ACLU sues over unreleased Justice Department torture memos

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Justice Department on Friday over an unfulfilled public records request that sought a report examining possible ethics violations committed by the attorneys who authored the now infamous Bush administration torture memorandums.

In December, the ACLU file a Freedom of Information Act request asking for a copy of the report from the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which investigates allegations of professional misconduct within the Department of Justice.  Attorney General Eric Holder said in November that a copy of the report would be made available immediately, but according to the ACLU’s suit the request was never fulfilled.

"The public has a legitimate interest in knowing whether the authors of the memos violated ethical rules as well as the criminal laws, and in ensuring that those who wrote the memos, as well as those who authorized torture, are held accountable. The release of the ethics report is long overdue," said Jameel Jaffer, director of the organization’s National Security Project.