Daily Diary

Putting on the Rizzo

Posted 17/10/2007 by The Daily Diary

As we all know, ethics, compliance and all that tree-hugging leftie stuff are increasingly topping the agenda for in-house value-adders. Now, a leaked memo has highlighted how pesky semantics can prevent even a White House-backed legal eagle from landing that top general counsel post.

John Rizzo – Preseident Bush’s preferred candidate for the top legal role at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – was prevented from landing the post of CIA GC after bleeding-heart Democrats pointed out that he advocated interrogation techniques that were controversial at best.

Rizzo, who has acted as interim chief legal officer of the shadowy body on several occasions, told a Senate committee that he did not object to a CIA memo in 2002 authorising interrogation techniques that “stop just short of inflicting pain equal to that which would cause organ failure or even death”.

Not unlike the interview process for trainees at Linklaters, then.

Bush’s, erm, colourful track record with lawyers has seen him sack a raft of district attorneys in the last year, while Attorney General Alberto Gonzales earlier this year left office under a cloud. Presumably the White House’s latest nominee for attorney general, Michael Mukasey, has his fingers crossed nervously.