PUZZLING: Why did Showtime cancel a Vice News episode on DeSantis at Gitmo?
Showtime’s Vice News show has quietly “erased” what would have been a potentially explosive episode covering Ron DeSantis’s time in the Navy as a JAG attorney.
The network coyly “rescheduled” an investigative report that would purportedly review DeSantis’s time spent at the Marine base at Guantanamo Bay.
The focus of the investigation was to be whether DeSantis witnessed acts of torture under the U.N. Charter and, as an attorney, his response — or lack thereof.
Showtime scheduled the show to run as Episode Four on May 28th and was titled “The Gitmo Candidate & Chipping Away.” Instead, Showtime aired a rerun on May 28th.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Episode Four ran on June 4th but was not the DeSantis episode. Instead, Showtime and Vice News aired “Detransitioners & Draining the DRC.”
Making matters even more mystifying, Showtime refused to comment on the matter, stating that they do not discuss scheduling.
The statement is almost offensive. Showtime advertised an upcoming installment that involved possible allegations against a presidential candidate who witnessed — as an attorney — possible crimes against humanity.
It may be a scheduling matter. But it is an important national story.
Obviously, this site takes no position on whether DeSantis witnessed such acts as a JAG officer or fought to prevent the CIA’s torture of inmates. Either is possible.
The description of the show was found in a cached version of the Vice page on Showtime’s site. All references to the topic covered in the episode are now scrubbed from the site.
That is odd.
As characterized by The Hollywood Reporter story, the cached description is both explosive and deeply concerning, with allegations that go even beyond the DeSantis campaign.
“Seb Walker investigates allegations from former Guantanamo Bay detainees that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis witnessed acts condemned by the United Nations as torture during his past service at the controversial detention camp as a Navy JAG officer.”
Again, in the fight to be ethical in our reporting, “witnessing” acts of torture is neutral. Perhaps DeSantis strongly believed the policy to be wrong and fought it.
It is also possible that a presidential candidate condoned the torture, perhaps even signing off on it as a prosecutor.
Allegations that Americans tortured alleged Al-Queda members at Guantanamo Bay are neither isolated nor new. In 2021, The New York Times described the testimony of a former detainee, Majid Khan.
Khan testified about brutal forced feedings, crude waterboarding, and other physical and sexual abuse he endured during the years 2003 to 2006.
The period could easily overlap DeSantis’s service at Guantanamo. The Florida Phoenix obtained a document asserting that DeSantis spent March of 2006 through early January 2007 at Guantanamo Bay, described as a “JTF-GTMO scheduler/administrative officer.”
Thus, prior independent reporting of the shelved (at least for now) Showtime “Vice News” episode demonstrates that the premise is entirely possible.
The Florida Phoenix’s description of DeSantis’s position, as a scheduler and administrative officer, implies some level of authority and the possibility that DeSantis could have intervened in some manner, though that is speculation.
It is doubtful that DeSantis could, on his own, have prevented all torture during his time at Guantanamo.
To this country’s ever-lasting shame, the CIA operated “Black Sites” around the world and led the torture program.
It is unknown whether a naval attorney had the authority to stop a CIA program or even speak to it.
The value of Vice News’s investigative report would have been whether there is evidence that DeSantis supported the torture, remained neutral, or fought it.
Given Showtime’s silence, the matter will have to be investigated by someone else or we may never know.
One thing we do know.
This country deserves an answer as to whether presidential candidate Ron DeSantis condoned torture during his time in the military.
Even more importantly, we must know whether he would currently support such a program as president.
I can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com and on Twitter @JasonMiciak.
Editor’s note: This is an opinion column that solely reflects the opinions of the author.
