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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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June 5th,
2009 - New Row Intensifies US ‘Torture’ Tactics Debate |
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New Row Intensifies
US ‘Torture’ Tactics Debate From Agence France Presse June 5, 2009 Washington - A row erupted
Friday as Democratic lawmakers accused Republican rivals of revealing secret
information on interrogation tactics unveiled during a closed-door Congress
debate. Lawmakers gathered Thursday
at a closed hearing of the intelligence committee to discuss CIA methods
employed in the Bush-era "war on terror" launched in the wake of
the September 11, 2001 attacks. Republican members on the
intelligence committee proceeded to tell congressional daily The Hill that
"they were informed that the controversial methods have led to
information that prevented terrorist attacks." Democratic lawmakers hit out
that their colleagues had broken Congress rules by publicly discussing the
contents of the debate. Illinois representative Jan
Schakowski said that "everyone on the committee understands the meaning
of a closed hearing." It is, she added in a
statement, "irresponsible that members of this committee exited the
classified briefing well before it ended and headed right to the press. "Had they stayed for
the entire hearing, the members would realize how foolish the remarks they
made to the media actually were," Schakowski said. Republicans accused the
Democrats of trying to bury the truth that such interrogations work. Lawmaker Pete Hoekstra, the
ranking Republican on the intelligence panel, told AFP he had reviewed
documents and materials from the the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and
reached "the conclusion that enhanced interrogation techniques clearly
were proven to be effectives." Hoekstra said he thought
that "it would be great" if legislators had open hearings on the
issue and that more interrogation material be declassified. "There has been a lot a
misinformation out there," he said, stressing that President Barack
Obama "has selectively released some information and not others. I don't
see why he can't release some additional information." The tense words marked the
latest twist in a row over who knew about the controversial tactics, which
critics have alleged amounted to torture and which supporters say extracted
vital information from terror suspects. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
has been under fire after she accused the CIA of deliberately misleading her
in 2002 about the use of tough interrogations. Republicans countered that
she knew all along about the methods being used, such as simulated drowning
known as "waterboarding," and chose not to speak out. "The ball's in the
speaker's court. I think she needs to bring forward evidence to back up her
claim and -- and turn that over to the Justice Department," Republican
House minority leader John Boehner has said. Obama has banned the use of
enhanced interrogation methods, saying in some instances they amounted to
torture. Former vice president Dick
Cheney has staunchly defended such techniques saying they helped to save
American lives. Copyright © 2009 AFP. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hTkAUbktGOPBlIEEdRh8kOfUSjdQ |