After posting this piece earlier on President Obama’s appointments of nine people to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and two lawyers in the White House who represented or advocated on behalf of terror suspects and detainees, I thought I needed to give one quick follow-up.
“The Senate Judiciary Committee Voted Along Party Lines To Endorse Dawn Johnsen, Barack Obama’s Nominee For Justice Department Legal Counsel. . .” (Meredith Shiner, “Anti-Torture Department Of Justice Nominee, Dawn Johnson, Advances,” Politico, 3/4/10)
“Johnsen Had Testified Before The Committee That She Believed Torture, Including Waterboarding, Should Be Considered Illegal.” (Meredith Shiner, “Anti-Torture Department Of Justice Nominee, Dawn Johnson, Advances,” Politico, 3/4/10)
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) Opposed Her Nomination Fearing Her Extreme Views On Terrorism May Undermine National Security. “‘I'm concerned that Ms. Johnson's legal views on terrorism undermine our national security,’ said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) echoing the message of many of his colleagues. ‘Her advocacy and policy work with liberal organizations suggests that she is an aggressive partisan who will work to invoke her political views through the office of legal counsel. I'm concerned such extreme advocacy will undermine the objectivity that this important office ought to have.’” (Meredith Shiner, “Anti-Torture Department Of Justice Nominee, Dawn Johnson, Advances,” Politico, 3/4/10)
Senator John Cornyn Also Opposed The Nomination Because Johnson Doesn’t “Appreciate The Threat Of Terrorism And Intend To Make Decisions Based On Ideology And Politics Rather Than The Law.” (Meredith Shiner, “Anti-Torture Department Of Justice Nominee, Dawn Johnson, Advances,” Politico, 3/4/10)
One has to start wondering what in the world is going on inside the Obama Administration appointing folks to positions that, in some cases, sympathize with terror detainees and in other cases, clearly don’t view the War on Terror as a serious threat.
ThinkFY's full feed