After years of
struggle with executive branch agencies, the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence’s report on the CIA’s “Detention and
Interrogation Program” has been released. Download
it here as a PDF and curl up in front of a good fire with some
wine. A lot of it.
Obviously there’s going to be a lot to look over for this, and
it’s sadly not clear how many people care anymore (I’ve already
seen one tweet claiming the release of this report is intended to
distract us from Jon Gruber’s testimony today about Obamacare).
Here are just the headlines for the report’s findings (which
itself is 19 pages out of the 525 pages:
- The CIA’s use of its enhanced interrogation techniques was not
an effective means of acquiring intelligence or gaining cooperation
from detainees. - The CIA’s justification for the use of its enhanced
interrogation techniques rested on inaccurate claims of their
effectiveness. - The interrogations of CIA detainees were brutal and far worse
than the CIA represented to policymakers and others.
(This is where they document that five detainees were given
forced enemas)
- The conditions of confinement for CIA detainees were harsher
than the CIA had represented to policymakers and others. - The CIA repeatedly provided inaccurate information to the
Department of Justice, impeding a proper legal analysis of the
CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program. - The CIA has actively avoided or impeded congressional oversight
of the program. - The CIA impeded effective White House oversight and
decision-making.
President George W. Bush was not fully briefed about specific
interrogation methods until 2006.
- The CIA’s operation and management of the program complicated,
and in some cases impeded, the national security missions of other
Executive Branch agencies - The CIA impeded oversight by the CIA’s Office of Inspector
General - The CIA coordinated the release of classified information to
the media, including inaccurate information concerning the
effectiveness of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques - The CIA was unprepared as it began operating its Detention and
Interrogation Program more than six months after being granted
detention authorities - The CIA’s management and operation of its Detention and
Interrogation Program was deeply flawed throughout the program’s
duration, particularly so in 2002 and early 2003. - Two contract psychologists devised the CIA’s enhanced
interrogation techniques and played a central role in the
operation, assessments, and management of the CIA’s Detention and
Interrogation Program. By 2005, the CIA had overwhelmingly
outsourced operations related to the program
The summary notes the two psychologists had no experience as
interrogators.
- CIA detainees were subjected to coercive interrogation
techniques that had not been approved by the Department of Justice
or had not been authorized by CIA Headquarters
Things like forcing them to be naked and slapping them.
- The CIA did not conduct a comprehensive or accurate accounting
of the number of individuals it detained, and held individuals who
did not meet the legal standard for detention. The CIA’s claims
about the number of detainees held and subjected to its enhanced
Interrogation techniques were inaccurate. - The CIA failed to adequately evaluate the effectiveness of its
enhanced interrogation techniques. - The CIA rarely reprimanded or held personnel accountable for
serious and significant violations, inappropriate activities, and
systemic and individual management failures.
In several cases no disciplinary actions were called for even
when detainees died. In one case of an improper detention, no
discipline happened because “[t]he Director strongly believes that
mistakes should be expected in a business filled with
uncertainty.”
- The CIA marginalized and ignored numerous internal critiques,
criticisms, and objections concerning the operation and management
of the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program - The CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program was inherently
unsustainable and had effectively ended by 2006 due to unauthorized
press disclosures, reduced cooperation from other nations, and
legal and oversight concerns. - The CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program damaged the
United States’ standing in the world, and resulted in other
significant monetary and non-monetary costs.
That’s just headlines, folks! That’s a lot to chew over. In the
meantime. Here is President Barack Obama’s statement of response to
the report’s release:
Throughout our history, the United States of America has done
more than any other nation to stand up for freedom, democracy, and
the inherent dignity and human rights of people around the
world. As Americans, we owe a profound debt of gratitude to
our fellow citizens who serve to keep us safe, among them the
dedicated men and women of our intelligence community, including
the Central Intelligence Agency. Since the horrific attacks
of 9/11, these public servants have worked tirelessly to devastate
core al Qaeda, deliver justice to Osama bin Laden, disrupt
terrorist operations and thwart terrorist attacks. Solemn
rows of stars on the Memorial Wall at the CIA honor those who have
given their lives to protect ours. Our intelligence
professionals are patriots, and we are safer because of their
heroic service and sacrifices.In the years after 9/11, with legitimate fears of further
attacks and with the responsibility to prevent more catastrophic
loss of life, the previous administration faced agonizing choices
about how to pursue al Qaeda and prevent additional terrorist
attacks against our country. As I have said before, our
nation did many things right in those difficult years. At the
same time, some of the actions that were taken were contrary to our
values. That is why I unequivocally banned torture when I
took office, because one of our most effective tools in fighting
terrorism and keeping Americans safe is staying true to our ideals
at home and abroad.Today’s report by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
details one element of our nation’s response to 9/11—the CIA’s
detention and interrogation program, which I formally ended on one
of my first days in office. The report documents a troubling
program involving enhanced interrogation techniques on terrorism
suspects in secret facilities outside the United States, and it
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. Moreover, these techniques did significant damage
to America’s standing in the world and made it harder to pursue our
interests with allies and partners. That is why I will
continue to use my authority as President to make sure we never
resort to those methods again.As Commander in Chief, I have no greater responsibility than the
safety and security of the American people. We will therefore
continue to be relentless in our fight against al Qaeda, its
affiliates and other violent extremists. We will rely on all
elements of our national power, including the power and example of
our founding ideals. That is why I have consistently
supported the declassification of today’s report. No nation
is perfect. But one of the strengths that makes America
exceptional is our willingness to openly confront our past, face
our imperfections, make changes and do better. Rather than
another reason to refight old arguments, I hope that today’s report
can help us leave these techniques where they belong—in the
past. Today is also a reminder that upholding the values we
profess doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us stronger and that the
United States of America will remain the greatest force for freedom
and human dignity that the world has ever known.
And here’s a partial response from CIA Director John Brennan
(oddly, this press release is not yet showing up on the CIA
site)
As noted in CIA’s response to the study, we acknowledge that the
detention and interrogation program had shortcomings and that the
Agency made mistakes. The most serious problems occurred
early on and stemmed from the fact that the Agency was unprepared
and lacked the core competencies required to carry out an
unprecedented, worldwide program of detaining and interrogating
suspected al-Qa’ida and affiliated terrorists. In carrying
out that program, we did not always live up to the high standards
that we set for ourselves and that the American people expect of
us. As an Agency, we have learned from these mistakes, which
is why my predecessors and I have implemented various remedial
measures over the years to address institutional
deficiencies.Yet, despite common ground with some of the findings of the
Committee’s Study, we part ways with the Committee on some key
points. Our review indicates that interrogations of detainees
on whom EITs were used did produce intelligence that helped thwart
attack plans, capture terrorists, and save lives. The
intelligence gained from the program was critical to our
understanding of al-Qa’ida and continues to inform our
counterterrorism efforts to this day.We also disagree with the Study’s characterization of how CIA
briefed the program to the Congress, various entities within the
Executive Branch, and the public. While we made mistakes, the
record does not support the Study’s inference that the Agency
systematically and intentionally misled each of these audiences on
the effectiveness of the program. Moreover, the process
undertaken by the Committee when investigating the program provided
an incomplete and selective picture of what occurred. As
noted in the Minority views and in a number of additional views of
Members, no interviews were conducted of any CIA officers involved
in the program, which would have provided Members with valuable
context and perspective surrounding these
events.Throughout its 67-year history, CIA has played a critical role
keeping our Nation secure, and CIA officers are rightly proud and
honored to be part of an organization that is indispensable to our
national security. The numerous challenges on the world stage
demand the full attention, focus, and capabilities of the women and
men of the CIA so that our country can stay strong and our fellow
Americans remain safe. To be successful, the CIA needs to
work closely with its Congressional oversight committees as we
confront these challenges. With today’s release of Committee
documents and the CIA response, we look forward to the way
ahead.
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