Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York has urged Attorney General Michael Mukasey to appoint an independent counsel to investigate Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and other senior Bush administration officials for violations of the law relating to the torture of prisoners in US custody. Nadler is the chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Last week, in an interview on ABC News, Cheney defended the CIA’s use of torture, including waterboarding.

Jonathan Karl: “Did you authorize the tactics that were used against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?”

Dick Cheney: “I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared. That is, the agency, in effect, came in and wanted to know what they could and couldn’t do. And they talked to me, as well as others, to explain what they wanted to do. And I supported it.

On Sunday, Vice President Cheney appeared on Fox News and once again defended the Bush administration’s actions.

Dick Cheney: “There are bound to be debates and arguments from time to time and wrestling back and forth about what kind of authority is appropriate in any specific circumstance, but I think that what we’ve done has been totally consistent with what the Constitution provides for.”