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Rep. Smith Looks to Justice Department on Torture Issue

By Chris Kissel April 23, 2009

One of the overriding questions in Washington DC right now, and the one posed to Rep. Adam Smith this morning on Fox News Radio, is this--who should be prosecuted for carrying out the torture techniques detailed in the recently-released Bush Administration memos? There's a wide range of choices, from the Justice Department officials who authorized the torture methods, to the CIA interrogators who carried out these methods, and even to the select group of Congressmembers who were supposedly briefed on the policies.

Smith, who currently sits on the House Intelligence Committee, said he's waiting for a decision to come out of the Justice Department, which is now weighing the issue of who to prosecute and which recently said that CIA interrogators would not be prosecuted. Smith added that he doesn't support directly challenging any decision the DOJ makes.

Still, Smith said, "We believe this [the torture issue] was mishandled. I'm going to be pushing toward the investigation side."

Overall, however, "the main focus isn't finding people to prosecute," Smith said. Instead, future interrogation policy, and finding an effective and ethical means of interrogation, should be the focus.
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