Jeff Bingaman: “there are a couple of news events in the last 24 hours or 48 hours that I thought deserve some comment. Let me first…”

“there are a couple of news events in the last 24 hours or 48 hours that I thought deserve some comment. Let me first talk a moment about the atrocities and abuse of enemy combatants--prisoners--in Iraq which has been a major concern. Many of my colleagues have commented upon the horrific images that have come out on television and in the papers. I have not seen as yet many comments about the Pentagon's response. That is what I wanted to comment on briefly. Officials within the Department of Defense have known at least since January that prisoners held as enemy combatants in Iraq have been subject to maltreatment, and to physical and sexual abuse. We know this because in January the Department of Defense relieved the camp commander of her duties and ordered an investigation. The investigation was completed in February. The 54-page report that was issued, as I understand it, contains horrifying details about these abuses.”