White House threatens veto if Senate adds detainee treatment amendment to defense bill News
White House threatens veto if Senate adds detainee treatment amendment to defense bill

[JURIST] The White House Friday threatened to veto a $440.2 billion defense spending bill if the Senate amended it to establish a national commission on detainee operations or include provisions regulating the detention, treatment, or trial of terrorists. In an official policy statement [text; PDF], the administration insisted that such changes

would interfere with the protection of Americans from terrorism by diverting resources from the war to answer unnecessary or duplicative inquiries or by restricting the President's ability to conduct the war effectively under existing law.
In July, Republican Senator John McCain proposed an amendment that would address interrogation practices and treatment of US-held prisoners [JURIST report]; Vice-President Dick Cheney has led a White House campaign to block the legislation [NYT report]. Reuters has more.

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