CIA

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Waterboarding Is Torture: US Intelligence Chief

Can't imagine 'how painful,' says McConnell

(Newser) - US Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell said it "would be torture" if he were subjected to the controversial interrogation technique of waterboarding. "If I had water draining into my nose, God, I just can't imagine how painful!" McConnell told the New Yorker. "For me, it...

Judge Refuses to Step Into CIA Tape Case

Justice Department's investigation sufficient for now, justice rules

(Newser) - A federal judge today denied a request by a lawyer representing terrorism suspects that he open hearings into the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes, the AP reports. Judge Henry H. Kennedy said that he had no evidence that the Bush administration had defied court orders and that the Justice Department's...

Ex-CIA Agent Agee Dies in Cuba Exile

Critic of US policy wrote exposé of alleged spy agency misdeeds

(Newser) - Philip Agee, an ex-CIA spook who became a critic of US policies in Cuba, has died in Havana after surgery at age 72. Agee quit the CIA in 1969, and in 1975 published a book detailing the agency's alleged unethical policies against Latin American leftists. Agee moved to Cuba in...

CIA May Launch New Covert Ops in Pakistan

Seeks to thwart al-Qaeda muscle; but Pakistan won't stand for it

(Newser) - Bush administration officials are weighing plans for the CIA and US military to conduct new, more aggressive covert operations in Pakistan, the New York Times reports. The proposal is a response to growing al-Qaeda and Taliban efforts to destabilize Pakistan, cast in sharp focus by the assassination of former prime...

CIA Warned Not to Destroy Terror Tapes

Lawmaker cautioned it would 'reflect badly' on agency

(Newser) - The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee warned the CIA not to destroy videotapes of controversial interrogations of terror suspects, AP reports. "Videotape would be the best proof that the written record is accurate," California Rep. Jane Harman wrote in the declassified 2003 letter.  "Destruction...

Justice to Probe CIA Tapes
Justice to Probe CIA Tapes
Jan 2, 2008 3:02 PM CST

Justice to Probe CIA Tapes

Department launches criminal investigation

(Newser) - The Justice Department has launched a criminal probe into the CIA's destruction of videotapes documenting the interrogation of  two Al-Qaeda suspects. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey appointed John Durham, a federal prosecutor from Connecticut, to head the inquiry. Durham has a reputation as a tough prosecutor; he has overseen investigations...

CIA Obstructed 9/11 Inquiry, Commission Heads Charge

Destroying tapes at odds with probe

(Newser) - By withholding and ultimately destroying videotapes of the interrogation of al-Qaeda detainees, the CIA willfully obstructed the 9/11 commission, its top two members charge in today’s New York Times. Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton say the CIA repeatedly stonewalled their investigation in 2003-04, answering questions vaguely, denying access to...

CIA Tapes Were Made—and Destroyed—for PR

Interrogations filmed to counter mistreatment accusations; stopped when techniques grew harsh, reports NYT

(Newser) - Concern over its image prompted the CIA to first secretly create—and later destroy—tapes depicting the harsh interrogation of detainees, the New York Times reports. In spring 2002 the agency decided to document every moment of senior al-Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah's custody so that perceptions of mistreatment—by prosecutors,...

CIA Withheld Tapes From 9/11 Panel
CIA Withheld Tapes From 9/11 Panel
Dec 22, 2007 7:57 AM CST

CIA Withheld Tapes From 9/11 Panel

Commission chairmen slam CIA for not disclosing interrogation videos

(Newser) - The 9/11 Commission made repeated requests to the CIA for details on the interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects and were told they'd been given everything the CIA had, the New York Times reports. A member of the commission reviewed classified records of the panel's work after the CIA said the agency...

House Subpoenas Top Ex-Spy
House Subpoenas
Top Ex-Spy
Dec 21, 2007 4:20 AM CST

House Subpoenas Top Ex-Spy

Lawmakers seek explanation for why he had tapes destroyed

(Newser) - The former head of the CIA's clandestine service has been subpoenaed to testify about the destruction of  videotapes of the harsh interrogations of two al-Qaeda suspects. The subpoena for Jose Rodriguez was issued after the House Intelligence Committee staff studied documents on the interrogations that the CIA had surrendered to...

CIA to Surrender Tape Records
CIA to Surrender Tape Records
Dec 20, 2007 4:32 AM CST

CIA to Surrender Tape Records

House will get secret documents on destroyed water boarding videos

(Newser) - The CIA will provide documents on the destruction of interrogation videotapes to the House Intelligence Committee and allow the agency's top attorney to testify, the New York Times reports. It's unclear whether the man who ordered the videos destroyed, clandestine service chief Jose Rodriguez, will also testify. The tapes showed...

Judge Orders Hearing on Destroyed CIA Tapes

Federal court will not abide by DoJ's wishes

(Newser) - A federal judge scheduled a hearing today to address whether the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes violated a court order, the Washington Post reports. The order—issued with no comment—is a blow to the Justice Department, which has launched a probe with the CIA and contends the federal courts...

Yemeni Inmate Claims Months of Abuse in CIA Cells

He tells Salon he was held at 'black sites'

(Newser) - A Yemeni man claims he was held for 19 months in secret CIA prisons, shackled in tiny cells with no idea why he was there or if he would ever be free again, bombarded by rap music or white noise around the clock. Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah says he was...

Mukasey Tells Congress to Back Off CIA Tapes Inquiry

AG won't divulge investigation details

(Newser) - Michael Mukasey isn't about to open up to Democratic lawmakers who want details of the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation into the CIA’s destruction of interrogation tapes, the Washington Post reports. In letters sent today, the new AG also restated his objections to appointing a special prosecutor to investigate,...

House Passes Ban on CIA Waterboarding

Interrogations must meet Geneva standards under bill

(Newser) - The House of Representatives today approved a bill that would forbid the CIA from using harsh interrogation methods, including waterboarding, Reuters reports. The measure follows revelations that the agency destroyed tapes showing al Qaeda suspects subjected to simulated drowning. But the bill still has to pass the Senate, and has...

Congress Kept in Dark, CIA Chief Admits

Hayden backtracks after 'stunning' closed-door committee testimony

(Newser) - CIA director Gen. Michael Hayden acknowledged today that the agency did not inform Congress about the creation or destruction of videotapes of harsh interrogations of al-Qaeda detainees, the New York Times reports. “We could have done an awful lot better at keeping the committee alert and informed,” Hayden...

CIA Chief Sheds Little Light on Tapes

Hayden grilled by Senate panel, says videos predate him

(Newser) - Senators grilled CIA chief Michael Hayden for 90 minutes today, but his appearance behind closed doors shed little light on the agency's destruction of interrogation videotapes, the AP reports. Hayden's session was "useful and not yet complete," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller of the intelligence panel. Afterward, Hayden said...

Ex-CIA Agent: Waterboarding Useful Torture

He saw a key prisoner break in 35 seconds; intel saved many lives

(Newser) - The highly controversial use of waterboarding in terrorist interrogations has "probably saved lives" but is torture, a former CIA officer told ABC News last night and the Today show this morning. John Kiriakou watched a prisoner break down under waterboarding in 35 seconds, he said, and "from that...

White House Mum on CIA Tapes
White House Mum on CIA Tapes
Dec 10, 2007 4:49 PM CST

White House Mum on CIA Tapes

Perino told not to discuss matter with press

(Newser) - Lawyers have advised the White House spokeswoman not to discuss the CIA’s destruction of interrogation videotapes with the press. “I think that’s appropriate, and I’ll adhere to it,” Dana Perino said today of the administration lawyers' gag order. The White House typically stops commenting once...

Biden Calls for CIA Video Probe
Biden Calls for CIA Video Probe
Dec 10, 2007 3:00 AM CST

Biden Calls for CIA Video Probe

CIA chief to testify before Congress tomorrow

(Newser) - Sen. Joe Biden has called for Attorney General Michael Mukasey to appoint a special counsel to investigate the CIA's destruction of videos of interrogations of suspected terrorists. Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cited Mukasey's unwillingness, during confirmation hearings, to take a stand on whether waterboarding is...

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