WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday joined the growing calls yesterday to tear down Iraq’s notorious Abu Ghraib prison – the scene of abuse by Saddam Hussein’s thugs, and now by U.S. troops.
Rumsfeld said he was receptive to the idea as a symbol of a fresh start – but said the final decision should be made by Iraqis who are due to regain sovereignty over their country on June 30.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Iraqi people make such a decision,” Rumsfeld said as he was grilled on Capitol Hill yesterday.
A central issue emerging in the prison scandal is the precise role of both outside contractors responsible for interrogating prisoners and the chain of command at the prison.
Military police, intelligence officers and 27 outside contractors were all involved in the day-to-day affairs of the prison.
In response to questions from Republican Rep. Heather Wilson (N.M.), a former Air Force officer, Rumsfeld and Army brass said the facility had been put under the command of military intelligence.
But Rumsfeld said he wasn’t aware of the order, signed by Gen. Riccardo Sanchez.
A central question raised over and over by lawmakers was whether the abuse represents a few bad apples or a “systemic” problem, and Rumsfeld suggested that remains to be determined.
The lawmakers also pressed for a speedy result to the investigation, while Rumsfeld cautioned that if due process is violated, the wrongdoers could escape punishment.
There were also hints that some of the blame for the scandal could go to Central Command, which oversees Iraq.
Centcom’s deputy commander, Lt. Gen. Lance Smith, was the only Pentagon official to acknowledge knowing about the photos of prisoner abuse more than a day before the hearing.
The day’s first hearing had barely begun when a group of protesters stood up in the back and chanted, “Fire Rumsfeld!” and “war criminal.”
Rumsfeld sat calmly in his seat, as did the senators, while Capitol Hill police escorted a handful of protesters out of the room. They left quietly, and the hearing resumed.