The Daily Muck

Murat Kurnaz, a German resident, was captured in Pakistan in 2001 as a suspected terrorist and imprisoned for two months at a U.S. base in Afghanistan. Kurnaz insists that he was hung from a ceiling for five days and was checked periodically by doctors who determined that the torture could continue. Kurnaz, who was eventually freed (the U.S. military gave no reason why) also alleges that he was systematically tortured again in 2005. (Washington Post)

Within hours of its launch, the Bush administration’s eavesdropping plan that the NSA implemented in October 2001, generated protests and sharp legal debate. Eric Lichtblau’s new book, Bush’s Law: The Remaking of American Justice, also reveals that within 12 hours of the program’s launch, FBI technicians “stumbled” upon it, creating a “firestorm of anxiety.” (New York Times)

In 2003, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) co-sponsored a law that would limit the role of money in politics by expanding the federal matching system for presidential candidates. But in 2006 and 2007, he refused to add his name to similar laws. (Boston Globe)

A report by Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares reveals that Darren Dopp, Spitzer’s former communications director, has provided strong evidence that former Governor Eliot Spitzer (D-NY) directly ordered him (“in a profanity-laced exchange” ) to give reporters records on Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno’s use of state aircraft. Soares believes that had Spitzer not resigned, he could have been indicted. (AP)

Brent Wilkes, the defense contractor who was serving a 12-year sentence for bribing Randal “Duke” Cunningham, has been released on bail while he appeals his conviction. Lawyers familiar with the case assert that it is unusual for an appellate court to release someone during appeal and that the move indicates that the appeals court finds some merit on Wilkes’ arguments. (San Diego Union Tribune)

The Department of Justice wants the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to expedite representative William Jefferson’s (D-LA) case. The DOJ asserts that “delay in this case harms the public’s interest in the prompt and final outcome of the government’s investigation and prosecution of serious crimes.” The U.S. Supreme Court may take up an appeal from the DOJ of a lower-court ruling that determined that a 2006 raid of Jefferson’s congressional office violated his “privilege under Speech or Debate.” (Politico)

Puerto Rico’s Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila pleaded not guilty to 19 counts of corruption that include conspiracy to violate federal campaign laws and providing false testimony to the FBI. (AP)

Twelve federal jurors will begin deliberations today in a retrial of a group of Miami men accused of conspiring with al-Qaeda to overthrow the U.S. Jurors from the first trial are doubtful that the government will win the case because the first case – which seems very similar to the retrial – was undermined by the fact that “FBI agents found no explosives, weapons or blueprints for any terrorist activity at the Liberty City group’s warehouse” and the FBI “agents relied on a pair of paid informants who had credibility issues.” (Miami Herald)

At the age of 22, Efraim Diveroli had secured more than $200 million in contracts as an international arms dealer. And though his grandfather boasts that Diveroli knew his way around weapons since he was a little boy, Efriam’s father had hoped that his son would become a doctor or lawyer. The latter career path is probably no longer an option because Diveroli is now being investigated for selling Chinese weapons. His domestic record, while not impressive, shows arrests but no convictions for a variety of offenses. (CNN)

“With little public explanation,” the Marine general who was responsible for prosecuting a soldier charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault in the Haditha massacre of 2005, dropped the charges against the soldier. The Haditha massacre occurred on Nov. 19, 2005, “when a squad of infantrymen from Third Battalion, First Marines, swept through a group of Iraqi homes” and “over a period of hours” killed “24 people, almost all unarmed.” (New York Times)

Former U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth is asking for donations on his blog due to mounting bills from a federal inquiry involving his possible connections to lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Though the inquiry did not result in charges against Hayworth, now a talk-radio host in Phoenix, he claims lawyers fees to deal with the Justice Department left him in debt. (AP)