CIA – News Stories About CIA - Page 34

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

OPINION

Jan 2, 2008 9:50 AM CST

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

Dec 30, 2007 1:30 PM CST

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

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

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

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

Dec 18, 2007 1:25 PM CST

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

Dec 15, 2007 7:37 AM CST

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

Dec 14, 2007 3:44 PM CST

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

Dec 13, 2007 3:20 PM CST

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

Dec 12, 2007 5:41 PM CST

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

Dec 11, 2007 6:30 PM CST

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

Dec 11, 2007 8:09 AM CST

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

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

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...

Gitmo Inmate Charges 'Ruthless' Torture by CIA

Dec 9, 2007 7:15 AM CST

Gitmo Inmate Charges 'Ruthless' Torture by CIA

Attorneys demand court safeguard evidence

(Newser) - Attorneys representing a former US resident detained in Guantanamo have demanded a court order preventing the CIA from destroying evidence of what they call "ruthless application" of "state-sanctioned torture" of their client. The court action details specific acts of torture of Majid Khan, 27, one of 14 so-called...

CIA Recruited Iranian Officials to Defect

Dec 9, 2007 6:00 AM CST

CIA Recruited Iranian Officials to Defect

A 'handful' left in US plot to disrupt nuke program

(Newser) - The CIA plotted to recruit Iranian officials to defect and managed to entice a handful to do so over the last two years, reports the Los Angeles Times. The secret program, begun in 2005, was intended to disrupt Iranian nuclear research. The primary criterion for recruitment, according to a former...

Justice Dept. Opens Probe
of CIA Tapes

Dec 8, 2007 2:11 PM CST

Justice Dept. Opens Probe of CIA Tapes

Agency under fire for destroying videos of terror interrogations

(Newser) - The Justice Department will open a preliminary investigation into the CIA's destruction of videotapes showing the severe interrogation of terrorism suspects, MSNBC reports. The CIA's internal watchdog will do the same. The preliminary probes will determine if broader investigations are warranted. The CIA destroyed the tapes in 2005 against the...

CIA Was Warned Not to
Destroy Tapes

Dec 8, 2007 7:56 AM CST

CIA Was Warned Not to Destroy Tapes

Agency defied advice from White House, Congress, Justice

(Newser) - The CIA destroyed interrogation videotapes in 2005 against the advice of the White House, Justice Department, and members of Congress, the New York Times reports. All warned of the potential legal risks of destroying the tapes, which showed the harsh interrogation of two al-Qaeda operatives. The agency's chief of clandestine...

Dems Demand Probe Over
CIA Tapes

Dec 7, 2007 3:06 PM CST

Dems Demand Probe Over CIA Tapes

Kennedy draws Nixon comparison; others see obstruction of justice

(Newser) - Democrats accused the CIA of a cover-up today in the wake of the revelation that the agency destroyed interrogation tapes and called for the attorney general to investigate. Ted Kennedy rejected the agency's excuse that it scrubbed the tapes to protect interrogators and suggested the censors merely knew how “...