In what we are confident everyone will find to be absolutely shocking news, moments ago the Senate Torture report was released. The finding, hold on to your hats, is that the CIA “misled” Congress.
The drilldown from Bloomberg:
- CIA provided inaccurate information about effectiveness and scope of interrogations of suspected terrorists, and mismanaged a program that was far more brutal than represented, according to 6-year investigation by Democrats on Senate Intelligence Cmte.
- Interrogation techniques weren’t effective, didn’t produce key information that led to killing of Osama bin Laden and were significantly different from procedures authorized by Justice Dept, report says
- CIA provided inaccurate information to White House, Congress, DOJ, CIA Inspector General, media and the public
- “This document examines the CIA’s secret overseas detention of at least 119 individuals and the use of coercive interrogation techniques – in some cases amounting to torture,” Senate Intelligence Cmte Chairman Dianne Feinstein says in statement
- Agency lost track of 119 detainees and at least 26 didn’t meet standards for being held, according to executive summary of 6,000-page report
- In fall of 2002, detainee died of hypothermia while shackled to concrete floor; another detainee was held for 17 days in the dark without anybody knowing he was there
- Interrogation of terrorism suspect Abu Zubaydah, who was waterboarded at least 83 times, was more brutal than previously known; at one point, he was put in a 1 1/2 meter box and knocked unconscious during waterboarding session, while water and bubbles poured from his mouth
- Other detainees with broken legs and feet were inappropriately forced to sit in stress positions
- No evidence CIA briefed former President George W. Bush about harsh interrogations, though former Vice President Dick Cheney attended meetings where tactics were discussed
- Report details actions taken on terrorism suspects during George W. Bush administration; Bush called report “way off base” in interview with CNN
- CIA Torture Report Set for Senate Release Over Bush Objections
- Full Senate Intelligence Cmte wasn’t briefed on techniques until September 2006
- While some members, including Feinstein and GOP Sen. John McCain, raised objections, CIA informed DOJ Office of Legal Counsel in a classified setting that no senators objected
Obama chimes in:
- The report documents a troubling program involving enhanced interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects,” President Obama says in e-mailed statement on release of CIA torture report.
- Report “reinforces my long-held view that these harsh methods were not only inconsistent with our values as nation, they did not serve our broader counterterrorism efforts or our national security interests”
- Says techniques did “significant damage to America’s standing” in the world
Odd: no comments by the Droner in Chief what droning thousands of innocent women and children around the world does to America’s “standing” in the world.
The full report can be found here
But before anyone gets too excited, here is Mike Krieger with the best summary:
Obama’s Next Speech: “We tortured some folks.” “I’m calling for a DOJ investigation and a panel of experts to be formed.” #itsalltheater
— Michael Krieger (@LibertyBlitz) December 9, 2014
via Zero Hedge http://ift.tt/1Bwr1iL Tyler Durden