This week has seen an unusual confluence of events regarding the prosecution of Republican officials for crimes. In the first, we learned that Republicans leaned hard on Spain not to prosecute Republican war criminals. Worse yet, they did it with assistance from Obama administration officials, a betrayal in my opinion of the American people. In the second, Dick Cheney is about to be indicted for crimes he committed as CEO of Halliburton. The Obama will receive an extradition request from Interpol. If the Obama administration refuses to honor that request, as they are required by law to do, they will find themselves in the highly hypocritical position of refusing Interpol, while asking Interpol for assistance in having Julian Assange extradited to the US. Should Cheney be extradited? Vote in our poll.

…These cables reveal a large-scale, closely coordinated effort by the State Department to obstruct these criminal investigations. High-ranking U.S. visitors such as former Republican Party Chair Mel Martinez, Senator Judd Gregg, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano were corralled into this effort, warning Spanish political leaders that the criminal investigations would “be misunderstood” and would harm bilateral relations. The U.S. diplomats also sought out and communicated directly with judges and prosecutors, attempting to steer the cases into the hands of judges of their choosing. The cables also reflect an absolutely extraordinary rapport between the Madrid embassy and Spanish prosecutors, who repeatedly appear to be doing the embassy’s bidding… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Harpers>

I have opposed the decision by Democrats not to prosecute Bush, Cheney, and the rest for war crimes, ever since Nancy Pelosi announced the policy before the 2006 elections. Admittedly they are keeping a campaign promise, but they had no right to make a promise un violation of US law. However, to have interfered in the workings of a foreign government to protect Republican war criminals from just consequences is a betrayal of the people who put him in office.

Nigeria’s anti-corruption police said today that they will charge former US vice-president Dick Cheney over a $180m bribery case involving energy firm Halliburton.The announcement follows a probe into the construction of a liquefied natural gas plant in the conflict-ridden Niger Delta. Halliburton’s top official in Nigeria has been summoned and 10 of its Nigerian and expat staff detained for questioning after a raid on the company’s office in Lagos. Cheney was head of Halliburton before becoming George W Bush’s vice-president in 2001. "We are filing charges against Cheney," said Femi Babafemi, a spokesman for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), adding that the charges were likely to be brought next week. He declined to give any further details on what the charges were or where they would be filed. Houston-based engineering firm KBR, a former Halliburton unit, pleaded guilty last year to US charges that it paid $180m in bribes between 1994 and 2004 to Nigerian officials to secure $6bn in contracts for the Bonny Island Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in the Niger Delta. KBR and Halliburton reached a $579m settlement in America but Nigeria, France and Switzerland have conducted their own investigations into the case… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <The Guardian>

Keith Olbermann and law professor, Jonathan Turley, discuss the implications of these cases.

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