of a commission to investigate the allegations of abuse.
The senior Democrat of the Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin, called for a restoration of credibility amidst the controversy swarming around Iraq since several allegations of abuse to detainees have been brought forth.
Levin said, “We need a 9/11 type of committee to restore credibility to this nation.”
However, Democrats face Republican resistance. Armed Services Committee chairman John Warner sided with the White House, claiming dozens of investigations have been completed looking into prisoner-abuse cases.
Warner called the committee unnecessary stating, “Responsibility and accountability have been assessed.
Levin claims that not all aspect of interrogation have been assessed, citing CIA interrogation policies and exporting prisoners to countries that use torture tactics in interrogation.
Bush’s remarks came the same day that five US soldiers have been accused of abusing detainees in Iraq.
According to a military press release, the allegations stem from a September 7 incident. The report claims that three detainees were punched and kicked.