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Tue May 1, 2012, 01:35 AM

Judi Lynn (77,627 posts)

Ex-CIA official says tapes destroyed to prevent al Qaeda reprisals

Source: Reuters

Ex-CIA official says tapes destroyed to prevent al Qaeda reprisals
01 May 2012 01:18
Source: reuters // Reuters

By Tabassum Zakaria

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - Jose Rodriguez said it took a "few hours" to destroy 92 videotapes showing his CIA colleagues using harsh interrogation techniques - including waterboarding - on al Qaeda leaders such as Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

But the former director of the CIA's National Clandestine Service told Reuters on Monday that he ordered the tapes destroyed to protect his colleagues from possible retaliation by al Qaeda.

The tapes of interrogations at a CIA "black site" included images of waterboarding - a form of simulated drowning - on Mohammed, Abd al Rahim al Nashiri and Abu Zubaydah, three al Qaeda leaders now held at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay.

Rodriguez said he was afraid the material would be leaked.

Read more: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/ex-cia-official-says-tapes-destroyed-to-prevent-al-qaeda-reprisals

16 replies, 2322 views

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16 replies	Author	Time	Post
Ex-CIA official says tapes destroyed to prevent al Qaeda reprisals (Original post)	Judi Lynn	May 2012	OP
Well, imagine what they'd do if they got angry	jberryhill	May 2012	#1
So, is Al Qaeda code for "US Public"?	Old and In the Way	May 2012	#2
My thoughts exactly.	kas125	May 2012	#3
Wow, they are really afraid of Americans. They should be charged for this.	freshwest	May 2012	#9
This, Ma'am, Is Not Just Bull-Shit, It Is Cowardly Bull-Shit	The Magistrate	May 2012	#4
+1.	bemildred	May 2012	#13
Translation: We Don't Want this To Come Back to Bite Us in a Court of Law (ICC/Hague, etc.)	solarman350	May 2012	#5
I am surprised that Reuters is sullying itself by publishing	coalition_unwilling	May 2012	#6
That is the real tragedy of a country that holds a clas of people above the law	Dragonfli	May 2012	#7
We must hope that our future enemies show us the mercy we were	coalition_unwilling	May 2012	#12
Thomson-Reuters is a fully paid-up psy-ops	Ghost Dog	May 2012	#8
I don't spend as much time following the media whores as I should. I always	coalition_unwilling	May 2012	#11
The press should report what people say. They should, as they did, note who said what and let	24601	May 2012	#16
So they're saying they destroyed evidence to avoid prosecution.	truthisfreedom	May 2012	#10
That's B.S. for C.Y.A. nt	ladjf	May 2012	#14
I'd scream but nothing would change.	Solly Mack	May 2012	#15

Response to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue May 1, 2012, 01:49 AM

jberryhill (29,893 posts)

1. Well, imagine what they'd do if they got angry

Although, I thought being motivated to harm the US was never really much of a problem for Al Qaeda in the first place.

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Response to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue May 1, 2012, 01:56 AM

Old and In the Way (36,257 posts)

2. So, is Al Qaeda code for "US Public"?

Because I suspect that the real concern is allowing the US public to see what is being done in our name.

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Response to Old and In the Way (Reply #2)

Tue May 1, 2012, 02:13 AM

kas125 (1,995 posts)

3. My thoughts exactly.

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Response to Old and In the Way (Reply #2)

Tue May 1, 2012, 03:25 AM

freshwest (31,516 posts)

9. Wow, they are really afraid of Americans. They should be charged for this.

I don't know what, since they aren't civilians. It would be tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice, hiding classified information (hiding from their superiors maybe).

But if these were the infamous contracted mercenaries, it would just be private property of their employers, you see and they won't punish them for saving their boss being called to account for this.

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Response to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue May 1, 2012, 02:27 AM

The Magistrate (80,586 posts)

4. This, Ma'am, Is Not Just Bull-Shit, It Is Cowardly Bull-Shit

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Response to The Magistrate (Reply #4)

Tue May 1, 2012, 07:51 AM

bemildred (67,509 posts)

13. +1.

It's not al Qaeda he's afraid of, now or then.

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Response to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue May 1, 2012, 02:30 AM

solarman350 (136 posts)

5. Translation: We Don't Want this To Come Back to Bite Us in a Court of Law (ICC/Hague, etc.)

NewsFlash: al Qaeda has known for quite awhile that their members warehoused at CIA Black Sites and at Gitmo are repeatedly tortured. Also, they didn't need to see a video of it to know it was and is STILL happening! Now monsieur ex-CIA man, go beat yourself up until you have an epiphany and/or your morale improves.

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Response to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue May 1, 2012, 02:33 AM

coalition_unwilling (14,180 posts)

6. I am surprised that Reuters is sullying itself by publishing

Last edited Tue May 1, 2012, 02:34 AM USA/ET - Edit history (2)

such horseshit verbatim.

The really sad thing is that Rodriguez in all likelihood will never be held accountable for his crimes against humanity and war crimes. But when U.S. soldiers are taken captive by hostile forces in the future, those U.S. forces will be held accountable for Rodriguez' (and Bush's and Cheney's) crimes.

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Response to coalition_unwilling (Reply #6)

Tue May 1, 2012, 03:08 AM

Dragonfli (5,061 posts)

7. That is the real tragedy of a country that holds a clas of people above the law

Those that commit atrocities pay no price for their sadism, the innocent soldiers that are captured later will face revenge for those actions instead.

I would rather a torturing maniac face his crime than an honorable soldier face the consequences instead.
It just sucks on so many levels.

I wish we could be a country that follows a rule of law that no prince or profiteer would be considered exempt from.

Why should anyone be above the law? Our country was not founded on well connected princes and military disgraces being above the law, I have read all of our founding documents and nothing in them supports a class that is above the law.

Why then, do "constitutional scholars" somehow claim that there are indeed men above the law, why then also do our courts not straighten policy makers out on this fact?

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Response to Dragonfli (Reply #7)

Tue May 1, 2012, 03:59 AM

coalition_unwilling (14,180 posts)

12. We must hope that our future enemies show us the mercy we were

so manifestly unable to show to our foes.

Interesting little historical tidbit: during the Revolutionary War, George Washington's forces captured many Hessian mercenaries. Rather than subject them to inhumane treatment, Washington and his subordinates ordered that the Hessian captives be treated humanely. (IIRC, one result was that when the war ended, many of those self-same Hessians stayed here rather than return to a Europe that held little future for them.) I always thought that treatment of captured soldiers demonstrated Washington's character in ways that all the patriotic hoo-hah never could. But that's me.

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Response to coalition_unwilling (Reply #6)

Tue May 1, 2012, 03:08 AM

Ghost Dog (12,960 posts)

8. Thomson-Reuters is a fully paid-up psy-ops

op these days, I'm very sorry to have to point out.

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Response to Ghost Dog (Reply #8)

Tue May 1, 2012, 03:53 AM

coalition_unwilling (14,180 posts)

11. I don't spend as much time following the media whores as I should. I always

thought Reuters had a rep for journalistic integrity.

Maybe that was in a prior age though.

That article makes Reuters come across purely as stenographers to power, that's for sure -- torture courtiers, if you will.

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Response to coalition_unwilling (Reply #6)

Wed May 2, 2012, 09:02 PM

24601 (2,492 posts)

16. The press should report what people say. They should, as they did, note who said what and let

Last edited Wed May 2, 2012, 09:04 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

the readers digest it for ourselves. We don't need any more filters.

edited for clarity

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Response to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue May 1, 2012, 03:50 AM

truthisfreedom (17,678 posts)

10. So they're saying they destroyed evidence to avoid prosecution.

Sounds like they're setting a good example for all Americans, mm-kay?

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Response to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue May 1, 2012, 10:32 AM

ladjf (13,190 posts)

14. That's B.S. for C.Y.A. nt

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Response to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Wed May 2, 2012, 02:51 PM

Solly Mack (49,523 posts)

15. I'd scream but nothing would change.

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