NEW YORK — The recent statement by the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) that the two lawyers who wrote the so-called torture memos merely exercised "poor judgment" is a disservice to justice. This is a topic that should be properly addressed by a serious inquiry to establish whether there were any violations of law.
According to the Justice Department's ethics watchdog, lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee's written opinion on the subject "contained significant flaws."
Specifically, investigators found that Yoo had "violated his duty to exercise independent legal judgment and render thorough, objective and candid legal advice," and that Bybee had "acted in reckless disregard" of ethical obligations in his actions regarding the memos.