The war of words between the Democratic House leadership and the CIA escalated Tuesday with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer giving his unequivocal support to embattled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said the spy agency misled her on torture tactics used on terrorism suspects.
"There's been a lot of debate about the speaker and the CIA over the past week," Hoyer told reporters Tuesday. "I'm going to be very clear ... I believe the speaker. I believe the speaker when says that she was not specifically briefed on types of ... interrogation techniques that were being employed."
Hoyer called Republican outrage over the Pelosi-CIA briefing controversy a diversionary tactic to "distract the public from focusing what was done, what the justification for doing it was, and for President Bush's comments that we don't torture, we're not using torture ..."
CIA Director Leon Panetta has disputed Pelosi's claim last week. In a message to agency employees, Panetta wrote: "It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress ... Our contemporaneaous records from September 2002 indicate CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of (terrorism suspect) Abu Zubaida, describing the 'enhanced techniques that had been employed.'"
Once again, you have to wonder what the Republicans were thinking...first they try to say that "waterboarding" isn't torture....well, one only has be waterboarded once to decide is that is torture....and now, we hear the smoke and mirror tactics of the former administration has been revealed. Any other revelations hidden under files labeled WMDs??? Say it isn't so....
Posted by: Keef | July 09, 2009 at 11:27 AM
When Pelosi left for China did she have a "one-way ticket" perhaps?
Posted by: Ross Bunch | May 25, 2009 at 02:38 PM
As a futurist I have some familiarity with pattern recognition. The previous administration's pattern was to cry wolf to stampede the American public at every opportunity with the specter of 9-11. It would be true to form for the political appointees overseeing the CIA to do the same with suspect members of Congress. I suggest paying close attention to the career operatives of our national security networks, many of whom resigned or were driven out by the previous regime to be replaced by kool-aid drinking true believers now probably burrowing in to avoid a well-deserved purging.
Posted by: hard news | May 22, 2009 at 08:41 PM
I think he is the only one that believes in Pelosi but I follow his logic.
Posted by: William P. MacLean | May 22, 2009 at 03:06 PM
The Republicans know that Pelosi will never be investigated. Which is why they are making all the noise. This is just political posturing.
Can you imagine what would happen if there really was an investigation? Who do you think would be hurt the most if the truth actually came out?
Posted by: Chris R | May 22, 2009 at 02:31 PM
Everybody ought to have learned from experience that
(1) People don't get always the same meaning from a set of statements.
(2) People don't always remember totally accurately.
Of course, sometimes people purposefully deceive.
Posted by: Patricia Shannon | May 20, 2009 at 10:29 PM