Van Hollen Asks Government Reform Committee to Investigate Involvement of Contractors in Abu Ghraib Abuse - Letter

Van Hollen Asks Government Reform Committee to Investigate Involvement of Contractors in Abu Ghraib Abuse

Washington, D.C. - United States Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) sent the following letter to House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis requesting that the Committee take immediate action to investigate allegations that private contractors participated in the abuse of Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib Army prison in Baghdad.

May 6, 2004

The Honorable Tom Davis
Chairman
House Committee on Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

As the full House today considers H.Res. 627, the resolution condemning Iraqi prisoner abuse, I write to urge you to take immediate action to examine the role of civilian contractors in the abuse that took place during interrogations of Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib Army prison in Baghdad.

This is a critical moment. The world is waiting and watching to see how the United States government responds. There are many steps we should take, but one falls squarely within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Government Reform. That is the issue of the role that civilian contractors play in the military operation in Iraq and, specifically, their involvement in the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

There are up to 20,000 private contractors operating in Iraq, carrying out military roles from logistics and local army training to guarding installations and convoys. The legal status of private contractors in war zones is a murky area, as it is.
But I find it stunning that the Defense Department, as has been reported, would contract out the interrogation of prisoners of war to private firms, a number of whom have been implicated in the abuses of Iraqi prisoners.

We owe it to the American people and to those in our military forces who are serving this country bravely and well, to move quickly to investigate the entirety of these reports and allegations.

Congress has a constitutional responsibility to oversee the actions of the Executive Branch and hold it accountable. For Congress to fail to act now would be an abdication of its institutional responsibilities as a separate branch of government.

The Government Reform Committee, as the House of Representatives' primary investigative committee with jurisdiction over government contracting, has the unique and important responsibility to investigate the role of these civilian contractors. Therefore, I urge you to hold immediate hearings on the involvement that any private contractors may have had in the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison as well as the overall practice of the Pentagon to engage private contractors as interrogators of detainees and prisoners.

I believe the credibility of the United States is in grave danger due to these abhorrent acts of abuse. We must take strong action to demonstrate that we understand the severity of the problem and to blunt the damage done to our image and reputation around the world. Immediate hearings are necessary to send a signal that the United States and the Congress are serious in our efforts to get the facts and hold those responsible accountable for their acts and omissions. I urge you to schedule such hearings immediately and I offer my assistance in this effort.

Sincerely,



Chris Van Hollen