Pelosi: Failure of House to Investigate Treatment of Detainees Is a Disgrace

Pelosi: Failure of House to Investigate Treatment of Detainees Is a Disgrace

Washington, D.C. - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Jane Harman (D-CA), and Ike Skelton (D-MO) today at a news conference to call for the creation of an independent commission to investigate evidence of abuse of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. Below are Pelosi's remarks:

"Since we first learned of the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib more than a year ago, my colleagues and I have called for real oversight of the detainee abuse scandal.

"Mr. Skelton, the senior Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, has relentlessly called for hearings in that important committee of jurisdiction. Congresswoman Harman, Ranking Member on the Intelligence Committee, has called for hearings in her committee as well. In the absence of Congressional oversight, Mr. Waxman, Ranking Member on the Government Reform Committee, has led the fight to address this issue.

"Despite these tenacious efforts, the Majority leadership would still not include Mr. Waxman's call for a commission in the intelligence authorization bill. Not only that, the Majority would not allow Mr. Waxman's proposal to be debated on the floor. This is despite the fact that more than 170 of my colleagues have signed onto Mr. Waxman's bill.

"It is a disgrace that the matters relating to the treatment of detainees have not been meaningfully investigated by this House.

"The treatment of detainees is a taint on our country's reputation, especially in the Muslim world, and there are many questions that must be answered. These questions are important because the safety of our country depends on our reputation and how we are viewed, especially in the Muslim world.

"There are many questions that have gone unanswered: What was the atmosphere created that permitted detainee abuse, and why was it tolerated? What was the training and supervision of the troops? Who had this responsibility? What is it that Republicans are trying to hide? How far up the chain of command does this go? Why is the Secretary of Defense not taking responsibility? This happened on his watch.

"Many of the detainees have been in U.S. custody since October 2001. Why have they been in custody for nearly four years without being charged? Why has so little been done to resolve the status of the detainees?

"Our country's standing in the eyes of the world depends on getting to the bottom of the detainee abuse matter, a fact that will ultimately force the Majority to stop placing obstacles in the path of a full and independent inquiry.

"As former Ambassador Thomas Pickering, attorney Floyd Abrams, and our former Republican colleague Bob Barr wrote in The Washington Post on June 7: 'This is a time when we should be making extra efforts to reach out to Muslims and to ask them to work with us in the war against terrorism. Instead, our failure to undertake a thorough and credible investigation has caused severe resentment of the United States.'

"The American people have questions about that. Mr. Waxman's proposal would create an independent commission to undertake this much-needed investigation.