CIA and Pelosi: Still No Proof She Was Briefed on Waterboarding

[BlueJessamine]

CIA and Pelosi: Still No Proof She Was Briefed on Waterboarding

by mcjoan

May 8, 2009

Last night, ABC News and the Washington Post "broke" the story of new CIA documents being released that showed Pelosi was briefed on the use of torture, contradicting her claim that she was told only that the administration was considering the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques."

Not so fast. Both Marcy and Greg Sargent debunk the media reports.

Marcy, who must have all these documents memorized:

First, CIA has officially confirmed what I have been saying for weeks. The CIA first briefed Congress on torture on September 4, 2002, 35 days after CIA purportedly began waterboarding and much longer after we know CIA started torturing Abu Zubaydah. Moreover, we have on the record statements from Pelosi and Goss (and I've had even stronger assurances elsewhere) that CIA did not tell Congress they were already in the business of torture. Their discussions of torture were all prospective, and they may even have stated clearly that they had not used these techniques yet, which (if true) would be a clear and direct lie to Congress.

Second, look at when--according to the CIA's specific assertions--they first talked about waterboarding to members of Congress:

February 4, 2003: Pat Roberts and a Republican and a Democratic staffer (but not Jello Jay); according to the CIA there was no specific mention of waterboarding in the February 5, 2003 briefing for Porter Goss and Jane Harman

July 13, 2004: Porter Goss and Jane Harman

July 15, 2004: Pat Roberts and Jello Jay

Now, it's possible that the people trying to smear Pelosi with this are correct and CIA mentioned waterboarding in September 2002. But that's not what the CIA says. Once you account for the fact that Jello Jay did not attend the February 4 briefing, the CIA says it first informed Democrats about waterboarding in July 2004, only after the CIA's own Inspector General had declared the program cruel and inhuman (and note, the Senate intelligence leaders, at least, got a copy of that document in June 2004, so the CIA couldn't very well pretend that they hadn't been waterboarding).

Note, too, that the CIA claims to have discussed legal issues in the July briefing with Harman and Goss, but not in the July briefing with Jello Jay and Roberts. We know this to be false.

snip :

Obviously Republicans fear what investigations could lead to, as does the CIA. Their leaders committed war crimes and they know it, and if they're going down, they'll take Democrats with them. It's entirely possible that the few Democrats briefed early on were told that waterboarding had been used, but these documents don't prove that.

This episode is further evidence that we need criminal investigations from a special prosecutor, who would be as removed as possible (though obviously not entirely) from the politics of the story.


More @ Dailykos:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/5/8/729204/-CIA-and-Pelosi:-Still-No-Proof-She-Was-Briefed-on-Waterboarding

[mikelgb]

1. waterboarding is a red herring. TORTURE OF VARIOUS TYPES

THEY WILL ALL GO DOWN IN SHAME

[STOP_BS]

2. CIA DOC SAYS PELOSI WAS TOLD ABOUT HARSH INTERROGATION AND WATERBOARD

THE CIA PROOFS that NANCI PELOSI were told ABOUT " harsh interrogations"

the word HARSH INTERROGATIONS is written in the document.

WHY SHE LIED TO US?

PELOSI IS A DISHONEST LIAR

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Really? Kindly show me where in the document it does that.

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/briefings.pdf

[rateyes]

6. GET A GRIP! Re: The CIA and Nancy Pelosi.

No one is telling the whole truth. We don't have the whole truth, from either side. The CIA is not going to admit keeping the Intel Committees in the dark about this. Neither is anyone on the Intel Committee going to admit knowing about torture taking place.

I'm not going to assume the CIA is telling the truth. Neither am I going to assume Nancy, Goss, et al are telling the truth. It seems that both groups could have reason to lie.

That's why I want an investigation. Again, IF the CIA report is accurate, then Nancy and Goss and Rockefeller and others knew about war crimes taking place and kept their mouths shut about it. If it's not accurate, then Nancy and others have no reason now not to tell EVERYTHING THEY KNOW.

The cat is out of the bag. War crimes have been committed. We need the full story. And, if that means investigating Democrats, so be it. But, the CIA report is one that was put together in the last few days based on interviews of ITS OWN OFFICERS.

Que custodiet ipsos custodes? Who will guard the guards?

[bemildred]

3. Oh thank goodness she has not lost all her "deniability" yet.

:puke:

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rateyes]

7. QUIT YELLING AT PEOPLE. nt

[Tutankhamun]

8. I remember when Pelosi said that she would call for impeachment

if there were a reason. When she said this I knew the conjecture about her blocking any investigation in order to cover her own ass was true.