Ashcroft Suggests CIA Started Torturing, Then Sought Legal Cover

Much attention has been focused on the bizarre legal reasoning behind the Bush administration's "torture memos," a series of documents starting in August 2002 that OK'd detainee abuse. The memos have been widely criticized for authorizing illegal acts. But in a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, former Attorney General John Ashcroft raised the possibility that the CIA started torturing at least one detainee before any of the memos were even written.

If true, that would suggest that the CIA realized that the agency might be breaking the law and sought legal cover after the fact. Attorneys say that, hypothetically, this could make it easier to prosecute those who condoned or conducted the abuse before the torture memos were produced.

Intelligence agents from the United States and Pakistan captured suspected al-Qaida operative Abu Zubaydah on March 28, 2002. According to news accounts and congressional testimony, Zubaydah's interrogation began soon after his capture. His interrogation was reportedly particularly brutal, and he is one of three detainees confirmed to have been waterboarded.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[curocat]

I find it hard to believe that the CIA would do that without checking with their Bosses first.. That's not how the Government or Military operates, it seem like they are being set up, but , if they did then they are up for grabs by the World Courts.... CIA needs to respond to Ashcroft's statement for their sake...

[tbone99]

Geo Tenant probably did whatever the hell he could for the Bushco to maintain his job, since 9/11 fell pretty sqarely on his shoulders at the time.

[RTIII]

Oh, they probably DID go to Junior! I'm sure he said, OK, and then, later someone who knows better gets wind of it and back-tracks with the story we read here...
.

[abouttime]

Ashcroft is not a Saint.
During the Congressional hearings he stated that regarding the August 2002 Torture Memo that: "I was briefed on its... analysis.. and on its conclusions and that I approved its issuance."

Bush said that Zubaydah, under the pressure of what Bush referred to as the CIA's "alternative set of procedures," had given up information that proved vital to the United States.

However, according to Salon: "In one of the most hotly discussed sections of his book "The One-Percent Doctrine," Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Suskind reveals that at least one top FBI analyst considered Zubaydah an "insane, certifiable, split personality" and that he was mainly responsible only for logistics like travel arrangements. .The torture used on Zubaydah by the CIA "only yielded information about plots that did not exist."

Ashcroft, Bush et al, should all be tried in court for crimes against humanity. The memo's are opinions. Congress makes law - not the Justice Department attorneys. Besides, no information about dates could make a conviction easier against the CIA. The culpret here is the Executive Branch.
GUILTY!
Impeach and then indict them all!

[Georgiapundit]

Scary man...Ashcroft reminds me of the sheriff off Texas Chainsaw Massacre

[speakingtruth2power]

Just like they started their illegal domestic spying before trying to get it approved,

and even, BEFORE 9-11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Vinca]

I am very pleased that John Conyers will hold HEARINGS on July 25. He never called them impeachment hearings, but it's a START

[gcallaghan]

I half thought his resistance to signing on to the warrantless wiretaps was just his post-surgery meds talking. Ashcroft is actually showing he has a pair of balls now. Addington, Yoo, Gonzales, Feith, Cheney and Bush ought to start stocking up on winter wear: the cells in the Hague are notoriously cold in late January.

[RTIII]

Well, they didn't treat him so well. Maybe now that chicken will come home to roost.

He's a credible witness.

We ALSO just learned a day ago that he - Ashcroft - is apparently an American Hero for refusing to sign off on warrantless wiretapping and that that is why the Whitehouse asked him to resign.

So, maybe ole Ashcroft will turn out to be more of a hero than just that little favor to the American people.

You know, folks, he's ONE. All we need is ONE MORE witness and we can get a charge of traitor to stick - by the Constitution, there must be two witnesses...

(Feels odd, but in this context correct, to call a person who merely didn't break the law a hero...)
.

[Mauiloa]

Yeah, he would have to have a lot of sordid personal and political history removed before he could be called anything like a hero.

This guy was just one more of the gang of criminals and fanatics that have roamed the White House halls these past eight years. He was certainly more on the fantatically religious side than criminal side, but his ethics still left a hell of a lot to be desired as well.

[Mauiloa]

From it's despicable actions in overthrowing legitimate democratic countries like Iran and Guatemala in the 50's to Chile in the 70's--to it's MK-Ultra psychedelic experiments done with unsuspecting American subjects for over ten years, the CIA has been a blight on this nation and its reputation since it was founded.

While the spy game has been a popular topic for books, movies and television throughout history, the game as played by the CIA has never had any rules.

And no, even in a dangerous world like ours should psychologically unstable people like those that seem to gravitate to the CIA's darker chambers be allowed to destroy people and institutions as they have; especially when they are at the beck and call of similarly fanatical politicians who share the same amoral concern for humanity.

[naturallight]

Dismantle C.I.A.

We can gather intelligence with our 1000 other intelligence agencies.

C.I.A. was founded within the 'skull and bones' fraternity at Yale. Do we really want these blue bloods above the law?
Has any agency brought more shame to the nation?
They like to claim we don't know about all the 'good' things they do b/c it's a secret.
hogwash....just like Boosh kept saying, "if you only knew what we knew......."
That the Al Quedas were too stupid to cross the wide open border with an IED????
Lee Malvo did more "terrorizing' than Bin Laden.

[ThunderclapNewman]

The CIA was formed out of the Office of Strategic Services in WWII, which was run by "Wild Bill" Donovan.

Skull and bones had nothing to do with it.

You need to loosen your tin foil jockey shorts.

[speakingtruth2power]

and GHWB got to be the CIA Chief without any prior experience with the agency?

You Blue Dog Dems are so full of revisionist Bu$&!t, you are reeking with denial!

[lisakaz2]

Guess it woulda been expecting too much to detain and demote if not imprison these cowbody CIA types. With the Booo$hies in charge, esp.

[guntotinganglion]

Another smoking gun to throw on the mountainous pile of smoking guns. I'd say the simpler thing to do now is list what Lord High Torturer Bush's administration has done that was actually legal? I'm thinking that list wouldn't exceed a single page. The crimes list would fill the library of Congress to the ceiling. The crimes are so blatant, and so out in the open (30 felony counts minimum on violations of the FISA law being only one of thousands of crimes), that this President should be considered self-impeached. Just move on to the prosecution phase.

Maybe Obama could declare Bush an enemy combatant after he leaves office, and then, per Bush's standard, there'd be no need for witnesses, charges or a trial. Just throw him into Guantanimo Bay, and throw away the key...as he's done to so many human beings. There's something deeply satisfying about using their own legal abominations against them, but in the end, it's best to fight the desire to get even. Best to let LAW be the tool, and the Constitution the guide. This would completely stupify Bush's defense team, because they've never read it...any more than he has.

[sugarmoes]

IMPEACH.

ARREST.

TRIAL.

IMPRISON.

[RTIII]

Ya forgot the last one:

HANG
.

[ThunderclapNewman]

The only penalty for conviction after impeachment is removal from office.

No imprisonment is possible.

[Mercedes]

Then let the World Court convict Bush and Cheney. They'll get imprisonment there...

[LORISNJ]

I listened to the testimony on XM and someone on the committee made a great statement about the introduction of the "torture memos" saying that if people were hired for a position that they clearly were not qualified for and then those same unqualified people were directed to write memorandums that states that certain interrogation techniques were lawful that were not lawful, whose responsible; the unqualified underling or those that hired the person? SMACK!

[Grunty1]

The insiders must finally have realized that the Republican party is screwed come 2009. Realizing there won't be any obstruction to the truth, they are beginning to choose to air the laundry before landing in court.

[AnnieinOR]

wow, seems like scott mclellan has started something.... I would love to hear what Colin Powell has to say about being fed lies to present to the UN... they made a great general a liar - I would like to know if he had knowledge that these were lies.

[robXdion]

Powell doesn't have the heart or guts. To attain the level he did in the military, he had to be a well-trained company man and never appear threatening. Unfortunately, he doesn't grasp being a civilian means he doesn't have to bow down anymore.

[w&cheneysuck]

Cynical but true. So sad that the media is ignoring all of this.

[NickNas]

Powell will always go down as a Great General who lost it ALL because of the Bush Administration. At least he quit. We need to hear from him now.

Most of the Best Liars and Scam artists find people of Honor and integrity to hide behind so they can freely run their frauds at will.