Reply #8: CIA Chief Defends Interrogation Procedure

[sabra]

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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=592543

CIA Chief Defends Interrogation Procedure

WASHINGTON Mar 18, 2005 — CIA Director Porter Goss defended the U.S. practice of shipping some foreign prisoners to other nations for interrogation, saying this intelligence strategy is valuable, lawful and carried out with caution.

"I can assure you that I know of no instances where the intelligence community is outside the law on this," Goss testified to Congress. "And I know for a fact that torture is not productive. That's not professional interrogation. We don't do torture."

Concerns about the process known as rendition had Goss facing sharp questions Thursday from Senate Armed Services Committee Democrats and Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and former Vietnam era prisoner of war.

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U.S. authorities have flown at least 100 foreigners to countries including Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The administration has said it seeks assurances that the subject will not be tortured, but critics say the practice simply allows the United States to outsource the dirty work.

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