Anna Eshoo: “every American is appalled by the images and reports of the mistreatment of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq…”

“every American is appalled by the images and reports of the mistreatment of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, images which have now been shown around the world again and again over the past week. These criminal actions have greatly undermined America's credibility around the world, humiliated the prisoners and their families, besmirched the reputation of our Armed Services, and placed our troops and civilians at heightened risk. The good work of American troops has been diminished significantly and the Arab world is outraged. While it's highly appropriate for Congress to condemn these criminal actions, this Resolution does not go far enough in offering a remedy. The Resolution does not call for a full Congressional investigation. Indeed, the Majority has blocked the Minority today from adding a provision that would launch such an investigation. The Resolution ignores the necessity of an investigation to examine the role that intelligence officials and private contractors may have played in these crimes. We have to pursue the truth wherever it takes us and as high up the chain of command as we must go. Finally, the Resolution does not call on the Administration to be fully accountable and to report fully to Congress and the American people about the scope of this most serious issue. The Congress has been kept in the dark for months about the abuses in Abu Ghraib prison, yet no one from the Administration has informed Congress or offered an apology.”