It has seemed very strange that Gen. Sanchez would be sent to 'get to the bottom' of the Iraq atrocities mess when he seemed implicated in them himself. Of course, if you want a cover-up, send the guy with a lot to hide. Now Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, not obviously the world's most disinterested source herself, fingers Sanchez, and maybe Rumsfeld, for ordering the use of dogs and other “types of coercive interrogation methods for detainees at Abu Ghraib'” like those that Gen. Sanchez approved for use on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Note also that “The Pentagon denied the assertion Thursday,” so this may be CYA by Karpinski…
Recent Bluessky Posts- Any DOJ settlement that gives the President a dollar -- or a direct material benefit -- is a plain-as-day violation of the Presidential Emoluments Clause: "The President shall not receive ... any other Emolument from the United States, or any of [the states]." Art II, S.1, cl. 7. May 20, 2026 Jed H. Shugerman
- It cannot bind, because you cannot rely to your detriment on a promise you make to yourself. The document itself is an unconstitutional violation of the presidential oath. May 19, 2026 James Grimmelmann
- Historian here this is literally about gutting the Reconstruction amendments especially the consequential 14th amendment piece by piece. May 19, 2026 Manisha Sinha
- Jotwell Contracts: Orit Gan, Ordinary Contract Law, JOTWELL (May 19, 2026) (reviewing Cathy Hwang & Justin Weinstein-Tull, Contract Law and Civil Justice in Local Courts, 2026 Wis. L. Rev. 1 (2026)), contracts.jotwell.com/ordinary-con.... May 19, 2026 Jotwell
- Jotwell Courtslaw: Suzette M. Malveaux, Resilience and Judicial Power in the Aftermath of Trump v. CASA, JOTWELL (May 18, 2026) (reviewing Mila Sohoni, In CASA You Missed It, 78 Stan. L. Rev. ___ (forthcoming 2026), available at SSRN (Nov. 25, 2025)), courtslaw.jotwell.com/resilience-a.... May 18, 2026 Jotwell
The problem with Karpinski’s assertion is that the photos show troops under her command with the dogs, pyramids, etc. Whether there were abuses in the MI interrogations as well (which seems likely, based on various reports), is irrelevant to the central abuse scandal and allegations against the MPs. Karpinski is in the MPs’ chain of command. She can’t credibly claim there were orders from higher headquarters for them to abuse prisoners unless she passed those orders on herself–which she consistently denies.
As Professor Froomkin pointed out in a recent post, where is Congress on this?
Instead we get shocked, shocked responses, sort of apologies, and nothing else. (I keep thinking My Lai.)
All the photos should be released and let the American public decide in November. Of course, for that reason, we will probably not see the photos.