With people calling for his head, Deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs Charles Stimson wants everybody to know “I’m sorry!”
His letter today in The Washington Post:
During a radio interview last week, I brought up the topic of pro bono work and habeas corpus representation of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Regrettably, my comments left the impression that I question the integrity of those engaged in the zealous defense of detainees in Guantanamo. I do not….
I apologize for what I said and to those lawyers and law firms who are representing clients at Guantanamo. I hope that my record of public service makes clear that those comments do not reflect my core beliefs.
And just as a reminder, here’s what he said last week:
I think the news story that youâre really going to start seeing in the next couple of weeks is this: As a result of a FOIA request through a major news organization, somebody asked, âWho are the lawyers around this country representing detainees down there?â and you know what, itâs shocking….
I think, quite honestly, when corporate C.E.O.âs see that those firms are representing the very terrorists who hit their bottom line back in 2001, those C.E.O.âs are going to make those law firms choose between representing terrorists or representing reputable firms, and I think that is going to have major play in the next few weeks. And we want to watch that play out.
