Legitimate questions

The PG misses the point in the controversy over Attorney General Eric Holder's refusal to answer questions by Senate Judiciary Committee members about the identity of Department of Justice lawyers who previously represented alleged terrorists detained at Guantanamo Bay ("Out of Order: Liz Cheney's Assault on Constitutional Principle," March 12 editorial).

The video by Keep America Safe does not "demonize" lawyers for choosing to represent unpopular clients. This claim is a strawman to avoid addressing the real and very legitimate issue at hand. In light of the (now reconsidered) plan to try 9/11 terror suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in civil court in Manhattan, and the decision to Mirandize the would-be Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the American people have a right to know how the Holder Justice Department is balancing our protection from terror attacks with the civil rights of alleged terrorists.

Mr. Holder himself made this point when he said "the pendulum is starting to swing" and "we are looking for people who share our values." The American people have a right to participate in the debate as to exactly what "our values" are by knowing who these lawyers are, what legal positions they advocated in defense of terror suspects and whether there are any conflicts of interest.

Last August The Washington Post reported that several lawyers were under investigation for potential legal violations associated with showing 9/11 terror suspects surreptitiously taken photos of covert CIA officers.

It is a legitimate question as to whether these lawyers are now influencing national security policy at the Department of Justice.

 

MELODY A. HAMEL
Brookline