Records suggest Pelosi, others were told of harsh interrogations ( MSM- LA Times Reports )

Los Angeles Times ^ | May 8, 2009 | Greg Miller

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From a Beltway source...may be a Weekly:

Torture: What Nancy Pelosi knew

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News & Opinion

Friday, May 8, 2009

For somebody who hates waterboarding, said Scott Johnson in Power Line, Nancy Pelosi sure loves to torture the truth. Despite the fuss the House speaker and other Democrats are making about the Bush administration’s harsh interrogation methods now, Pelosi and others in her party received detailed CIA briefings on these tactics in September 2002. (read The Washington Post's story on the newly released CIA documents)

The timeline does seem to "undercut" Pelosi's claim that she hadn't been told the controversial interrogation methods were actually being used, said Josh Gerstein in Politico. But it also suggests that former CIA chief Porter Goss and Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) knew that videotapes of the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah were to be destroyed. That should make the criminal inquiry into the destruction of the tapes more interesting.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OK....Washington Post story reference just above:

Memo Says Pelosi Knew About Use of Harsh Tactics

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By Paul Kane Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 8, 2009

Intelligence officials released documents yesterday saying that  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was briefed in September 2002 about the use of harsh interrogation tactics against al-Qaeda suspects, seeming to contradict her repeated statements that she was never told the techniques were actually being used.

In a 10-page memo outlining an almost seven-year history of classified briefings, intelligence officials said that Pelosi and then-Rep. Porter J. Goss (R-Fla.) were the first two members of Congress briefed on the tactics. Then the ranking member and chairman of the House intelligence committee, respectively, Pelosi and Goss were briefed Sept. 4, 2002, one week before the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The memo, issued to Capitol Hill by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency, notes that the Pelosi-Goss briefing covered "EITs including the use of EITs" on Abu Zubaida. EIT is an acronym for enhanced interrogation technique, and Abu Zubaida, whose real name is Zayn al-Abidin Muhammed Hussein, was one of the earliest valuable al-Qaeda members captured. He also was the first to have the controversial tactic of simulated drowning, or waterboarding, used against him.

The issue of what Pelosi knew and when she knew it has become a tussle on Capitol Hill. Republicans have accused her of knowing for years about the interrogation techniques CIA agents were using and of objecting only when the tactics became public and antiwar activists protested.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From last night:

CIA Says Pelosi Was Briefed on Use of 'Enhanced Interrogations' (MSM is Reporting ...)

***************************Pelosi Response from the article******************************

In a carefully worded statement, Pelosi's office said today that she had never been briefed about the use of waterboarding, only that it had been approved by Bush administration lawyers as a legal technique to use in interrogations.

[kellynla]

Either Pelousy forgot or is lying...
in either case, she needs to step down as Speaker...

but, we all know that she won't which is even better...
she's like the rest of the Lefties, the “gift that keeps on giving” to the GOP.
Every time these Liberals open their mouth, they stick their Left foot in it!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The Heat is on Nancy:

Pelosi under renewed fire over interrogations

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Rep. Pete Hoekstra (Mich.), the top Republican on House Intelligence, in an interview Friday said the document proves that Pelosi knew waterboarding occurred but has denied is because of political pressure from the liberal base of her party.

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He is also calling for congressional hearings on what members knew and when they knew it.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the Blogosphere....Powerline:

In which Nancy Pelosi tortures the truth

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May 8, 2009 Posted by Scott at 6:14 AM

Nancy Pelosi has a tall tale regarding her lack of knowledge regarding the actual use of the enhanced interrogation techniques that President Obama and Pelosi's fellow Democrats condemn as "torture." Pelosi boldly denied she been so informed in the briefings she received as a ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. Huck Finn would have called it a "stretcher." Here is Pelosi's classic "stretcher" of April 23:

"In that or any other briefing...we were not, and I repeat, were not told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation techniques were used. What they did tell us is that they had some legislative counsel...opinions that they could be used."

Pelosi's "stretcher" impelled former House Intelligence Committee chairman and CIA director Porter Goss to contradict her. Charles Krauthammer condemned Pelosi as "utterly contemptible." Now the intelligence community is having its own say. The Washington Post reports:

Intelligence officials released documents this evening saying that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was briefed in September 2002 about the use of harsh interrogation tactics against al-Qaeda prisoners, seemingly contradicting her repeated statements over the past 18 months that she was never told that these techniques were actually being used.

[holden]

The issue of what Pelosi knew and when she knew it has become a tussle on Capitol Hill

...and yet they just can't bring themselves to juxtapose a sentence anything resembling,
"It certainly looks as though she lied in her previous denials of having been briefed about what she commonly has referred to as "torture" when similar accusations were applied to the Bush administration.

HF

[kellynla]

Ernest, heck, you know that as long as the ‘Rats have the Majority,
nothing will happen to Pelousy...
look at Murtha...that guy spit in the eye of every Marine who every served with his smear of the Haditha Marines and Murtha is still around...they're all slime-balls and the only way we're gonna get rid of ‘em at least as the Majority is through elections!

Semper Fi,
Kelly

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the Blogosphere...lots of links ...Jules Crittenden:

Liar, Liar

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Pants on fire. CIA reports Pelosi was briefed on the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” on Abu Zubaydah in 2002. Last month, the House Speaker claimed that as a member of the House Intel Committee she was only informed of the legal opinions, to explain why she raised no objections at the time. Turns out she’s not only a gutless hypocrite, she’s a big fat liar. ABC:

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UPDATE: The report also details dozens of other meetings with members of Congress — though not with Pelosi present — where the use of waterboarding and other interrogation techniques was described.

OK, I think we’re ready to start those torture prosecutions.

HotAir with a better idea:

[george123]

So she lied. Is anyone surprised? Every time she opens her mouth she lies.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I agree...but there sure is a lot of good reading with all of this mixup....more from Crittenden ...link just above...:

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Here we go, Balloon Juice: Tut tut. I like the tags. It’s “Republican crime,” but it’s “Democratic stupidity.” They’re all “Assholes.” Interesting. The former GWOT enthusiast/university communications instructor known as John Cole, disgusted with the GOP “crime syndicate,” decided he preferred the company of stupid assholes. I’m increasingly fond of the stupid assholes myself. Never stop being you!

Ha. Maguire pantses Pelosi apologist Plum Line’s Greg Sargent. Same wedgie catches Kos.

Moe Lane gets righteous on the anti-war left. Sorry, Moe. Waste of time. We’re talking about people who bought Kerry and Clinton as anti-war crusaders.

A last word from Reynolds:

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“Now … it can be allowed to die.” Are you kidding?  The fun’s just beginning.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

We just want to see it in the Headline at the NY Times....LOL!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From link at powerline....we go to JustOneMinute:

Nancy Pelosi Caught Voguing

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When last we looked, Nancy Pelosi was explaining that, although the CIA briefed her in September 2002 about enhanced interrogation techniques they had used on Abu Zubaydah in August 2002, the briefing was forward looking, theoretical, and made no mention of the past use of the enhanced techniques.

Why that excuse actually excused anything is a mystery - if waterboarding is such a self-evidently dreadful crime against humanity why was she waiting for the CIA to actually go ahead before protesting?

But it's water under the bridge.  Leon Panetta's CIA is pulling the plug on Ms. Pelosi's previous stab at creative fiction:

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefed on the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” on terrorist suspect Abu Zubaydah in September 2002, according to a report prepared by the Director of National Intelligence’s office and obtained by ABC News.

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Tough on terror but opposed to war.  Well, her toughness on terror seems to have extended to acquiescing to the use of waterboarding.

MORE:  The Plum Line Pelosi apologist Greg Sargent points out that the CIA report in question does not speciclly state that Ms. Pelosi was told about waterboarding.   Compelling!

Let's reprise one of the Pelosi denials, with my emphasis:

Pelosi, D-Calif., sharply disputed suggestions last month that she had been told about waterboarding having taken place.

“In that or any other briefing . . . we were not, and I repeat, were not told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation techniques were used,” Pelosi said at a news conference in April. “What they did tell us is that they had some legislative counsel . . . opinions that they could be used, but not that they would.”

So Ms. Pelosi says that the CIA report is wrong in that, even though the briefing was given after the Zubaydah interrogation, the briefer never mentioned that *any* of the enhanced techniques had been used.  However, she does concede that waterboarding was mentioned.

The CIA report is based on memos to file written after the briefings.  Just to review, here is how the CIA report describes the Pelosi briefing:

[sinanju]

This is NOT “the White House” releasing this. This is the CIA brass letting The Hill AND the White House know they’re not going to hold still for persecution.

I’m sure they have some juicy stuff on Obama as well.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I’m sure they have some juicy stuff on Obama as well.

There might be a message to Obama and his handlers in all of this ...from the CIA....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the comments ...link at post #33....

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I think the more appropriate question is this:

What did Nancy Pelosi Know
and Did She Know It?

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Posted by: BumperStickerist | May 07, 2009 at 09:22 PM

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OK...now a FR thread...:

CIA Documents Show Pelosi Knew About Waterboarding of Terror Suspect in 2002 - Video 5/7/09

Posted by Federalist Patriot

Much thanks....

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Here is video of a report last night on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow that talks about the Washington Post's story that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefed on "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" used against Abu Zubaydah all the way back on September 4, 2002, according to CIA documents. I know it is hard to listen to Maddow, but this report is good in that she plays an interview she did with Pelosi several months ago in which Pelosi flatly said she had never been told the techniques were being used on anyone. The Post report flatly contradicts what Pelosi said.

[navyguy]

Unfortunately Pelosi will get away with this. The MSM will go to bat endlessly for her and will instead try to redirect this back towards, Bush, Chene7y, et al.

Most people in congress are completely above (and outside) the law.

See my tag line...

[Carling]

When do you suppose the LA Times will release their tape of Obama bashing Jews?

[PhilDragoo]

Nancy, your credibility is in the toilet.