Judge Mukasey: The President Can’t Authorize Torture
In response to a question from Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), Judge Mukasey said this morning that “The president can’t authorize torture because torture is barred both by statute and the constitution.” This is definitely a more accurate take on the law than we’ve seen from previous Department of Justice opinions. However, we’re still listening to hear more about what Judge Mukasey thinks constitutes torture. Does he consider “enhanced” interrogation techniques to be tantamount to torture, as a recent report by Human Rights First and Physicians for Human Rights shows?