CIA Destroyed Tapes As Judge Sought Interrogation Data

The New York Times reports this morning that according to recently declassified documents, the federal judge overseeing the case of Abu Zubayday was still seeking CIA tapes of his interrogation even as the government had the recordings destroyed:

At the time that the Central Intelligence Agency destroyed videotapes of the interrogations of operatives of Al Qaeda, a federal judge was still seeking information from Bush administration lawyers about the interrogation of one of those operatives, Abu Zubaydah, according to court documents made public on Wednesday.

The court documents, filed in the case of Zacarias Moussaoui, appear to contradict a statement last December by Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the C.I.A. director, that when the tapes were destroyed in November 2005 they had no relevance to any court proceeding, including Mr. Moussaoui's criminal trial.

Read the article here.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting that the prosecutor of Zacarias Moussaoui was aware that tapes of the interrogation had been destroyed almost year before the information was made public. The Justice Department informed him of the destruction even as he sought the death penalty for Moussaoui.

The lead prosecutor in the terror case against Zacarias Moussaoui may have known the CIA destroyed tapes of its interrogations of an al-Qaida suspect more than a year before the government acknowledged it to the court, newly unsealed documents indicate.

The documents, which were declassified and released Wednesday by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, detail efforts by Moussaoui's attorneys to send the case back to a lower federal court to find out whether the tapes should have been disclosed and whether they would have influenced his decision to plead guilty.

Read the article here.

Comments

[wesinohio]

In reference to the congress proposing that the CIA be made to adhere to the Army Field Manual regarding acceptable interrogation methods, Mr. Hayden said that holding the CIA to the Army's regulations on interrogation would be like making the CIA adhere to the Army's dress code, and he mentioned a few other categories of regulation that I can't recall here. I don't think they are the same thing, but Mr. Hayden does. That is appalling! It is ludicrous to equate torture with a dress code.

The willful tape destruction reinforces a clear pattern of disrespect for the law, disrespect for humanity and a pattern of obstructing justice by the Bushies.

We will have to wait for this evil to run its course and then in the future maybe we'll see the entire Bush cadre in custody like Pinochet, or treated like the corporatist Mussolini was by his people after nearly destroying Italy.

[speakingtruth2power]

Political healing will be touted as more important than retrobution.
Where we go from here will be sold as more important than how?
Politics as usual will always triumph over any call for real change.

[dwillisno1]

Ever since the Nixon pardon this has been the prevailing sentiment. My personal opinion is that healing takes place by fully revealing the extent of the crimes without necessarily insisting on the full force of punishment. People are willing to forgo the retribution but not to cover up he full extent of the crimes.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Will Obama be Nixon's Ford to Bush?

[gonnuts]

Why is this piece-of-shit Himmler looking wannabe STILL wearing his military uniform on a CIVILIAN job?

[RTIII]

That's a VERY good question. And, unfortunately, it comes with an obvious and chilling answer.

[ronspri]

Here is what I don't understand. The radical right says that the terrorists willingly die and blow themselves up for the 72 virgins or whatever. Ok, then why would torture be effective against such a person? He is already set to die. One way or the rightist is a lying evil warmonger just as bad as those he fights.

[Camarosc35]

I think I will go back to the Clinton and Obama articles, reading this stuff only makes me sick again.

[repugsrextinct]

Waterboard Hillary. Damn the truth.

[tehriaz]

what

[wndrwrthg]

After all this administration has done, after all the high crimes and misdemeanors perpetrated by this administration, does anyone really believe that thay are going to give up power and perhaps face prosecution? They will pervert the elections to assure that only the candidate of their choice gets elected. On the slim chance that the will of the american people is heard, we may expect to have a terrorist attack before the election allowing them to either postpone them or institute martial law and seize power in perpetuity.

[Not Blind]

My sentiments, exactly. I didn't put it quite as simply and directly, but I believe in those things mentioned as well.
Good post!

[RTIII]

My fear is that they'll wait until after the election, just in case McCain wins. And if he doesn't, then they'll nuke wherever it is that they can get the president-elect, plus as many of the Dem leadership as possible - quite possibly Washington DC itself. Then, with no clear path forward and a new 9/11 event, they'll declare martial law and end the American Experiment for good. (pun intended)

Gawd, I hope I'm VERY wrong.

This is why, however, we need impeachment now.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Things I believe:

I believe a sound ENERGY policy is more vital to our national security than WEAPONS SYSTEMS.

I believe a responsible BUDGET is more vital to our national security than burdening our grandkids with INSURMOUNTABLE DEBT.

I believe that teaching our children SCIENCE is more vital to our national security than teaching them RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE.

I believe that JUSTICE is more vital to our national security than STRENGTH.

I believe that FAIRNESS in our tax code is more vital to our national security than TAX RATES.

I believe that HEALTH CARE is more vital to our national security than the INSURANCE INDUSTRY.

I believe that ACCOUNTABILITY is more vital to our national security than a UNITARY EXECUTIVE.

I believe that the United States CONSTITUTION is more vital to our national security than SIGNING STATEMENTS.

These things I do believe.

[getoffmedz]

This stupid, ignorant fucking concept that the U.S. has to become their enemy to fight adversaries where we have done just fine for hundreds of years under the Constitution is duplicity and treason in it's highest form.

Bullshit designed for rubes, y'all.

[musselmanm]

Does any of this make anyone say, Joseph Stalin?

[atlantajoe]

Only a dumb ass!

[tehriaz]

shut up dumb ass

[Nutcase]

It should be telling that Obama, with all that money, momentum, the MSM love fest and Kennedy endorsements basically could win only his home state and some little red states like Alaska, Idaho, North Dakota, etc. What does his winning of South Carolina mean? Is any Democrat ever going to win It in the general election? Absolutely not. With all of his advantages Hillary won decisively in the big blue states of CA, NY, NJ & MA. Money helps but just look at Huck & McWar to see if it's decisive.

cognito ergo populistae

[Nutcase]

Sorry about the above post. I must have accidently clicked to this blog. It was obviously meant for another.

[findingavoice]

Why is CIA Director Hayden still in military garb? I thought he was retired. I find it unsettling to have the country's business directed by military types - - Patraeus dictating foreign policy in Iraq, Hayden at the CIA and a guy running for president who seems to see everything through the prism of military engagements. At least McCain disagrees with the use of torture which waterboarding most assuredly is.
One would hope that General Hayden would be inclined to abide by the Army Field Manual guidelines that forbid the use of torture.

[KansAmerican]

Harry Truman stated that the biggest mistake of his administrtion was establishing the CIA. He explained that they were violating the charter before the ink was dry on it.

[RTIII]

I'd love to read the original if you (or anyone) can please provide a citation!

[timeforachangenow]

IS IT Timeforach­angeNOW...­yet???

[Tankan]

They perverted the course of justice!

Another redface shame for America!

What was that about crime not paying?

[Mike169]

I wonder why they go through the pretense of legality. They apparently want to give the appearance of justice while denying justice - why don't they just kill him like they really wanted to do all along? It seems like a giant waste of time pretending to be decent when, in fact, the Bush Administration lies, confuses and obstructs to reach some "higher" moral position denied them by their insistence on torture.

[Ramus]

Ah yes but first let's remember that to determine the truth, one takes whatever this administration says and then the opposite is true. So we probably waterboarded (and worse) a lot of prisoners.­.and hey, maybe not even the three that Bush said they waterboard­ed...and so no, we'll never know how many people we tortured..­or killed. All records destroyed. Exxon makes record profits..c­onnect the dots.