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Ex-Abu Ghraib Investigator: Rumsfeld Knew

HeadlineJun 18, 2007

The former Army general who led the Pentagon’s first investigation into the abuses at Abu Ghraib has revealed that he was forced to retire because his report was too critical of the U.S. military. In his first interview since then, Major General Antonio Taguba told investigative journalist Seymour Hersh that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld misled Congress about the Abu Ghraib investigation, minimizing how much he knew about the abuse and torture. Taguba also said the military has unpublished photographs and videos that show the abuse and torture was even worse than previously disclosed. Taguba said he saw a video of a male American soldier in uniform sodomizing a female detainee. Taguba said he was blocked from investigating who ordered the torture at Abu Ghraib. He said, “These M.P. troops were not that creative. Somebody was giving them guidance, but I was legally prevented from further investigation into higher authority. I was limited to a box.”

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