Patrick Philbin

Patrick Philbin, according to ProPublica, was an Office of Legal Counsel deputy who "authored several of the early memos that built the argument for extra-judicial detention at Guantanamo Bay, but would later back Jack Goldsmith in withdrawing the controversial Aug. 1, 2002 memo approving harsh interrogation techniques that some officials believed verged on torture.

Bush Administration War on Terror Memos

ProPublica notes that "the Bush administration’s "war on terror" - including its controversial policies on detentions, interrogations and warrantless wiretapping - were all underpinned by legal memoranda. While some of those memos have been released ... the former administration chose to keep many others secret, citing security and confidentiality concerns. The decision to release them now lies with President Obama. To help inform the debate - and inject an extra dose of accountability - we’re posting a list of the relevant memos, both public and secret." [1]

Memo authors include John C. Yoo, Steven G. Bradbury, Jay Bybee, James B. Comey, Robert J. Delahunty, Jack Goldsmith, James Ho, Daniel Levin, Patrick Philbin, legal architects (and some internal critics) of the Bush Administration's use of torture and detention policies now being reversed or reviewed by the Obama Administration.

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