White House threatens veto over US detainee policies News
White House threatens veto over US detainee policies

[JURIST] The White House said Thursday it would veto the Senate bill for next year's defense spending if members of the Senate moved to regulate or set up a commission to investigate conditions at US detention camps. Democrats stated Thursday they will present an amendment to create an independent national commission to investigate detainee abuses at US facilities such as Guantanamo [JURIST news archive] and Abu Ghraib [JURIST news archive]. Also, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) [official website] and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) [official website] have said they will present amendments next week addressing "the standard of treatment of prisoners" and the defining the legal status of enemy combatants, respectively. The White House said such amendments would "interfere with the protection of Americans from terrorism by diverting resources from the war." Reuters has more.