[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10267-10268]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PRISONER ABUSE AT ABU GHRAIB

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, very briefly, I want to comment on what has 
been a real focus for the Senate and our various committees; that is, 
the revelations of abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. It has been 
a shock to the Nation and indeed to the world. The photographs we 
reviewed last week are appalling to all of us. America is clearly 
outraged at the scandal, ashamed, as we all should be. But it all 
centers on the fact that a very few have tarnished the reputations and 
the honor of a great many people representing the United States of 
America.
  That is why this body, the Senate, has and must continue to act 
swiftly and fully investigate, to the best of our ability, the 
incidents of abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison and hold accountable those 
responsible and take bold corrective actions where necessary to ensure 
that those incidents never occur again.
  This body has acted in a quick and deliberate manner to get to the 
bottom of this matter. Over the past 2 weeks, we have had a series of 
hearings. There is a hearing going on in Armed Services now, the second 
day the Senate Armed Services Committee has held a meeting. The 
Intelligence Committee held their hearings. The Appropriations 
Committee has continued to hear from the Defense Department and other 
agencies on the matter. Our committees are working aggressively in 
terms of oversight, taking very appropriate action. We have received 
hours of testimony from administration officials and senior military 
officers. Members have had the opportunity to review the photos that 
depict some of the offensive acts.
  This morning, for the last hour, the Armed Services Committee has 
been holding a hearing. The witnesses include General Abizaid, 
Commander of Central Command; Lieutenant General Sanchez, Commander of 
the coalition forces in Iraq; and Major General Miller, who is now in 
charge of the Abu Ghraib prison.
  I mention all of this because we are aggressively investigating and 
the Defense Department is cooperating fully in these inquiries and has 
been responsive to all of our requests. I am confident the Defense 
Department is investigating this matter thoroughly, both within and its 
relationships to other agencies as well. I am confident they are taking 
actions to ensure these acts never occur again. This is all essential 
if we will be successful, which I know we can be, in bringing democracy 
and the rule of law to Iraq and restoring the respect and confidence 
many people have historically had in our military.
  Last week Secretary Rumsfeld's trip with General Myers occurred. That 
was a very important trip. It was a boost to the morale of the 
thousands and thousands of Americans who are serving so nobly in Iraq, 
our men and women who are fighting for democracy and freedom. I commend 
the Secretary and General Myers for making the trip.
  Secretary Rumsfeld has demonstrated tremendous leadership throughout 
the last several weeks and months and tremendous character in his 
presentations, helping us to understand what happened there so we can 
all take corrective action. I commend Secretary Rumsfeld for his 
tremendous leadership and courage in addressing this matter of prisoner 
abuse, but also his leadership in the global war on terrorism. He has 
been a superb Secretary of Defense who really deserves the thanks of a 
grateful Nation, and we are thankful for his leadership in these very 
difficult times.
  While I know there are going to be many more difficult days ahead on 
the prisoner abuse scandal, I am confident

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the Senate will continue to do what is right and necessary to ensure 
that justice prevails and such terrible acts never happen again.
  I yield the floor.

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