Justice and the C.I.A.

The lead article in today’s New York Times is titled, “Justice Report Advises Pursuit of Abuse Cases.” It describes a new report by Justice Department’s Ethics Office, based on over five years of research, about prisoner abuse by the Central Intelligence Agency in the aftermath of 9/11. The abuse includes the death of detainees and tactics such as threatening them with a power drill and mock executions.

The advice coincides with the release expected today of a 2004 report by the C.I.A.’s Inspector General on the same topic. It seems to make it all but certain that Attorney General Eric Holder will decide to pursue a criminal investigation of the matter.

In my opinion, these matters are painful for the country to endure, but we really have no alternative. The report by the Ethics Office took over five years to complete, but the conclusions are inescapable. Our country is organized in such a way that when serious wrongdoing occurs, there are organizations specially designed to look into it. These organizations are non-partisan and filled with staff committed to finding out the truth. Even the President can’t impede their function.

In a way, this is a good thing and speaks volumes about the inherent goodness of our nation. Man, by his very nature, will transgress, but the Framers knew that, and the balance of powers is only one of the many dynamics we have created to address this tendency. I know President Obama wants to move forward, and his sentiment is well-intentioned, but some things are too important to “brush under the carpet.”