CIA Contractors Played Big Role In Interrogations

[kpete]

Source: NPR

CIA Contractors Played Big Role In Interrogations

by Ari Shapiro

Morning Edition, May 15, 2009 · Congressional testimony this week showed that private CIA contractors were a driving force behind harsh interrogations. Although there are lawsuits against military contractors involved in detainee abuse, there has been far less legal action against contractors who worked for the CIA.

American Civil Liberties Union attorney Ben Wisner believes this is largely because of the secrecy that has surrounded the CIA's interrogation and detention program.

"There simply have not been a lot of lawsuits related to the CIA's torture program against either the CIA or its contractors, because courts have almost universally been shutting these lawsuits down on the basis of overbroad secrecy claims made by the CIA," says Wisner.

President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have said CIA agents who followed the Justice Department's legal advice won't be prosecuted criminally, but they have said nothing about contractors.

Read more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10...

[JimGinPA]

1. I Look Forward To Their Indictments - The More The Merrier

K&R

[EFerrari]

2. This is sort of misleading, not purposely I'm sure, but it is

There were two contractors who helped put the program together for the Pentagon, two psychologists. And there may have been some contract interrogators but there weren't hordes of contractors a la Blackwater responsible for this. That was CIA personnel, afaik.

[Grinchie]

3. Watch Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers, by Robert Greenwald

They name the names of the Military Contracting companies that did most of this stuff.

It spells it out pretty clearly in his film which was released in 2006.

The movie tends to give the impression that the Administration wanted to place responsibility onto the Corporate sector, which as everyone knows, is Immune from criminal prosecution. Most likely, the Corporation demanded immunity as part of the contract.

Now we see the Obama administration feeding the Corporations, and acting like one themselves. The Administration cannot believe that Corporations are more insulated than a government employee, so they are trying to imply that they are, in hopes that noone will notice that we actually have a Constitution that spells things out quite clearly.

[EFerrari]

4. I have seen it. There were 2 companies that supplied people.

CACI and Titan. But not very many. The bulk of the torturing was done by CIA and MI personnel. Because unlike Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld, the people at those companies saw the problems coming down that road.

[saigon68]

5. And Killed many guys like this

No one has ever been charged in his death



Not only "will no-one be charged"

AND

"we will see no more" disturbing photos like this

because THEN the mothers of new recruits won't let them join a criminal organization

[Solly Mack]

6. If I hire a contract killer I'm still guilty of the murder they commit

Hiring others to supplement your torture program in no way absolves the primary or the secondary

The argument will be made that it was mostly out of control contractors....another "few bad apples" argument.

The torture was systemic - it was intentional...a program birthed in the executive branch & put into action by various cabinet members and government agencies. A program the DOJ sanctioned with their bullshit cover-up veneer of legality torture memos.

Seems to me all the "debate" that has been happening lately has been over just who is more innocent or less guilty in hopes of keeping people distracted long enough not to notice the lack of accountability taking place.