If GOP Takes Senate Next Week, Expect The CIA Torture Report To Disappear
from the bye-bye dept
We've heard some mumbling about one of the main reasons that the CIA has been dragging its feet on declassifying the executive summary of the CIA torture report that the Senate Intelligence Committee put together: it knows there's a decent chance that the Republicans will win the Senate next week, and suddenly the report may disappear from view. As you may recall, the Intelligence Committee (with support from GOP Senators) voted to declassify the 480 page executive summary of the 6,300 page report (which the Senate spent $40 million putting together). Multiple leaks concerning the report have suggested that it's devastating and details how terrible the CIA's torture program was, how it was completely ineffective and how the CIA lied about it all.But most of the support for releasing the report is coming from the Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Dianne Feinstein (who sides with the NSA on plenty of stuff, but is more willing to challenge the CIA). But if the Republicans take the Senate next week, then the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee will likely shift to Senator Richard Burr, who has made it quite clear that he's on the CIA's team and against the public interest.
"I personally don't believe that anything that goes on in the intelligence committee should ever be discussed publicly," Burr told reporters in March. "If I had my way, with the exception of nominees, there would never be a public intelligence hearing."It's also expected that Burr will try to muzzle Ron Wyden and Mark Udall (if Udall is re-elected, which is iffy at this point):
As for the torture report itself, Burr has already said that the report is inaccurate and he's against it being released in any form. When a group of religious leaders asked him to support releasing the report, Burr told them he didn't think the report was accurate:If Burr takes over as chair, he could easily sideline the committee's vocal civil libertarian bloc led by Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and bolstered by Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), two senators who've called for Brennan's resignation.
Udall, in particular, drew blunt criticisms from Burr earlier this year for disclosing the existence of an internal CIA review of the detention and interrogation program that Democrats believe vindicates their own study.
"I think Mark did make some public releases that were committee-sensitive information, but that's for the committee internally to handle," Burr told reporters in March. "My concern is that the release of information could potentially cause the losses of life to Americans. That to me, is a threshold that should be addressed."
Last year, Burr drew criticism from more than 190 North Carolina religious leaders, including Christians, Jews, Quakers, and Muslims, for opposing the release of the Senate's post-9/11 torture report.Given all of this, if the GOP does win, it seems like the only way the public may ever see the details is if someone steps up and leaks the damn thing.
"The U.S. does not condone torture, but torture has been done by our citizens and in our country's name," reads a letter the religious leaders sent Burr. "We are writing to you as fellow people of faith to support the release of the ... report."
Disappointing the religious groups, Burr responded in a letter saying he opposed making the report public due to factual inaccuracies contained within the report. "I believe the American public should be provided with reports that are based on accurate facts," he said.
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Filed Under: cia, congress, dianne feinstein, gop, republicans, richard burr, senate, senate intelligence committee, torture report
Reader Comments
The First Word
“Lack of perspective
""My concern is that the release of information could potentially cause the losses of life to Americans."Other things that potentially cause the losses [sic] of life to Americans:
Interstate highways
Cigarettes
Guns
Furniture [1]
Obesity
Swimming pools
Inadequate medical care
Motorcycles
Football
Flu
Police officers
and so on.
If the criteria for decision-making are that all outcomes which might possibly result in an American death are disallowed, then no possible decisions can be made. Ever.
[1] Americans Are as Likely to Be Killed by Their Own Furniture as by Terrorism - Micah Zenko - The Atlantic
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Both are corrupt, I would almost want repukes up there more because they get cut less slack from everyone else, but the same shit is going down regardless of party.
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But people are mistaken to believe that anyone in leadership is anti-torture... the dems are feeding people everyone a line.
They could have ended torture but instead shoved obamacare down people throats...
Neither Party as this time is acting on behalf of either our Liberties or National Interests, they are both building a damn empire and just simply disagree on how to do it, which the rest of the sheeple fall for this bullshit R vs D farce.
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What I am saying is that they are doing it as pure political theater, and you are enjoying the show.
Why should we even be worrying about a "torture report"? It should be flat out NOT ALLOWED!
This why there are so many sheeple... you get distracted by the smoke and mirrors before you realize... hey? Why are there smoke and mirrors in the first place? O right... to deceive and mislead us of course!
If there needs to be a report it needs to say... 0 tortures happened or this agent tortured someone and now that agent is being criminally prosecuted and it describing the details around the case!
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Yeah. That includes the current President and Senator Burr, apparently. And some people are anti-torture, like Senators Wyden and McCain, and they deserve support for that position.
Don't be Republican or Democrat when you vote. Be anti-torture. This may involve voting for people from different parties.
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Those of you think it is better to be "anti-torture" vs anti-war, raise your arms. See, even McCain agrees.
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Yup! It should be publically released with statements from all parties (Repub, Demo, CIA, White House) about what their opinions are. Why does a mostly factual report have to stay secret over a couple of (likely) minor details?
This is a report about a major issue in our history and needs to be released to the public.
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Which part of the lie is making you happy?
the first part of the misleading lie
-or-
the last part of the damned lie?
"I can put shit in a box and slap a warranty on it if that is what you want!
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Likewise, if you don't believe that the people have a right to know what the government is doing, than any data made public is going to be 'inaccurate', and should be dismissed because of it, though he can't tell you just what is incorrect, it being classified you know.
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Then why are some people spending record amounts ($4 Billion) trying to get their own personal rubber stamp mouthpiece in office?
Seems to be evidence to the contrary. The old rational about simply trying to convince the plebes they really do have a voice does not ring true in light of these numbers.
On a side note, think what good that money could be doing rather than flooding the airwaves with bullshit. It is a disgrace.
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"Then why are some people spending record amounts ($4 Billion) trying to get their own personal rubber stamp mouthpiece in office?"
Because they want their own rubber stamp.
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To drown out everyone else.
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dem'rats, rethugs, two faces of the same korporate money party...
if you think saint obama and the dem'rats REALLY WANT to have that report come out, you are smoking much better shit than i am to be so purblind...
he/they have been running cover for ALL previous war krimes etc, since day one: 'look forward...' blah blah blah...
sorry, The System (tm) is borked, and until it is rebooted to destroy the korporate money party stranglehold on both status quo parties, NOTHING WILL CHANGE...
oh, wait, it *will* change: to the most 1984 state we can be ! ! !
change you can bewieve in, dem'rat koolaid drinkers ! ! !
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the party of limited government and strict adherence to the constitution*
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Re: the party of limited government and strict adherence to the constitution*
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Disappearing report...
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Re: Disappearing report...
Finally we would have bipartasianship!
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Disappearing spellcheck [was Re: Re: Disappearing report...]
That is just such a cromulent word. I mean, break it apart and take a good hard look at it. In small pieces, one at a time.
Bi – part – asian – ship
But then, put it all back together again, and what does it mean, exactly?
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A word that does not fucking mean the way they use it.
Bi = 2
Partisan = "someone strongly supporting their party or cause"
Ship = is just a denoting of condition "this in they way of being"
So a Bipartisan agreement literally means 2 people pissing and moaning over a problem until one or the other has made enough concessions for both to agree, grudgingly or not.
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“He was part asian and all slav. He was bearded, yes indeed bearded, as all the other partisans were bearded. But his black beard was the beard of the great khans: Genghis and Kublai. Naturally, he was ferocious. He was their leader, the partisan commander.”
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ha ha
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Perhaps he should concentrate on making sure that US agencies do not act in a way that causes people to want to kill Americans.
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Or make Americans want to kill themselves.
I am pretty sure that by now more Americans kill themselves with shame over what their country has become being the final straw than what terrorists manage.
Being proud to be a member of a freedom-loving country may be what it takes for some to stay in the game and teach others to take pride.
And a whole lot more are taken down by depression than by terrorists. So if you want to save American lives, stop cowing to terrorists.
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Which seems like the modus operandi for anything reaching the public in regards to governmental misconduct...
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Lack of perspective
Other things that potentially cause the losses [sic] of life to Americans:
Interstate highways
Cigarettes
Guns
Furniture [1]
Obesity
Swimming pools
Inadequate medical care
Motorcycles
Football
Flu
Police officers
and so on.
If the criteria for decision-making are that all outcomes which might possibly result in an American death are disallowed, then no possible decisions can be made. Ever.
[1] Americans Are as Likely to Be Killed by Their Own Furniture as by Terrorism - Micah Zenko - The Atlantic
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While I hope Udall gets re-elected, he should definitely make the report public if he doesn't.
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40M for an crappy report?!?!
Apparently 40M does not guarantee accuracy these days.
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If this is the cause of your actions becoming public, you aren't doing your job very well.
If you can't protect yourselves, please tell me why I need to trust you to protect me?
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I think he was making a death threat against any Americans that would leak the report to the public as per standard government procedure.
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That's some scary shit right there, especially coming from someone who is likely going to be the committee chair?
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Re: Chair
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Let me see if I have this right
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Re: Let me see if I have this right
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Democrats need to realize that THEY are responsible for the lack of faith that American voters have for the party.
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Do you really think so little of those around you? That tactic may work at your local Walmart, but most people are not fooled by such blather.
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"I've been voting republican since 2009"
help me understand you, because frankly ,you're confusing me as much as you're confused, I'm being serious.
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Par for the course in this cursed world.
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Senate Torture Report
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