Cornyn: Rumsfeld Has Duty to Serve in This Critical Time

CORNYN: RUMSFELD HAS DUTY TO SERVE IN THIS CRITICAL TIME

'Those who committed these abuses will be brought to strong justice'

WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the following statement Monday regarding the latest on the Iraq prison abuse situation, including President Bush's meeting with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon:

"Donald Rumsfeld is an outstanding Secretary of Defense. He led our military through two wars, and is highly effective at waging the ongoing war on terror and keeping America safe. Secretary Rumsfeld has a duty to serve in this critical time.

"The Department of Defense has taken these terrible abuses of Iraqi prisoners seriously from the start. I have seen no evidence whatsoever of a cover-up; rather, the investigation into these abuses is being carried out in a professional and appropriate manner. Hind-sight is 20-20, and defense officials can be accused of failing to communicate properly about these abuses, but there's been no failure to prosecute.

"Unlike many of the criminals in Saddam Hussein's regime who went unpunished for years, the Americans who appear to have committed these terrible abuses will have their day in court and, if found guilty, they will be brought to swift and strong justice. The court-martial proceedings will be a strong sign to the world that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated. The atrocious acts seen in Abu Ghraib prison are un-American. Through our system of justice and our strong sense of rule of law, the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

"The abuses do not reflect the overwhelming majority of American soldiers who are serving bravely and dutifully every day to establish a free and stable Iraq, and this is no time to try scoring political points. We are a nation at war, and it's more important than ever to stand unified behind our troops."