Larry Johnson: Disentangling Torture TapeGate

[laststeamtrain]

Disentangling Torture TapeGate

By Larry Johnson on December 10, 2007 at 10:16 PM in Current Affairs

After querying former intelligence officers and reviewing the letter from the U.S. Attorney’s in Richmond, Virginia, I can clarify some issues surrounding what’s what with respect to the question of the “destruction” of interrogation tapes and speculate on others.

For starters tt appears that the June 2005 decision of the Italian judge to issue arrest warrants for C.I.A. officers and contractors involved in the kidnapping of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr in 2003 may have been the precipitating incident convincing Jose Rodriguez that Agency must destroy video tapes of terrorist interrogations. That operation was conducted with the full knowledge and approval of the Italians. If the Italians could flip on us that meant anyone could.

Let’s follow the timeline:

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2007/12/10/disentangling-t...

[Bolo Boffin]

1. Must not drop.

Because you buried the lede:

And last but not least. The top two Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees–the so-called “gang of eight”–were fully briefed in interrogation techniques several times during 2002-3. They concurred unanimously that the interrogation techniques were OK. This means that Democrats as well as Republicans backed this process.

[tavalon]

2. kicked and recommended

[MuseRider]

3. K&R n/t