ADA Calls for Investigation of Rumsfeld and Tenet

In a statement released today, Americans for Democratic Action called for a criminal investigation to be launched into recent revelations that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and CIA director George Tenet collaborated and ordered the secreting of an Iraqi prisoner specifically to prevent the International Committee of the Red Cross from monitoring his treatment. These charges would be serious in any case but, particularly in light of the revelations of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison, they devastatingly underscore the complete disregard of our nation.s highest officials for international treaties and conventions and basic moral standards.

Secretary Rumsfeld.s admission that he authorized the secret detention, at the request of director Tenet, is in direct contravention of the oath of office that they both took to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Under the Constitution, international treaties and conventions are the supreme law of the land. "By totally disregarding the Geneva Convention and other treaties, Mr. Rumsfeld and Mr. Tenet have violated their oath of office," said ADA national director Amy Isaacs. "Additional concerns about potential kidnapping and abuse charges demand that a criminal investigation be launched immediately," she continued.

The United States has long positioned itself as standing for international law and basic moral standards. The behavior we have exhibited toward prisoners under our control in Iraq and Afghanistan has severely undermined our standing in the world community. "Only through direct and determined action, can we begin to reclaim the high ground," said Isaacs.