Durbin, Kennedy blast CIA's videotape destruction

[babylonsister]

Durbin, Kennedy blast CIA's videotape destruction

by James Oliphant

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and other Democratic lawmakers demanded an immediate investigation Friday after the Central Intelligence Agency admitted it destroyed two videotapes that showed agents using extreme methods to interrogate suspected terrorists.

Durbin, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, asked Atty. Gen. Michael Mukasey to probe whether CIA officials willfully obstructed justice in failing to turn over the tapes during the criminal trial of Al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, who was later convicted of terrorism charges.

"This is very troubling," Durbin said in an interview. "One must simply conclude that there is something on those videotapes that they did not want the world to see."

And in a fiery Senate speech, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) invoked the ghost of Watergate. "The agency was desperate to cover up damning evidence of their practices," Kennedy said. "We haven't seen anything like this since the 18 1/2-minute gap in the tapes of President Richard Nixon."

CIA Director Michael Hayden said Thursday that the agency destroyed the two tapes to protect the identities and safety of the undercover officers involved and "only after it was determined they were no longer of intelligence value and not related to any internal, legislative or judicial inquiries." The CIA made the admission in response to inquiries from The New York Times.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) labeled Hayden's rationale "pathetic." "They'd have to burn every document at the CIA that has the identity of an agent on it, under that theory."

Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said his committee would begin to look into the matter at once.

The White House said that President Bush did not recall knowing about the tapes until Hayden told him about their destruction Thursday. Spokeswoman Dana Perino said whether an obstruction-of-justice investigation was warranted "will have to be determined by others."

Those others include Mukasey, the recently confirmed attorney general. As of Friday afternoon, the Justice Department had yet to indicate whether it would launch a probe, but it is already waist-deep in the affair.

more...

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/12/durbin_kennedy_blast_cias_vide.html#more

[Lasher]

1. Oliver North on Faux Noise right now offering his expert opinion about destroying evidence.

[Inuca]

2. Durbin's speech

was even more fiery than Kennedy's, and even more accusatory. Toward the end, he said that illegal acts may have been committed at the highest levels of government. They keep replaying the speech on CSPAN, and I suppose it is also available on the web site. Well worth a watch.

[Maccagirl]

3. Hey guys, get back to us when you're done "investigating"

How many times have we heard this in the last seven years? Forgive me if I don't hold my breath.

[babylonsister]

4. I know, Durbin and Kennedy are up in arms, but Reid can shoot it down

at any time. I'm just hoping this is considered more crucial.