Friday News Roundup
Friday News Roundup:
- Prosecutors are still fighting to keep Genarlow Wilson behind bars. His case is now going to the Georgia Supreme Court. Previous coverage here.
- There are a handful of prisoners that would actually prefer to stay imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. They would rather stay than be deported to a country like Libya where they may face torture and execution. Curiously, U.S. officials can’t seem to accomodate the handful of guys who wish to remain at Gitmo.
- An appeals court rejects former attorney general John Ashcroft’s bid for legal immunity in a case involving the abuse of detainees in U.S. prisons. Government lawyers continue to fight the lawsuit on other grounds. Previous coverage here.
- The FBI has discovered more wrongdoing with respect to its use of National Security Letters. This might be another case of “telling the truth slowly,” a technique that the Clintons perfected and that others like to emulate. Previous coverage here.
- The FBI director, Robert Mueller, likes to use an expensive anti-terrorism plane to give speeches around the country. Congress must share the blame for this sort of thing. As I pointed out in this paper, if Congress throws billions into the federal bureaucracy to “fight terrorism,” don’t be surprised if the definitions of “terrorism” and “homeland security” get stretched and twisted.
- Last, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faces more scrutiny for his shifting explanations regarding his conduct in office. In an attempt to deflect attention away from himself, Gonzales keeps traveling around the country to give away federal largesse on various crime-fighting initiatives. He says he’s not paying attention to the investigations and the no-confidence vote this week in the Senate, but no one really believes him. Gonzales needs to follow Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz into retirement.
Looking forward to next week.
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