Obama releases memos describing torture techniques

The Huffington Post posted the four torture memos released by President Obama on Thursday. The memos, which were issued by the Office of Legal Counsel, detail interrogation techniques -- "exactly what the Bush administration authorized for 'high value detainees' in U.S. custody."

As part of an ongoing court case, the Department of Justice released on Thursday memos issued by the Office of Legal Counsel between 2002 and 2005, detailing techniques used for interrogation of terrorism suspects. In doing so, President Obama declared:

"While I believe strongly in transparency and accountability, I also believe that in a dangerous world, the United States must sometimes carry out intelligence operations and protect information that is classified for purposes of national security. I have already fought for that principle in court and will do so again in the future. However, after consulting with the Attorney General, the Director of National Intelligence, and others, I believe that exceptional circumstances surround these memos and require their release."

Certain aspects of the documents are redacted -- including the names of CIA officials -- but the evidence is of enough weight that Senate Judiciary chairman Patrick Leahy already felt compelled to offer the following statement.

More here.

For the press release from the Department of Justice, click here.

Holder, Obama memos look promising

The Dallas Morning News column on watchdog journalism focuses on how memos released by President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder promise more government transparency than America has seen in the past eight years.

When it comes to accessing records held by federal agencies, the rules have changed.

After eight years of secrecy under the Bush presidency, the new administration promises greater transparency. The first wave of openness came in memos released by President Barack Obama on his second day in office.

The instructions on how federal agencies should apply the Freedom of Information Act came late last week when Attorney General Eric Holder released his FOIA memorandum. It rescinds the one in 2001 that told agencies the administration would support withholding of information.

More here.

Former information policy director provides insight on past, advice for future

ProPublica reporter Jennifer LaFleur interviewed Dan Metcalfe, who founded the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy and ran it for more than 25 years. Metcalfe says he has never witnessed a president pay so much attention to FOIA than Obama. Metcalfe advocates a "readily foreseeable harm" standard, which would require FOIA officers to release information that technically falls within an FOIA exemption unless it immediately occurs to them that disclosure could result in harm. He also suggests asking agencies to review "what they have been withholding from the public on that basic since 9/11 and to reconsider that in light of current conditions."

Dan Metcalfe directed the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy for more than 25 years. He founded the office in 1981, under the Reagan administration, and retired in 2007. During that time he drafted two seminal memos on FOIA. One during the Clinton years instructed government agencies to be more open and another in 2001 -- known as the "Ashcroft memorandum" -- that reversed that decision.

He now teaches law at American University and directs the Collaboration on Government Secrecy, the only academic center of its type at a law school.

More here.