Warner's committee is expected to hold hearings on the Schlesinger and Kern reports in September.
Even if Rumsfeld's political support holds, the Democrats in a presidential election season are unlikely to let the scandal die quickly. John Kerry said Wednesday that Rumsfeld should resign and the whole matter should be investigated by an independent commission appointed by President George W. Bush.
Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, suggested that Rumsfeld or others in the administration may yet be found legally culpable.
"We also know that before these abuses occurred in an Iraqi prison, officials at high levels in Washington were at work on ways to minimize, skew or even ignore our laws, policies and agreements on the use of torture," Leahy said. "To get the full truth, we need an independent investigation," he added.
RSS