“As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I’m very familiar with the challenges we face in the fight against terror, and nothing I have seen has convinced me that the measures in this bill will make us safer or provide an effective framework for bringing our enemies to justice,” Eshoo said.

“Our methods must reflect the ideals of our Constitution and the highest standards in protecting human rights and due process under the law.

“The bill before us fails to meet these standards. Instead, it erodes the protections of the Geneva Conventions and reverses two centuries of American jurisprudence by denying habeas corpus protections for the accused. More dangerously, it fails to eliminate the use of torture, which has seriously undermined global support for our fight against terrorism.

“This legislation gives the Administration a blank check to define its own methods of interrogation and opens the doors for abuses,” Eshoo said. “We’ve already seen where permissive interrogation rules can lead…it’s called Abu Ghraib.

“To ensure accountability, Congress must have the ability to review and set standards for interrogation practices around the world. Doing so ensures not only their legality, but ultimately their effectiveness. This bill takes that responsibility out of our hands.”

Eshoo’s full statement on H.R. 6166 is available here.

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