The Two Torture Tape Suspects, the Pelosi Briefing, and the Panetta Statement
A lot of people are nervous about Panetta's statement in response to Pelosi's accusation that CIA lied. It makes a lot more sense when you consider it against the background of the torture tape destruction.
The Terrorism Intelligence and the Briefing Schedule
I suggested yesterday that one of the explanations for the CIA's unreliable record of briefings on torture and terrorism in 2002 and 2003 might reflect an attempt to hide certain information.
Did CIA not reveal they were torturing detainees to dodge any question about the accuracy of claims about Iraq intelligence?
While we don't know the full schedule of briefings on Iraq intelligence, the schedule of intelligence documents pertaining to Iraqi ties
Dick Cheney, Torture, Iraq, and Valerie Plame
I've been reluctant to embrace suggestions that torture, iraq, and Valerie Plame were all going to coalesce into one linked story. But it is increasingly looking like that may be the case.
Fox Reports Absence of Presidential Finding, Clear Violation of Law, Yawns
Fox gets into the irresponsible reporting act now, presenting clear evidence of legal wrong-doing as yet another gotcha of Nancy Pelosi.
Crazy Pete Hoekstra Flip-Flops on Congressional Notification
Crazy Pete Hoekstra wrote a very good description, in 2006, about how serious is the obligation to inform Congress of CIA's activities. He seems to have forgotten that description now.
Graham: They Claimed to Have Briefed Before Torture, Did Not
I've got to correct something I said yesterday about Bob Graham. I reported that Graham said that CIA had given him two erroneous dates for briefings. They gave erroneous dates for three briefings.
Dick Cheney Out on a Limb Fourth Branch
To get his propaganda documents, Dick Cheney may have to ask the Center for Constitutional Rights nicely.
Mark Mazzetti, the Gray Lady's Grammar-Impaired Spook Stenographer
Mark Mazzetti continues to work hard to propagate Porter Goss' spin.
Turdblossom Has Another Meeting Scheduled with a Special Prosecutor
This time, with Nora Dennehy, who is investigating the US Attorney firing (particularly that of David Iglesias):
Former top White House official Karl Rove will be interviewed tomorrow as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the firing of U.S. attorneys during the Bush administration, according to two sources familiar with the appointment.
Leahy to Bybee: Why Won't a Federal Judge Testify before Senate Judiciary Committee?
Pat Leahy made it clear yesterday that Jay Bybee had blown off Leahy's invitation to testify before SJC. I expect we'll be hearing more about this in the future.
Wilkerson: al-Libi's Waterboarding
Lawrence Wilkerson says Dick Cheney ordered Ibn Sheikh al-Libi to be waterboarded in February 2002.
Pelosi: CIA Told Us Waterboarding "Was Not Being Employed"
Pelosi has confirmed something I've been pointing out for weeks. When the CIA briefed Pelosi and Goss on September 4, 2002, it told them that waterboarding was not being employed.
The CIA comes to Congress and withholds information about the timing and the use of this subject. We later find out that it had been taking place before they even briefed us about the legal opinions and told us that they
Senator Bob Graham: The CIA Made Up Two Briefing Sessions
Bob Graham says that when he asked when CIA briefed him on torture, they gave him two briefing dates when no briefing had even occurred.
The 9/11 Commission and Torture
A number of people are out today reporting that the 9/11 Report relies on the information from detainees who had been tortured. That is true. Though most of the information came after the worst torture stopped.
About the Foto Flip-Flop
I think Obama will lose his purported attempt to keep the DOD abuse photos secret. But I also think, to prove his good intentions, he ought to order DOD to make the embarrassing information behind these photos available.
Philip Zelikow: How BushCo Gamed the Briefing Process
Philip Zelikow made clear in today's hearing how Congressional briefing should work. But all the evidence suggests that's not what happened.
"If You're Trying to Commit a Crime," You Wouldn't Brief Democrats
Lindsey Graham says that if the Bush Administration were trying to commit a crime, then they wouldn't brief Democrats on what they were doing. And, as it turns out, that's precisely what the Administration did--not brief Democrats.
Soufan's Narrative
Ali Soufan didn't get to read his entire prepared statement in today's SJC hearing. But his prepared statement adds some more nuance to the narrative of how CIA started to torture Abu Zubaydah. [Except where linked, the details below come from Soufan's testimony.
March 28, 2002: Abu Zubaydah caught.
March 31, 2002: AZ flown to Thailand.
Lindsey Graham: Cheney Put People in Gitmo Who Weren't Military Threat
In a statement at SJC's torture hearing, Lindsey Graham just suggested that Dick Cheney was the guy who had determined who got sent to Gitmo.
Senate Judiciary Hearing on Torture, Two
Whitehouse: SASC report. Great deal of disagreement with OLC analysis. Mora called 2003 OLC memo profoundly in error. To extent that it relied on memo, did not include fair analysis. Chart based on OLC opinion. Green means go column. Read Admiral Dalton, that green column was wrong legally, embarrassing.