Kucinich: Major General Taguba’s Comments Add Weight to articles of impeachment

Diana Sweet
Raw Story
Sunday, June 22, 2008

In a statement released to the media today, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) cites the comments made by Major General Taguba in a report released by the human rights organization Physician’s for Human Rights as adding weight to his recently submitted articles of impeachment.

Congressman Kucinich’s remarks today as follows:

“Major General Taguba’s comments confirm my long standing assertion that President Bush and Vice President Cheney have committed war crimes in violation of the War Crimes Act, Section 18 of U.S.Code § 2441. Commission of war crimes is an impeachable offense,” Kucinich said.

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In the preface to a recently released report by the Physicians for Human Rights on the potential criminality of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’, Major General Taguba writes:

“After years of disclosures by government investigations, media accounts, and reports from human rights organizations, there is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes. The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account.”

“Prisoner abuse documented by Major General Taguba of Abu Ghraib, the FBI’s report of mistreatment at Guantanamo, Vice President Cheney’s admission that waterboarding was used on September 11 suspects, and the Administration’s approval of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ are all examples of the systematic and illegal torture of detainees in U.S. custody,” Kucinich said. “President Bush has not only allowed these practices to continue unimpeded, but contrary to the recent report by the Physicians for Human Rights, insists that this is not torture,” affirmed Kucinich.

“Having led the Army’s investigation at Abu Ghraib, General Taguba is an authoritative voice on the Administration’s rogue policies and systematic use of torture. His words remind us once again why Congress must act to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney,” said Kucinich.

Article XVIII of Kucinich’s Articles of Impeachment for George W. Bush shows White House approval and awareness for commission of these crimes by stating:

“When the Congress, in the Defense Authorization Act of 2006, overwhelmingly passed a measure banning torture and sent it to the President’s desk for signature, the President, who together with his Vice President, had fought hard to block passage of the amendment, signed it, but then quietly appended a signing statement in which he pointedly asserted that as Commander-in-Chief, he was not bound to obey its strictures.”

“The Administration can deny the use of torture all they want but the truth is clear and no amount of lying can cover it up,” concluded Kucinich.

After the 35 articles of impeachment submitted by Kucinich were referred to the House Judiciary Committee, he issued a warning on Wednesday that if there was not action by the committee within thirty days, he would introduce still more articles of impeachment:

“The minute the leadership said ‘this is dead on arrival’ I said that I hope they believe in life after death; because I’m coming back with it,” Kucinich vowed in an interview with the Sleuth this week. “It’s not gonna die. Because I’ll come back with more articles. Not 35, but perhaps 60 articles.”

More on the impeachment effort as the story develops…

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