ACLU asks court to hold CIA in contempt for destroying torture tapes

[kpete]

Source: Raw Story

ACLU asks court to hold CIA in contempt for destroying torture tapes


By Stephen C. Webster
Monday, August 1st, 2011 -- 1:47 pm

Despite a court order, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) destroyed hundreds of hours of video tape showing the alleged torture of two terror detainees, and now the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is asking a New York judge to punish them for it.

In a case being heard Monday, attorneys for the ACLU will argue that the agency, and former deputy director Jose Rodriguez in particular, should be held in contempt of an order to preserve records responsive to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed in 2004.

"The record indicates that far from an innocent mistake, Rodriguez ordered the tapes destroyed to cover up evidence that 'would make us look terrible' and be 'devastating' to the CIA," the ACLU's filing (PDF) argues, quoting Rodriguez emails obtained through FOIA requests. "Indeed, Rodriguez weighed the 'heat' that would come from destroying the documents and concluded that it 'is nothing compared to what it would be if the tapes ever go into public domain.'"

................

Along with the tapes, detailed records of the CIA's so-called "torture flights," showing the planes, destinations and even the passengers, were also said destroyed.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/01/aclu-asks-court-to-hold-cia-in-contempt-for-destroying-torture-tapes/

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[grahamhgreen]

2. Look Backwards! "Objects may be closer than they appear"!

[SpiralHawk]

3. "Smirk." - xCommander AWOL (R)

[jwirr]

4. If a citizen had done it that would have been the results.

[TygrBright]

5. I've held "the Company" in contempt for decades. n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. Panetta V. Tenet

vive la difference

[Ignis]

7. K&R, but I'm not holding my breath.

We've truly moved into the era of an Accepted Shadow Governmen.

[buckrogers1965]

8. I'm sure our government did nothing wrong.

*blinks help us in Morse code. *

[Rex]

9. Nonsense govt security is paramount in national security situations.

The WH does not want to make it a NS issue, so we will keep this down with 'they did it anyway' despite a govt order not to because...well...they are the CI fucking A! The f is silent.

No one cared when Cheney made a smokestack in his office out of his own 'supersecret' document scribe of master plan Cheney.

Why would the CIA care about a, er why would anyone care anymore.

Cheney did it. He likes destroying evidence.

Probably in his underground mansion.

[cyberpj]

10. Sadly, we can't really be surprised at this. nt

[plumbob]

11. If Rodriguez is not held in contempt, can the bailiff at least hold him

and let each US citizen who wants to punch him in the stomach just once each, as hard as they can?

Let's put a little definition to the word "heat."