Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released the following statement on the nomination of Steven Bradbury to serve as general counsel in the Department of Transportation:

“Steven Bradbury has a troubling history of poor decisions and disregard for U.S. and international law. I strongly oppose his nomination as general counsel for the Transportation Department.

“Bradbury was acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel from 2005 to 2009. During that time, he wrote four legal memos that authorized waterboarding and other interrogation techniques that were tantamount to torture.

“Among Bradbury’s many troubling conclusions in these memos were that neither the Constitution’s prohibitions against inhumane treatment nor the U.N. Convention Against Torture applied to the CIA’s activities outside U.S. territory.

“Rather than provide objective and independent counsel, Bradbury has a history of deferring to the wishes of his superiors.

“The Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility found serious concerns about the objectivity and reasonableness of the Bradbury memos, including evidence that Bradbury caved under pressure to produce opinions with the goal of allowing the CIA’s torture program to continue.

“During a time when we so desperately need independent voices in government, Bradbury’s disturbing tendencies have no place in this administration.

“The Senate refused to confirm Bradbury as assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel during the Bush administration. Nothing has changed since that time, and I encourage my colleagues to oppose his nomination.”

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