Former prosecutor faults terror oversight

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The former lead prosecutor for terrorism trials at Guantanamo Bay says he resigned because of inappropriate case manipulation by Pentagon officials.

Air Force Col. Morris Davis said politically motivated Pentagon officials pushed for convictions of high-profile detainees deemed to be of "strategic political value," The Washington Post reported.

"There was a big concern that the election of 2008 is coming up," Davis told the Post.

A decision to put nearly all of the military commissions process under the command of the Defense Department's general counsel also led to Davis' abrupt resignation last month, he told the Post.

Davis accused some Pentagon officials of "nano-management" and conflict of interest in overseeing cases previously left solely to prosecutors.