US Senator: Obama Will Bljock Abuse Photo Release
A key US Senator said Wednesday that the White House had assured him that photographs allegedly showing US troops abusing detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan will "not see the light of day."
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he was ending his opposition to voting on a war-funding bill after US President Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, promised the administration would block the pictures' release.
"He assured me these photos would not see the light of day," Graham, who has co-authored legislation aimed at preventing the images from being made public, warning they would only inflame anti-US hatred overseas.
The House of Representatives late Tuesday approved a compromise version of the 106-billion-dollar war-funding bill that did not include the provision barring the release of the photographs.
Graham, who co-wrote the removed amendment with Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman, responded by placing a "hold" delaying a vote on the overall legislation in the Senate -- but said late Wednesday he was lifting it.
"I have been personally assured by Rahm Emanuel, the White House Chief of Staff, that if Congress fails to do its part in protecting these photos from being released, President Obama will sign an executive order classifying the photos," said Graham.
The senator also said he had assurances that the Senate would vote on the Graham-Lieberman amendment as a free-standing bill. Both lawmakers were expected to vote in favor of the overall war-funding bill.
"The people involved in Abu Ghraib and other detainee abuse allegations have been dealt with. These photos bring nothing new, but the effect of releasing these photos would be to empower our enemies," said Graham.
"Every photo would become a bullet or IED used by terrorists against our troops," he said, using the acronym for improvised explosive devices, commonly known as roadside bombs.
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