BE SMART ABOUT: Steven Bradbury - Wrote Bush's Torture Memos; Now General Counsel at Transportation Department

It can be a struggle in daily conversations to explain the impacts this election has every day on the decisions being made to govern our society.  Trump's handlers are putting individuals in positions of real, tangible power who are spending every hour of every day implementing policies in an efficient, destructive manner.  They are doing the exact things their prior words, actions, and lobbyist bosses should have made obvious.

BE SMART ABOUT is our continuing unfortunate series highlighting examples of those in power who you need to stay informed about so you can share this knowledge and together we can Be Smart and Actively Dissent.

Today we discuss Steve Bradbury, a name you are surely unfamiliar with.

During the administration of George W. Bush, Steven Bradbury was one of the principal authors of the legal justifications for “enhanced interrogation techniques” called the torture memos.

Yes, you read that right. 

Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who lost both of her legs in combat, said in June that Bradbury “lacked the judgment to stand up against (the Bush) administration’s use of torture.”  That “should disqualify someone from any government service.”  She added that it was alarming that Bradbury showed complete “deference” to a president’s policy priorities.  “An unprincipled lawyer paired with an unprincipled president is a dangerous combination,” Duckworth said.

Unfortunately, on November 13, 2017 while we were distracted by literally a hundred other awful things, Bradbury was confirmed by the Senate.

....the Senate voted 50-47 on Monday to advance the nomination of Steven Bradbury, a Washington lawyer, to be general counsel at the Transportation Department. 

In better times, Bradbury was prevented from further government service due to his involvement in a historical blemish on our great nation.

Democrats blocked Bradbury from serving as assistant attorney general in 2008 over his role in the "torture memos."

In case we need reminder, the Department of Transportation plays a significant role in our daily lives -- its 2017 budget is just shy of $100 billion.

The Transportation Department regulates the nation’s vehicles, airplanes, railroads, pipelines, ports and highways.

 

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-transportation/senate-approves-trump-transportation-department-nominee-idUSKBN1D...

http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/344953-senate-panel-approves-torture-memo-author-to-lead-transportation

 

Date: 
Tuesday, December 26, 2017