Posted by CODEPINK Staff
GROUPS REQUEST SPECIAL PROSECUTOR FOR BUSH, CHENEY
For Immediate Release
February 24, 2009
Contact: David Swanson [email protected]
Statement on Prosecution of Former High Officials
We urge Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a non-partisan independent Special Counsel to immediately commence a prosecutorial investigation into the most serious alleged crimes of former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Richard B. Cheney, the attorneys formerly employed by the Department of Justice whose memos sought to justify torture, and other former top officials of the Bush Administration.
Our laws, and treaties that under Article VI of our Constitution are the supreme law of the land, require the prosecution of crimes that strong evidence suggests these individuals have committed. Both the former president and the former vice president have confessed to authorizing a torture procedure that is illegal under our law and treaty obligations. The former president has confessed to violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
We see no need for these prosecutions to be extraordinarily lengthy or costly, and no need to wait for the recommendations of a panel or “truth” commission when substantial evidence of the crimes is already in the public domain. We believe the most effective investigation can be conducted by a prosecutor, and we believe such an investigation should begin immediately.
Drafted by The Robert Jackson Steering Committee
http://afterdowningstreet.org/robertjackson
Signed By:
Center for Constitutional Rights
http://ccrjustice.org
The National Lawyers Guild
http://nlg.org
American Freedom Campaign Action Fund
http://americanfreedomcampaign.org
High Road for Human Rights Advocacy Project
http://www.highroadforhumanrights.org
After Downing Street
http://afterdowningstreet.org
Democrats.com
http://democrats.com
Gold Star Families for Peace
http://cindysheehansoapbox.com
Ann Wright, retired US Army Reserve Colonel and US diplomat
http://voicesofconscience.com
Delaware Valley Veterans for America
http://delvalvets4america.org
Voters for Peace
http://votersforpeace.us
Wisconsin Impeachment / Bring Our Troops Home Coalition
http://impeachwi.com
Backbone Campaign
http://backbonecampaign.org
CODE PINK: Women for Peace
http://codepink4peace.org
Velvet Revolution
http://velvetrevolution.us
Justice Through Music
http://jtmp.org
Progressive Democrats of America
http://pdamerica.org
Brad Blog
http://bradblog.com
Cities for Peace
http://citiesforpeace.org
National Accountability Network
Northeast Impeachment Coalition
http://neimpeach.org
Republicans for Impeachment
http://republicansforimpeachment.com
Op Ed News
http://opednews.com
Marcus Raskin, cofounder of Institute for Policy Studies, member of editorial board of The Nation, member of the special staff of the National Security Council in Kennedy Administration
The Progressive
http://progressive.org
Peace Team
http://peaceteam.net
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS)
http://afterdowningstreet.org/vips
Defending Dissent Foundation
http://defendingdissent.org
Grassroots America
http://grassrootsamerica4us.org
Media Freedom Foundation/Project Censored
http://projectcensored.org
Peace Action
http://peace-action.org
Grandmothers Against the War
http://grandmothersagainstthewar.org
World Can't Wait
http://worldcantwait.net
United for Peace and Justice
http://unitedforpeace.org
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
http://space4peace.org
War Crimes Times
http://warcrimestimes.org
Veterans for Peace 099
http://veteransforpeace.org
Veterans for Peace 26
http://veteransforpeace.org
Veterans for Peace
http://veteransforpeace.org
Naomi Wolf, author of "End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot," and "Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries"
Iraq Veterans Against the War
http://ivaw.org
Daniel Ellsberg, Truth-Telling Project
http://ellsberg.net
Peter McLaren, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles
Smirking Chimp
http://www.smirkingchimp.com
Glenn Greenwald
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald
People for Peace & Justice/St. Augustine, FL
http://www.staugppj.org
Indict Bush Now
http://www.IndictBushNow.org
Society of American Law Teachers - SALT
http://www.saltlaw.org
Organizations and individuals can add their names to this statement at http://prosecutebushcheney.org