Pelosi: CIA Lied To Congress
Nancy Pelosi upped the ante considerably in the torture wars during a press conference just now, accusing the CIA of misleading her and Congress about the use of waterboarding and supporting GOP calls for a full release of notes and memos about the torture briefings.
What’s noteworthy is that Pelosi didn’t appear to concede anything during the presser, instead using it to repeat her demand for a full accounting of the torture program.
Pelosi repeated that she had not been told about the use of torture techniques, despite the claim in the recently released CIA documents that she had been. “I am saying that the CIA was misleading the Congress,” she said.
Pelosi was less clear when asked about reports that her top aide had been briefed about waterboarding in 2003 and told her about it. She said she was told that her aide “had been briefed about the use of certain techniques,” but added that there was little she could have done to protest.
Pelosi also said she supports the full release of CIA notes and memos detailing who was told what and when, as GOP Rep Pete Hoekstra has been demanding. “I would be very happy if they would release the briefings,” she said, reiterating her call for a truth commission.
The release of those notes and memos would seem to be the next step, meaning that the war over this isn’t ending anytime soon. One outstanding question is whether Pelosi’s support for the release of more docs about the briefings toss the ball back into the GOP’s court and increases pressure on Republicans to support a full accounting.
**************************************
Update: A transcript of Pelosi’s opening remarks at the presser, in which she lays out the time-line of what she was told and when, is right here.
The homepage of this blog is here. RSS feed here. Twitter feed here. Email me here.
Well, I am glad that Speaker Pelosi is coming out from her corner. She needs to push and push and not bother with what was toldto her aides. More Pressers and interviews are needed. Also, she should get Paul Begala involved. He is good at dealing with the Cheneys.
The Republicans are now fully ensnared in the trap. They basically did the job of pushing for a Truth Commission and now thats all that is being talked about on Tee Vee since Pelosi reaffirmed her desire to have one. And then she upped the ante when asking for the briefings to be released. She unloaded the clip today and its going to be hard for the Republicans to try to walk back the call for an investigation now.
Boehner just fell for it by the way. Evidently he hasn’t been told that Pelosi called for the briefings to be released. So now he just called for everything to be released. Sounds like a Truth Commission to me.
GS — any chance you can post a transcript of Pelosi’s presser?
transcript posted, see update.
SG, was Boehner specifically asked if he would back full accounting?
Greg
.
Of course not. By the way the reporters asking him questions sounded pretty right wing. But I digress. Nobody pointed out to him that Pelosi asked for teh briefings to be declassified. They just told him that she said the CIA lied to her. So he went on the attack and said he had no reason not to believe the CIA and then said that thats why we need to put everything on the table to find out who knew what and when. And when you sit down and think about it thats pretty much the same as calling for an investigation.
.
Now if I were doing messaging for Senator Leahy or Senator White House or Nancy Pelosi or the DNC I would send out a letter to all of the media with the headline “Boehner calls for investigation into torture”. And then I would use his quote from the presser and say in the press release that they agree with him. And then call on other Republicans to join with Boehner in supporting an investigation. That would be a great way to turn up the heat.
Wow. Momma McCain called Rush Limbaugh out.
.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/14/mccain-mom-takes-swipe-at-limbaugh/
.
I really hope John McCain doesn’t make her apologize.
If everyone in Washington DC that was a liar left town it would suddenly become a ghost town.
When will the peoples servants in DC start to serve the people instead of their own self interest? I know I’ve been waiting 59-1/2 years.
Sen. Pelosi and Sen. Graham have a problem as staff was present in both briefings. So Sen. Grahams claim about Top Secret information does not pass the smell test. Michale Sheely and Tim Sample attended the Sept. 4 2002 meeting and he also attended the Feb. 4 2003 meeing with Sen. Jane Harmon. It is time to call both of them to testify before an hearing of the Sen. Select Intelligence Committee.
Joe
Two words…SPEAKER HOYER. Pelosi has got to go.
Pelosi looked like a deer in headlights. She should have said –
“yes, in 2002/3 it was a different time, a different mindset, we were cowed by the right and we not speak up. but we should have.”
That would have put her out in front of this mess. She’s picked the wrong fight here. There are more pressing things – healthcare, ssn & medicare – budget reform, homosexual rights etc. Many things that require attention and for us/them to move forward.
Picking a fight with the CIA…? Yikes.