President Bush Strongly Supports Donald Rumsfeld Despite Public Protests - 2004-05-10

President Bush, the President of the United States, states that Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense, is performing his duties to the highest possible standard. The President's praise and appreciation for Mr. Rumsfeld's activities comes at a time when the Secretary of Defense is embroiled in international protests regarding the behavior of American soldiers towards Iraqi prisoners and calls for Mr. Rumsfeld's resignation. On Monday, during his visit to the Pentagon and receiving a report related to the photos concerning the torture of Iraqi prisoners, President Bush expressed his unconditional support for Mr. Rumsfeld. In this report, which took place behind closed doors, Mr. Rumsfeld showed President Bush unpublished photos of the mistreatment of Iraqi detainees by American guards at Abu Ghraib prison. Following this presentation, the White House spokesperson stated that the President expressed his strong disgust at the inappropriate behavior upon seeing the photos. In another event, the Senate Armed Services Committee will hear testimony from Captain Antonio Taguba, a U.S. Army officer who initially prepared a detailed report on the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by American guards.