"Torture Team": British Attorney Philippe Sands on the White House Role in Sanctioning Torture

Three other former Bush administration officials have already agreed to testify: former Attorney General John Ashcroft, former Justice Department attorney John Yoo and former Pentagon official Douglas Feith. Over the past month more evidence has emerged tying high-ranking Bush administration officials to the use of torture.

In April, ABC News reported Vice President Cheney, former National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft all discussed and approved how top al-Qaeda suspects would be interrogated by the CIA.

President Bush has also confirmed he was aware of these meetings. In an interview with ABC News, Bush said: “We started to connect the dots, in order to protect the American people. And yes, I’m aware our national security team met on this issue. And I approved.”

Today we are joined by British attorney and author Philippe Sands. He is the author of the new book “Torture Team: Rumsfeld’s Memo and the Betrayal of American Values.” On Tuesday Philippe Sands testified before the House Judiciary Sub-Committee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

Philippe Sands, British attorney and professor at University College London. He is the author of the new book “Torture Team: Rumsfeld’s Memo and the Betrayal of American Values.” His last book was “Lawless World: America and the Making and Breaking of Global Rules.”