TheNoNamedOne
12-21-2007, 10:39 AM
Well, CIA waterboarding just won't go away. Now we learn that tapes which had been made of the waterboarding sessions have been destroyed by the CIA, most probably over fears that they would be used as evidence in future torture cases in court against the agents or the agency.
The official reason thus far given for the destruction of the tapes was that if they were ever leaked the agents and their family's would be in danger for revenge attacks. Personally I don't buy that because anyone knows from the get-go that if they are being filmed, that possibility exists, so why make the tape in the first place then if that is a concern? Basically, after they made them and the broohaha that erupted from the Abhu Graab prison photos, they went into CYA mode.
And now an official investigation is gearing up with lots of subpoenas flying back and forth hauling people before Congress:
WASHINGTON - The House Intelligence Committee (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071221/ap_on_go_co/cia_videotapes) issued a subpoena Thursday for Jose Rodriguez, the former CIA official who directed that secret interrogation videotapes of two suspected terrorists be destroyed. ...
House Intelligence Committee staff members want to know who authorized the tapes' destruction; who in the CIA, Justice Department and White House knew about it and when, and why Congress was not fully informed. The committee, which had threatened to subpoena the records if they did not get access this week, also wants to know exactly what was shown on the tapes, which document the harsh interrogation of two al-Qaida suspects in 2002. The CIA destroyed the tapes in 2005.
and it seems the CIA has not been very cooperative in making itself available to lawmaker oversight:
Reyes said the Justice Department's letter requesting a delay in his investigation had chilled the CIA's willingness to comply with the committee's requests for information and witnesses. ...
Attorney General Michael Mukasey, however, has refused to immediately provide details of the Justice Department's investigation to the congressional judiciary committees out of fear that could taint what may become a criminal case.
and apparantly evidence can be damning, so why preserve it?:
In a separate tug-of-war over who has jurisdiction to investigate the videotapes matter, a federal judge has summoned Justice Department lawyers to his courtroom Friday to determine whether the destruction of the tapes violated a court order to preserve evidence about detainees.
Do you think the CIA should have this higher right to destroy material they know could be evidence? Are they above the average citizen? I mean, what IRS tax court would look kindly on you saying you threw away all your accounting information for the last 5 years but to trust you that you paid your share of taxes honestly?
The official reason thus far given for the destruction of the tapes was that if they were ever leaked the agents and their family's would be in danger for revenge attacks. Personally I don't buy that because anyone knows from the get-go that if they are being filmed, that possibility exists, so why make the tape in the first place then if that is a concern? Basically, after they made them and the broohaha that erupted from the Abhu Graab prison photos, they went into CYA mode.
And now an official investigation is gearing up with lots of subpoenas flying back and forth hauling people before Congress:
WASHINGTON - The House Intelligence Committee (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071221/ap_on_go_co/cia_videotapes) issued a subpoena Thursday for Jose Rodriguez, the former CIA official who directed that secret interrogation videotapes of two suspected terrorists be destroyed. ...
House Intelligence Committee staff members want to know who authorized the tapes' destruction; who in the CIA, Justice Department and White House knew about it and when, and why Congress was not fully informed. The committee, which had threatened to subpoena the records if they did not get access this week, also wants to know exactly what was shown on the tapes, which document the harsh interrogation of two al-Qaida suspects in 2002. The CIA destroyed the tapes in 2005.
and it seems the CIA has not been very cooperative in making itself available to lawmaker oversight:
Reyes said the Justice Department's letter requesting a delay in his investigation had chilled the CIA's willingness to comply with the committee's requests for information and witnesses. ...
Attorney General Michael Mukasey, however, has refused to immediately provide details of the Justice Department's investigation to the congressional judiciary committees out of fear that could taint what may become a criminal case.
and apparantly evidence can be damning, so why preserve it?:
In a separate tug-of-war over who has jurisdiction to investigate the videotapes matter, a federal judge has summoned Justice Department lawyers to his courtroom Friday to determine whether the destruction of the tapes violated a court order to preserve evidence about detainees.
Do you think the CIA should have this higher right to destroy material they know could be evidence? Are they above the average citizen? I mean, what IRS tax court would look kindly on you saying you threw away all your accounting information for the last 5 years but to trust you that you paid your share of taxes honestly?