CIA Destroys Interrogation Tapes - Cite Security Risk
Abu Zubaydah.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 — The Central Intelligence Agency in 2005 destroyed at least two videotapes documenting the interrogation of two Qaeda operatives in the agency’s custody, a step it took in the midst of Congressional and legal scrutiny about its secret detention program, according to current and former government officials.
The videotapes showed agency operatives in 2002 subjecting terrorism suspects — including Abu Zubaydah, the first detainee in C.I.A. custody — to severe interrogation techniques. The tapes were destroyed in part because officers were concerned that video showing harsh interrogation methods could expose agency officials to legal risks, several officials said.
In a statement to employees on Thursday, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the C.I.A. director, said that the decision to destroy the tapes was made “within the C.I.A.” and that they were destroyed to protect the safety of undercover officers and because they no longer had intelligence value.
The destruction of the tapes raises questions about whether agency officials withheld information from Congress, the courts and the Sept. 11 commission about aspects of the program.
The recordings were not provided to a federal court hearing the case of the terrorism suspect Zacarias Moussaoui or to the Sept. 11 commission, which was appointed by President Bush and Congress, and which had made formal requests to the C.I.A. for transcripts and other documentary evidence taken from interrogations of agency prisoners.
The disclosures about the tapes are likely to reignite the debate over laws that allow the C.I.A. to use interrogation practices more severe than those allowed to other agencies. A Congressional conference committee voted late Wednesday to outlaw those interrogation practices, but the measure has yet to pass the full House and Senate and is likely to face a veto from Mr. Bush.
The New York Times informed the intelligence agency on Wednesday evening that it was preparing to publish an article about the destruction of the tapes. In his statement to employees on Thursday, General Hayden said that the agency had acted “in line with the law” and that he was informing C.I.A. employees “because the press has learned” about the matter.
General Hayden’s statement said that the tapes posed a “serious security risk” and that if they had become public they would have exposed C.I.A. officials “and their families to retaliation from Al Qaeda and its sympathizers.”
From an article in the NYT by Mark Mazzetti.
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Well, at least they did one thing right. But, it also begs the question, why do we have to know this?
December 7th, 2007 at 2:37 pmThey destroyed the tapes to prevent it from ending up in an article in the NYT. I have no problem with it…
December 7th, 2007 at 2:51 pmIt is not only the agents identities that would be revealed,it is the techniques they were using. IMO if The CIA finds one fact that will save lives it is justified. These SCUM must be stopped at any cost to their “rights”.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:57 pmHow many tapes have the dims destroyed to keep them from becoming common knowledge?
Besides…..the CIA was merely doing their job. You don’t see them slapping dicks out of dims mouths while they’re working!!
December 7th, 2007 at 3:07 pmSurely the left will have no problem with the destruction of tapes that could reveal the identity of CIA employees.
If so then it couldn’t be clearer the outrage over Plame’s “outing” was merely another political attack on the Bush administration by dems and not any genuine concern for national security.
Regardless, how thoughtful of the slimes to share yet more classified information with the world.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:17 pmI find it strange that when a CIA non-covert agent was outed, the Democrats went ballistic. Now we have real covert agents and the Democrats want them exposed. For what purpose?
December 7th, 2007 at 3:39 pmThe Marxist libs will go nuts on this–
December 7th, 2007 at 3:54 pmThey will clamor for investigation with yet another committee. While their at it,they can check out that clintonista POS “sandy bugler”(berger) for stealing/destroying classified documents.
I do hope, though, they do save the tapes when they finally decide to torture the democrats. Now, that I want to see. That beached whale kennedy being waterboarded.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:22 pm@PhilNBlanx
Was thinking the same exact thing …
December 7th, 2007 at 4:52 pmShucks no stocking stuffers this year.
December 8th, 2007 at 6:37 amRevealing the ID’s of covert agents (unlike the bitch Valarie Plame) is illegal. Keeping the tapes and taking the chance some fool would give them to the LLLMSM would have broken the law and revealed the ID’s of our covert operatives.
Good move CIA. Fuck Congress. They haven’t a clue anyways.
With immature, irrelevant fucktards like Hairy Weed, Nanski Peloski and Little Dick Durban in charge, there is no way that the CIA would have been able to keep their operatives under wraps with this tape in circulation.
Bravo CIA.
December 8th, 2007 at 6:52 amGood old Dan we can always count on you to forget about the Checks and Balances in the US system.
December 8th, 2007 at 7:53 am