Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on the creation of a “truth commission” to investigate Bush administration wrongdoings. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) has suggested that the commission may grant “blanket immunity” to Bush officials, though Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has balked at this idea. Today on MSNBC, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said he agreed with Pelosi and cautioned against “blanket immunity” for Bush officials:
WHITEHOUSE: I think the Speaker is absolutely right. The question of when and whether to grant immunity is a very carefully drawn one. … If you’re giving blanket immunities and preventing prosecutions that could and would and should move forward, then you’ve made a mistake.
“[T]he Speaker is dead right that you don’t want blanket immunities that prevent prosecutions from going forward,” he emphasized, “not without a very thoughtful conversation with the prosecutors themselves.” Watch it:
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