John Yoo, a deputy assistant attorney general in the Bush Administration known for justifying the use of harsh interrogation techniques in government memos will speak at Ohio University tonight.
The lecture, which is part of the Washington Forum, is titled Crisis and Command after Yoo's most recent book. The role of the executive branch throughout the United States' history will be the focus of the speech.
The Post's Adam Wagner spoke with Yoo about his role in the Bush Administration and his feelings about the public's reaction to him.
The Post: Can you talk about your role in developing the Bush Administration's interrogation policy?
Yoo: The government captured high-ranking al-Qaeda members and they wanted to interrogate them going beyond the standard law enforcement methods because they thought there was a pending attack on the United States.
They asked us at the Justice Department how far they could go interrogating these high-ranking leaders of al-Qaeda without violating the ban on torture, and our thought was to give them our best advice on how they could act within the law.
Obviously, people are going to disagree and it's going to be a very controversial subject, but I think what we did was right and I think the results have shown that our government had the ability to get information to stop the attacks from recurring.
Post: How far did you say they could go?
Yoo: If you go look at the documents, which are on the Department of Justice's website, then you can see in detail what they can do. And basically, the whole argument was no physical harm or abuse could come to them, but efforts to disorient them or psychological pressure was not a violation of the torture ban.
Post: Do you expect people to have a harsh reaction to what you say because of your role in the Bush Administration?
Yoo: Well yeah, these are obviously controversial subjects but not ones that you just ... They were the kind of questions that we had to face in the government and that the current administration has to face, too. They don't go away because you wish them to, because they're uncomfortable.
3 Culture
Adam Wagner
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John Yoo
Q&A
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: John Yoo - 'Crisis and Command: A History of Executive Power from Washington to Obama'
WHEN: 7:30 p.m
WHERE: Baker Center Theatre
ADMISSION: Free
