CIA Will Release Torture Docs Cheney Requested; Will Also Release Report On Torture’s “Effectiveness”
This had been expected, and I’ve confirmed it: The CIA today will release the two documents Dick Cheney requested this spring that he claims will prove torture worked.
I’ve also confirmed that the CIA will release a declassified version of the chapter in the CIA Inspector General’s 2004 report that’s widely expected to conclude that there’s no proof torture foiled any attacks.
What this means: The debate over whether torture worked is going to flare up in a big way today — and there may be a strong blast of evidence knocking down Cheney’s claims.
A source familiar with the situation confirmed that the above documents will be released. Over the weekend, news reports said this was “expected.” The two documents Cheney asked for date to 2004 and 2005, one of which may detail what top Al Qaeda official Khalid Muhammad revealed under torture.
The 2004 CIA I.G. report’s chapter on effectiveness, meanwhile, was reported to conclude that “it is difficult to determine conclusively whether interrogations provided information critical to interdicting specific imminent attacks.” The release of the full chapter could tell us lots more along these lines.
The source said the released materials will have some redactions, but we’ll definitely know more by the end of today than we do right now. Gonna get interesting.
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Update: Here’s more confirmation: Zachary Roth reports that CIA director Leon Panetta just emailed a note to CIA employees confirming that two documents from 2004 and 2005 will be released, though Panetta didn’t explicitly say they were the same docs Cheney asked for.
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What time will this report be released?
Maritza, I’m hearing early to mid afternoon.
Raise your hand if you find the timing suspicious!
Of course!
sbj: What are you suggesting?
@Mike: I am suggesting that since the h/c debate is going so poorly that this is a good time to shift focus to torture.
“The 2004 CIA I.G. report’s chapter on effectiveness, meanwhile, was reported to conclude that “it is difficult to determine conclusively whether interrogations provided information critical to interdicting specific imminent attacks.” The release of the full chapter could tell us lots more along these lines.”
That’s as close as I would expect the CIA to come to admitting that it did absolutely no good at all –
As for the timing – this has been expected, sbj, for some time.
This release was expected about now from long before the HC debate started up.
Obama isn’t Bush – he doesn’t politicize the entire government like Bush and Cheney did.
@tena: Actually this has been delayed and delayed for some time.
I know that, but as I recall, sbj, it was delayed the last time until about now –
Obama isn’t Clinton, either. He is too busy trying to put the pieces back together after 8 years of demolition to get up in this. Don’t blame the WH – the CIA is responsible for the release, even though I’ve read “anonymous sources” saying Panetta is upset with Eric Holder over this – and that’s who is running this show – the AG. Not Obama.
Who cares if it works? If you do it, your soul is still a tumor, effectiveness notwithstanding.
@Greg: Thanks for the link to Panetta’s letter. I appreciate your repeated contention that the interrogation program never foiled any imminent plots, but Panetta makes very clear the value of interrogation programs:
“Nor am I eager to enter the debate, already politicized, over the ultimate utility of the Agency’s past detention and interrogation effort. But this much is clear: The CIA obtained intelligence from high-value detainees when inside information on al-Qa’ida was in short supply. Whether this was the only way to obtain that information will remain a legitimate area of dispute, with Americans holding a range of views on the methods used.”
I believe that Panetta makes the very same point that Cheney has all along been making.
I’d also note that the CIA IG report “noted both the effectiveness of the interrogation program and concerns about how it had been run early on.”
I believe Cheney’s point is that we should use torture and not hold the president to the law if it forbids him to do so.
Cheney has an 30+ year long very tightly held opinion that in time of war the president has the right to act as a despot if the president believes that is what must be done, and that the Constitution prevents any other branch of government from curtailing the president’s right to act so, based solely upon the president’s own estimation of what is necessary at the time.
@oddjob: I appreciate your reply on the other thread – admirable.
My point about Greg Sargent and Cheney is that Greg repeatedly tries to make this discussion hinge on the narrow point as to whether the interrogations have ever been absolutely proven to have stopped an attack. Since we already know that they did not – Greg is poised to claim “victory” and loudly blare in a headline that that Cheney has been proven to be a liar.
I continue to argue that Cheney’s point was that interrogations have been effective and that we have learned about terrorist organizations, structure, methods, and personnel as a result. I, more or less, just want to get this out before Greg does the inevitable.
I am a retired Marine Corps infantry and combat officer and NCO, and former Interrogator (for the last 10 years of my 20 years of active duty). I have followed this story with great interest ever since Abu Ghraib. The spin by many higher-up’s who say they “were only following rules and orders from the Bush DOJ, et al, and that the techniques were approved,” just simply falls flat. Any professional Interrogator (well trained and schooled and experienced) knows what “enhanced” means, and it means torture, which is unlawful, illegal and a war crimes. Perhaps all those who conducted those types were NOT professionals at all? We need to know and we need to know all of it. Memo for AG Holder: Let’s get with and open up the legal investigative process for the country’s sake – not for politics or anything else. This is huge stain on our national honor in a very serious way if allow it to linger like some want it to linger. Crimes are crimes and justice must prevail, period. There cannot be any “gray areas or cloudy left over doubt” on this issue.
Corrected Post:
I am a retired Marine Corps infantry and combat officer and NCO, and former Interrogator (for the last 10 years of my 20 years of active duty). I have followed this story with great interest ever since Abu Ghraib. The spin by many higher-up’s who say they “were only following rules and orders from the Bush DOJ, et al, and that the techniques were approved,” just simply falls flat. Any professional Interrogator (well trained and schooled and experienced) knows what “enhanced” means, and it means torture, which is unlawful, illegal and a war crimes. Perhaps all those who conducted those types were NOT professionals at all? We need to know and we need to know all of it. Memo for AG Holder: Let’s get with it and open up the legal investigative process for the country’s sake – not for politics or anything else. This is huge stain on our national honor in a very serious way if allowed to linger like some want it to linger. Crimes are crimes and justice must prevail, period. There cannot be any “gray areas or cloudy left over doubt” on this issue.
CHENEY = THE DEVIL ON EARTH. “THE MOST DANGEROUS V.P. IN HISORY” NO DOUBT…..WE DON’T NEED HIS BOOK OR B.S. WE NEED HIM TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!! NAIL THIS GUY…!!
oh look a puppy! not it’s obama’s poll numbers falling bring out the tired and true bush torture deflection that works everytime.
drop charges against the Black Panthers who were on video harrasing whitey at the polling center.
hell atleast bush/cheny tortured terrorists unlike this current admin who has declared it’s own citizens that disagree with them terrorists! I hope when obamies brown shirts come knocking all I get from them is water thrown on my face but I think I will get worse and have less rights then what a democrat gives to a terrorist who isn’t even an american citizen.
pffft you people suck!
Look at all the Right Wing Trolls who have arrived to try and interrupt any efforts to hold their Chicken Hawk Warriors accountable, for their evil deeds.
What are conservatives afraid of? You folks used be big on the Law and Order stuff. While six times the number of people killed in the attacks against NYC and DC die each year from lack of health insurance, conservatives allowed themselves to be SPOOKED big-time.
It’s all fear, gloom, doom and where is that GD birth certificate?
The GOP could back into the game in 10 minutes by adopting a fierce Law and Order platform. The country would pay real money to see W and Cheney thrown under the bus.
Else, to the Wilderness w’Ye! HCR will pass, and if the President creates so much a one new net job, the GOP’s wandering shall be decades. Demographics assure this, if the GOP refuses to adapt to the 21st century.
“…Dick Cheney requested this spring that he claims will prove torture worked.”
Uh, OK Dick. I guess you’ll be saved by those caveats in the various laws and treaties against torture that say “…unless it works. Then it’s fine.”
The CIA “threatened detainee families; used fake firing squad; threatened to use a drills …” headlines tell us.
Folks, these three examples are right out of “24″ (Season 2: Jack threatens Said Ali’s family and stages fake killing of his youngest son; and Season 6: Terrorists used a drill on CTU Agent Morris O’Brien before he agrees to program the nuclear device for Faid)…
These guys need to stop playing games and enjoy “24″ as a show and Hollywood production and not real life. Real life ain’t that way – it’s serious business.
It sounds to me like the writers at 24 have a “deep throat” that is leaking them information.
Tena:
“Obama isn’t Bush – he doesn’t politicize the entire government like Bush and Cheney did.”
How many Inspectors General has he fired in 7 months?
I want cheney to order like he did when he approved and forced these torture techniques all the blacked out parts of these memos but you know what he won’t He has everything to loose here he can’t see it but he has opened the bottle and genie won’t go back in!! Prosecute the one involved disbar the attorneys and most of all Prosecute the 43rd president and his accomplises……..all of them! The damage done to our reputation was far greater that another supposed attack that NEVER CAME TO BE! NOT EVEN CLOSE TO IT!! As always they lied to congress and more importantly to the American people especially the ones that voted for him! Where are they now what do they have to say about this……NOTHING! THEY LOVED IT!! 2 WARS GOING NOW WHERE AND STILL ADDING TO OUR DEBT TO THIS DAY AND TOMORROW AND THE DAY AFTER THAT AND THE DAY AFTER THAT!
PROSECUTE ALL OF THEM!!
RICH
Believe me torture works.It may not work with the first or second try,but when the terriost gives wrong info and is tortured even more he will eventually give p the info.Just tickleing his butt like Barry wants to do does not work.The never againers are the only people who are against it.