Rights Groups Present New Docs-Show Congress Knew More About CIA Rendition-Secret Detention&Torture

[kpete]

Source: Center For Constitutional Rights

Rights Groups Present New Documents that Show Congress Knew More About CIA Rendition, Secret Detention and Torture

Evidence Points to Cheney Counsel’s Role in Authorizing Torture

Contact: [email protected]

New York and Washington, February 22, 2010—New FOIA documents illustrate that key congressional members from both houses were briefed numerous times about the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) interrogation and detention programs, said several prominent human rights groups today. The groups—Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at NYU School of Law—were responding to several documents just received in response to the groups' Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation.

Among other new information, the documents show that:

• While Vice President Cheney’s role in authorizing waterboarding and other so-called enhanced interrogation techniques has been public, a newly obtained February 4, 2003, CIA memo documents the role of Counsel for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in analyzing and approving the CIA techniques.

• According to CIA meeting records and the same February 4, 2003 memo, it seems that in one of his first acts as chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) discontinued efforts by previous chair Senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.) to implement greater oversight of these programs, thus abdicating the role of Congress in overseeing the CIA rendition, secret detention, and torture programs.

• There are significant questions about how clear the CIA was with Congress (including in Hayden’s previously classified briefing on April 12, 2007 to the Senate Intelligence Committee) about the timing, nature, and results of the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, including particularly interrogation prior to the OLC August 1, 2002 memo.

In light of these new facts, AIUSA, CCR, and CHRGJ released the following statements:

Read more: http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/rights-groups-present-new-documents-show-congress-knew-more-about-cia-rendit

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. So many with blood on their hands. Power has corrupted, irrespective of party.

[OnyxCollie]

2. K&R. nt

[Solly Mack]

3. K&R

[EFerrari]

4. That's a lot of bad apples. This whole barrel has to go.

[cory777]

5. U.S.: CIA Briefed Congress on Renditions

Source: IPS

By Willim Fisher

NEW YORK, Feb 23, 2010 (IPS) - The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) briefed members of Congress from both political parties numerous times about the agency's interrogation and detention programmes, several prominent human rights groups said Monday.

The groups - Amnesty International USA, the Centre for Constitutional Rights and the Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU School of Law - filed a lawsuit in 2007 based on their requests for information about the programme under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The FOIA requests, dating back to 2004, sought records about rendition, secret detention, and "enhanced" interrogation.

The rights groups announced receipt of several new documents in response to their FOIA litigation.

Among other new information, the documents show that while Vice President Dick Cheney's role in authorising waterboarding and other so-called enhanced interrogation techniques has been public, a newly obtained Feb. 4, 2003, CIA memo documents the role of Counsel for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in analysing and approving the CIA techniques.


Read more: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50432

[Arctic Dave]

6. So when do we get the list of who was briefed?

[IndianaGreen]

8. this explains why the Obama Administration is protecting criminals like John Yoo

because both political parties have blood on their hands in rendition, just as they did on the Iraq War.

[24601]

7. VPs are not in the Chain of Command nor are they in a position to

authorize anything beyond their immediate staff. US Code makes VPs part of the legislative branch of government. By the Constitution, they Preside over the Senate (can't even vote except to break a tie) and check the Washington Post's front page obituary first thing every morning.