Bush Administration: Gitmo Problems Caused By Defense Lawyers

When will they stop? Why do I ask?

As you probably know by now, there is a Justice Department proposal (i.e. Alberto Gonzales) to limit lawyers' access to Gitmo detainees. As reported by AP, the department said attorney access via the mail system has 'enabled detainees' counsel to cause unrest on the base by informing detainees about terrorist attacks. The New York City Bar calls the allegations false.

''This is an astonishing and disingenuous assertion,'' the association president, Barry M. Kamins, wrote Gonzales.

''Blaming counsel for the hunger strikes and other unrest is a continuation of a disreputable and unwarranted smear campaign against counsel,'' according to the letter.

On Thursday, American Bar Association President Karen J. Mathis criticized "arbitrary restrictions concerning the number of times and the ways that lawyers may confer with their clients in Guantánamo.''

I'm so tired of this.

Brian Tannebaum is a criminal defense attorney in Miami, Florida practicing in state and federal court. To learn more about Brian and his firm, Tannebaum Weiss, please visit www.tannebaumweiss.com