What happens when lawyers do politicians' bidding? In the style of the best investigative journalism, international lawyer Philippe Sands uncovers the story behind the human rights abuses that the US government sanctioned and the terrible consequences of their actions. Who were the lawyers, military personnel and politicians who constructed the policy and provided the rationale for the one page memorandum signed by Donald Rumsfeld on 2 December 2002 authorising interrogation techniques forbidden under the Geneva Convention? Torture Team traces the origins of the memorandum through interviews with the key figures speaking out for the first time. A chilling and compelling story of men and women corrupted by power and the few who bravely stood out against them.