Controversial Justice Department Nominee Withdraws From Consideration; ACLU Says Torture and Abuse Questions Remain Unanswered

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media@dcaclu.org

WASHINGTON -Timothy E. Flanigan, the controversial nominee to be deputy attorney general, withdrew his name from consideration today, just days after the Senate adopted the McCain anti-torture amendment to the Defense Department spending bill. Flanigan was one of the architects of policies that led to the detainee abuses, and the American Civil Liberties Union said that his decision should not distract Congress from fully investigating those interrogation policies.

The following can be attributed to Christopher E. Anders, an ACLU Legislative Counsel:

“Flanigan was hit from all sides during this confirmation process, about his role in multiple scandals. When pressed, he refused to account for his role in the development of policies that led to the abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. Flanigan had no business supervising prosecutors responsible for investigating and prosecuting torture and abuse that his own policies helped facilitate.

“While Flanigan may fade away from the spotlight, lawmakers must continue to focus on the decisions that led to interrogation policies that abandon the rule of law. Low-ranking individuals like Private Lynndie England have been charged and sentenced, but the higher-ups that crafted these policies have gotten off scot-free. We renew our call on Attorney General Gonzales to appoint an independent, impartial special counsel to investigate the torture and abuses scandal. It is the only way to assure the public that this government is committed to demanding accountability, eliminating abusive interrogation procedures and restoring the rule of law.”