Constitutional Law expert Johnathon Turley was interviewed by Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.Â
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Red_Cross_finds_Bush_admininstration_guilty_0712.html
During the interview, he explained that the Bush Administration hired lawyers because they would take extreme ideological positions to support the Administration's abusive policies.Â
He concludes:Â "But [the Administration] still insists that because they hired a lawyer and they lawyer told them it was OK, that that somehow ratifies it"
INTERVIEW EXCERPT:
Maddow asked:
"You don't get to call something legal just because you say it is and if you do so in a case like this, aren't you liable for prosecution?"
Turley: "Well, you see, that's the terrible transparency of this whole use of lawyers. And it's an embarrassment for the whole bar. I mean the Bush Administration reduced lawyers, including the Justice Department, to a group of shills and sycophants. And they were selected solely so they could come in and ratify whatever the President wanted. And people like John Yoo, Alberto Gonzales, Kyle Sampson and Goodling, all these people were ideologues, and they took a very extreme view. But they were also WRONG. I mean the amazing thing is they were wrong on the easy questions. And they've been proven wrong. Not just by the Red Cross and by Federal Courts, and by all these experts, but they haven't actually prevailed even in the Supreme Court that has a majority of conservative justices. It takes a lot to lose 5 or so major cases before the Supreme Court when you claim to be a war time President.Â
But they still insist that because they hired a lawyer and they lawyer told them it was OK, that that somehow ratifies it."
Maddow: "Jonathon, are the chances now greater that some kind of international prosecution of Bush Administration officials could occur after this administration leaves office? Even if it won't happen here, could it happen internationally?"
Turley:Â "Yeah, Rachel, I never thought I would say this, but I think it might in fact be time for the United States to be held internationally to a tribunal. I never thought in my lifetime I would say that."
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Red_Cross_finds_Bush_admininstration_guilty_0712.html
During the interview, he explained that the Bush Administration hired lawyers because they would take extreme ideological positions to support the Administration's abusive policies.Â
He concludes:Â "But [the Administration] still insists that because they hired a lawyer and they lawyer told them it was OK, that that somehow ratifies it"
INTERVIEW EXCERPT:
Maddow asked:
"You don't get to call something legal just because you say it is and if you do so in a case like this, aren't you liable for prosecution?"
Turley: "Well, you see, that's the terrible transparency of this whole use of lawyers. And it's an embarrassment for the whole bar. I mean the Bush Administration reduced lawyers, including the Justice Department, to a group of shills and sycophants. And they were selected solely so they could come in and ratify whatever the President wanted. And people like John Yoo, Alberto Gonzales, Kyle Sampson and Goodling, all these people were ideologues, and they took a very extreme view. But they were also WRONG. I mean the amazing thing is they were wrong on the easy questions. And they've been proven wrong. Not just by the Red Cross and by Federal Courts, and by all these experts, but they haven't actually prevailed even in the Supreme Court that has a majority of conservative justices. It takes a lot to lose 5 or so major cases before the Supreme Court when you claim to be a war time President.Â
But they still insist that because they hired a lawyer and they lawyer told them it was OK, that that somehow ratifies it."
Maddow: "Jonathon, are the chances now greater that some kind of international prosecution of Bush Administration officials could occur after this administration leaves office? Even if it won't happen here, could it happen internationally?"
Turley:Â "Yeah, Rachel, I never thought I would say this, but I think it might in fact be time for the United States to be held internationally to a tribunal. I never thought in my lifetime I would say that."
