Jesse Jackson Jr Joins Call for Independent Investigation on Torture and Surveillance
On Wednesday, September 9, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. of Illinois added his name in cosponsorship of H.R. 104, a bill to establish a national commission on presidential war powers and civil liberties. This bill, introduced by Rep. John Conyers, would create an independent investigative body with subpoena powers to unearth the nature and extent of the torture and warrantless surveillance practices of the United States Government, both in the Bush administration and those possibly carried out on a continuing basis. Many programs of torture and domestic spying have come to light after government officials flatly denied their existence, but much about these programs and others like them are still unknown, highly classified, thoroughly redacted.
Since Rep. Conyers made his call for an independent investigation via H.R. 104, 49 members of Congress have joined his call through the act of cosponsoring his bill. But momentum for this move has slackened: Jesse Jackson Jr. is the first member of Congress to add his or her cosponsorship since the beginning of June.
The text of H.R. 104 can be read here.
A list of the cosponsors of H.R. 104 can be found here.
To contact your member of Congress regarding H.R. 104, click here.
