Micheal Mukasey: Durbin Statement on the Response From Attorney General Nominee Micheal Mukasey

October 30, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – The Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement:

"We asked Judge Mukasey a simple and straightforward question: is waterboarding illegal?"

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"While this question has been answered clearly by many others -- including John McCain, the Judge Advocates General, and John Warner -- Judge Mukasey spent four pages responding and still didn’t provide an answer."

"Why is this important? Because the way we treat our prisoners determines how captured Americans are treated. It matters because Americans expect a nominee to the top law enforcement position in the country to give a straight answer. It matters because doing the right thing and taking the moral high road are central to our nation's values."

"Judge Mukasey makes the point that in the law, precision matters. So do honesty and openesss. And on those counts, he falls far short.”

Source: Dick Durbin