CIA: We’re Right About Torture Briefings, But Please Don’t Take Our Word For It
Whoa, this is interesting. CIA chief Leon Panetta is now pushing back against Nancy Pelosi’s claims that the CIA misled Congress about who was told what and when about the use of torture.
But Panetta is also amplifying and repeating the agency’s refusal to promise that the recently-released documents offer a reliable version of how and when members of Congress were briefed on the use of torture techniques.
Panetta sent a note today to CIA employees, which you can read right here. Here’s the key part:
Let me be clear: It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress. That is against our laws and our values. As the Agency indicated previously in response to Congressional inquiries, our contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing “the enhanced techniques that had been employed.” Ultimately, it is up to Congress to evaluate all the evidence and reach its own conclusions about what happened.
That’s pushback against Pelosi, to be sure. But that’s not all it is. The agency also restated the agency’s earlier unwillingness to vouch for the overall reliability of what the docs say about what happened. He’s saying, in effect, that only Congress can determine the truth about what members of Congress were told.
That’s not a call for a Congressional probe. But it does seem like a suggestion that such a probe is the only way the truth can be established. If nothing else, the CIA is redoubling its efforts to distance itself from the political charges some are making — on the basis of CIA info — about who knew what and when about torture.
Updated: Edited for accuracy.
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Either that, or the CIA just called out all those in Congress who are saying that they weren’t briefed or that the briefing list that was released is wrong.
Because now you have Congresspeople saying, “We were not briefed about X,” and the CIA directly saying, “Our records say you were briefed about X.”
right, but they’re saying, “our version of events cannot be relied on as gospel, only you guys can decide what’s true”
Leon Panetta has no ability to attest to the voracity of the reports from 2002. He wasn’t there and he doesn’t know. Its interesting that the talking heads keep pointing out that the CIA is now saying “It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress” however what they are not willing to say is that “We have never misled Congress” We all know that isn’t true. As a matter of fact President Obama now says we do not torture. However we know that we DID torture in the past. Nothing about Panetta’s statement changes a thing. His office already admitted last week that they could not specificallly say that Nancy Pelosi was briefed on waterboarding. And because we know Zubaydah was waterboarded before the 2002 briefing if they can’t attest to whether she was briefed on waterboarding then they can’t attest to whether or not she was briefed on EITs that had been employed on Zubaydah. It doesn’t really take a lot of thinking but cable chatterers don’t do critical thinking.
Greg, is it true that CIA is having massive morale problems and this is an attempt to try to assuage them to keep focused on the job? Panetta, appears to be treading a fine line between agreeing with Pelosi, et al and making sure that his employees stay focused on their tasks.
Greg
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I have a question, if Panetta is now saying that Congress was briefed truthfully in 2002 and we later find out they weren’t would he be subject to sanction for overstating the situation now?
No Greg, sorry. You obviously don’t speak Washingtonese.
Panetta just called the Speaker a liar. You’d have to be politically deaf to try and parse it to say anything else. And for a message that direct, he had to have the backing of the O man.
And the CIA has also just leaked that she killed a covert op that she didn’t like in 2004. So the idea that she was a powerless little lamb is also crapola.
Dumb move Nancy, to call the CIA liars.
Important Question: How can we verify how much the CIA briefers actually knew themselves?
It makes no difference if they told what they knew or were given to explain. But where are the records indicating how much the briefers actually knew? This may sound pedantic. But in an administration famous for secrecy, how in the heck can we trust they told the briefers all of it? Did they fully understand what they were briefing? Did they fully understand torture had already occurred?
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This is why we need a full investigation!
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Why are we even quibbling about what a very few persons in Congress were told? When we’re not even sure what the briefers themselves knew!
By the way, just as a refresher, the CIA lied in the NIE before the Iraq War and George Tenet said the case for an Iraq/al qaeda connection was a “Slam Dunk”. Therefore on its face Panettas statement that its not the policy or practice of the CIA to mislead Congress is itself a lie.
Thera, I also hear that Unicorns dance around rainbows at the North Pole.
You’ve really got to be kidding.
George Tenet was then DCIA. Remember him? A Clinton appointee. CYA was his middle name. Of course he told Pelosi, and everybody else. What, you think she was the only person who was not told?
Please. Just face facts. She knew, and she did nothing. Panetta just confirmed it. Big Time.
Not surprised: the CIA is blowing smoke and knows it. The people in Congress do the same. Tonight the discussion will centre on the purity of the CIA and that dastardly woman Pelosi. The Village on Friday Night Live…..
I have seen no facts regarding what the briefers knew. Maybe you can point me to a link on that. A link providing declassified papers proving what the briefers knew to be the case.
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Otherwise I await full disclosure in an investigation.
The White House should use this issue to launch an investigation, and “let it go where it may”. That way it wouldn’t be called a political witch hunt if the investigation ended up uncovering Bush/Cheney war crimes.
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The GOP is certainly winning the frame war here though – nobody is talking about torture being illegal or immoral, but what Democrat knew what and when. Assuming the briefing was top secret – was Pelosi expected to go public with the information?
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If Pelosi is complicit, it is what it is and she can stand with Cheney and Bush, Addington, Yoo, Bybee, Rumsfeld, Gonzalez, Ashcroft. If the GOP thinks that implicating Pelosi will stop any investigation, well I hope they’re wrong.
What I find most amusing about this sideshow are the people who just can’t fathom that the CIA may not have been telling the full truth during classified Congressional briefings. As if the CIA didn’t already have a long history of misleading the public and our elected officials and lawbreaking!
TheraP
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See here is the funny thing, Republicans keep saying its “obvious” that Pelosi is lying. But if you ask them if they want a full investigation they say “Oh noes we gotta look forward”. Seems to me if they knew they had her dead to rights they would be calling for an investigation themselves. Hell what could hurt Dems more than having the Speaker of the House found to have been lying about her role in the torture program? And yet they don’t want any investigation. Even after getting their @sses kicked the last two election cycles. So you just gotta wonder why that is. None of the commenters here who keep saying Pelosi is lying support a Truth Commission either. Sounds suspect, no?
Panetta still will not write a simple declarative sentence that says, “The CIA told Nancy Pelosi in the September 2002 briefing that waterboarding had been used on Zubaydah.” He cannot or will not, at least not now. Nor does he say whatever he might or might not have been told by the staff who briefed almost seven years ago. Has he interviewed them? Do they still work at the agency?
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So everyone continues to parse words.
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There were several persons in the room for the 2002 briefing. At a truth commission hearing, they all can be questioned under oath. That includes Pelosi, Goss, their staff members and the CIA briefers.
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None of this has much to do with the underlying legal issues about torture. But it is central to the new political sideshow. In addition, if Pelosi is right and the CIA failed to disclose that waterboarding had been used, that in itself would be a serious matter. On the other hand, if Pelosi is wrong, she is seriously damaged. If Panetta is helping to dissemble after the fact, then so is he.
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This cries out for a real investigation — but not an investigation in lieu of investigating the underlying offense of torture, in addition to it.
Didi, you just don’t get it, do you? Obama wants this to GO AWAY. So do a great majority of American voters. People like you only represent a tiny portion of the hard left of the democrat party.
Your president, by allowing Panetta to release this extremely strongly worded memo, is basically telling the hard left to sit on it. Everything he has done in the last two weeks has indicated that he is moving towards the muddle (focus groups that indicate Pelosi is less popular than Limbaugh?). Check the list off in your head–**** in the military? military tribunals? Torture pics?
The release of the OLC memos has been a complete disaster for his administration. He wants all of you to GO AWAY. And I would imagine, that would go double for Pelosi after her stupid move.
“He wants all of you to GO AWAY. And I would imagine, that would go double for Pelosi after her stupid move.”
Ain’t gonna happen.
“Otherwise I await full disclosure in an investigation.”
You and I both. The CIA hasn’t settled dik – it’s Panetta’s word against Pelosi, Graham, etc.
This is all just a bunch of red herrings. We need a special prosecutor, dammit.
“And I would imagine, that would go double for Pelosi after her stupid move.””
Look, let me ever so patiently try to explain to you that Pelosi’s “stupid move” isn’t so fraking stupid if she is telling the truth. And for all we know she is – you don’t have anything at all that says otherwise – you are just pulling that out of your fundament.
Prop H8 overturned in CA!
O TheraP – O really! O my god I’m so happy I’m going to explode!
I knew it was going to fail in court. I just knew it – Yayayayayayay!!!
If asked to chose between the public veracity of Nancy Pelosi, or that of the CIA, I’ll vote Nancy, every time. The torture investigations the Bushies and the GOP have for so long feared are now much more likely to take place, thanks in large part to the transparently diversionary tactics and false bravado of ol’ Dead-Eye Dick and the GOP. Be careful what you wish for, teabaggers….
TheraP
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I think that was a twitter hoax about Prop 8
TheraP
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Confirmed it was a hoax unfortunately
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http://venturebeat.com/2009/05/15/sorry-twitter-prop-8-has-not-been-overturned/
I can’t find that anywhere so it must have been. Dammit.
For the record, Michelle, as soon as I see anyone use the thuggish term “Democrat Party,” I immediate stop reading and place said individual on “ignore.” But thanks for stopping by. And say hey to the rest of the FReepers for us, won’t you?
“Benton Fraser | May 15th, 2009 at 03:38 pm
If asked to chose between the public veracity of Nancy Pelosi, or that of the CIA, I’ll vote Nancy, every time.”
Co-sign.
I know law enforcement. Law enforcement will commit perjury 5 times in 15 seconds and never blink.
That’s tragic! A commenter at EW even had a link! Well, that’s torture! Mental torture!
Here’s the link!
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gaymarriage16-2008may16,0,6182317.story?page=1
How sad, Tena. And deeply disturbing.
My bad. 2008 link above.
Re the quote: CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing “the enhanced techniques that had been employed.”
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This is has the distinct appearance of more sublime wordplay. Panetta can’t just say “CIA briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Zubaydah which included his having been waterboarded” ? The fact that he can’t, or won’t, speaks volumes.
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And why insert a quotation, “the enhanced techniques that had been employed” , to make his point ? Where again was that quote taken from and what was the temporal context and meaning ? Panetta inserting the quote sure looks like a maneuver to fold space. Lay off the spice, Leon !
Senator Wyden went further than Pelosi and said the CIA was breaking the law.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eJS-uySyOw
Refer to: Twitter Hoax. Check story from 3 sources and check it again, take a deep breath and wait 3 hours. Works every time for me.
what is actually funny is all you morons living in either hickville, GOPland or Spoiledass Dem country thinking you have any clue beyond whatever preconceptions you brought to the table regarding the Culinary Institute of America. Just go back to tending to whatever miserable and boring life you have, dealing with issues well below life and death.
btw, Pelosi is a worthless botox using *****.