AP's Misleading Headline on CIA Tape Destruction

"CIA tapes destroyed despite court order" blares an Associated Press headline today. But the court order allegedly breached applied to videotapes in possession of the U.S. military of interrogations at Guantanamo Bay, not videos of interrogations held at secret CIA sites in foreign countries.

But that's okay, insists AP writer Matt Apuzzo as "Attorneys say that might not matter."

But what attorneys? Apuzzo offers up attorney David H. Remes, "a lawyer for Yemeni citizen Mahmoad Abdah and others." According to Apuzzo, he's "asked [U.S. District Judge Henry H.] Kennedy this week to schedule a hearing on the issue. Kennedy gave the government until Friday to respond."

While it's hard to begrudge a defense lawyer from exploring any and all potential legal manuevers to assist his client -- that IS his job, after all -- it's notable that Mr. Remes is also an active Democratic campaign contributor, having given $500 to Sen. Hillary Clinton in July 2007.

While Remes has given to some Republicans, most of his campaign contributions in recent years, according to a search of OpenSecrets.org, has gone to Democrats such as Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and John Kerry (D-Mass.).

Seems to me one lawyer representing a terrorist suspect AND who gives money to left-wing candidates who have long been skeptical of the enemy combatant detention policies of the Bush administration may NOT exactly be representative of the legal community's views on this matter.

But what do I know? I don't work for the AP.

SEE also: Related blog entry from Dec. 8, 2007, by NewsBusters Jason Aslinger.