CQ Homeland Securit: Interrogation Commission Proponents Unswayed by Pelosi Controversy
The chief House proponent of a commission to investigate Bush administration interrogation techniques is moving ahead despite the possibility Speaker Nancy Pelosi could be embarrassed by what such a probe uncovers.Democratic backers of such a commission said Republicans have been focusing on what Pelosi was told about the interrogations in September 2002 in order to divert attention from whether the techniques, which included waterboarding, constituted torture.
House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., whose bill (HR 104) would create a nine-member investigative commission with subpoena power, said the controversy over Pelosi has not derailed his plan. He met Wednesday with Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., to discuss moving the bill ahead. The measure, which has 44 co-sponsors, has been referred to Skelton’s committee.
