CIA Renewed Contract With Psychologists Who Endorsed Waterboarding Weeks After Obama Took Office Before Firing Them

Amid the headlines about CIA director Leon Panetta's comments on Dick Cheney's motivations for his criticism of Obama, a much-bigger revelation was tucked into Jane Mayer's new story in the New Yorker.

Weeks after Obama took office, the CIA extended its contract with the former military psychologists who have been called the architects of waterboarding before eventually firing them:

In April, Panetta fired all the C.I.A.'s contract interrogators, including the former military psychologists who appear to have designed the most brutal interrogation techniques: James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen. The two men, who ran a consulting company, Mitchell, Jessen & Associates, had recommended that interrogators apply to detainees theories of "learned helplessness" that were based on experiments with abused dogs. The firm's principals reportedly billed the agency a thousand dollars a day for their services. "We saved some money in the deal, too!" Panetta said. (Remarkably, a month after Obama took office the C.I.A. had signed a fresh contract with the firm.)

James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen were paid $1,000 a day by the agency to oversee harsh interrogation techniques used on terror suspects, reported ABC News.

"The whole intense interrogation concept that we hear about, is essentially their concepts," according to Col. Steven Kleinman, an Air Force interrogator.

Mitchell and Jessen appear to have closed down their business, which was located in Spokane, Washington.

Mayer also reports that "most of the individuals who managed the secret interrogation program have since left the agency" except for CIA Deputy Director Stephen R. Kappes.

Kappes was previously the deputy director for operations from 2002 to 2004, where he was responsible for the counterterrorism division that directed the interrogation program.

Comments

[brandnewstuff]

So the link did not work- but if Sen. Whitehouse and other really stick to their words- the predicates of engaging in this conduct in th first place and those involved open to prosecution. EIT extreme forms of torture...... Men are never sorry only sorry their own action of illegal abuse and torture are made known
who did what when and why..................

[Meggie]

New addition to your family?
CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[brandnewstuff]

http://www.youtube.com?watch?v=e9CF66auCXc

[tippydog11]

Beware of men and trolls..Pres Obama "fired" these men hello...America does not torture anymore period Pres Obama is still cleaning house...and finding out still who is who and who they were working for...behind closed doors..

[Wiseronenow]

Can you say, Cheney's m.o.l.e.s.?

[Radarman]

We just ship them over to another country to do it. Its' called deniable plausibility.

[fishingriver]

By involving other countries to torture on our behalf, we are essentially establishing a global standard of torture. I is frankly a bigger crime than any individual act of torture because we can no longer pursue justice from what amounts to our partners in crime.

[Wiseronenow]

Considering what we know now and what we knew right before Obama was sworn in, he should have done what Clinton done. Made a clean sweep, fire everyone and then selectively pick who could stay and who couldn't.

[Austintatious]

Despite the efforts of Leon Panetta to protect the CIA, it is that organization has, once again, been completely out of control on this torure thing. It was also right in the middle of the Bush/Cheney fraud perpetrated on the American people regarding Iraq.

There is a reason that organizations like the CIA must be carefully and constantly monitored. There is no telling how much harm this agency has created or caused over its lifetime. Its conduct says it all, most recently having destroyed much of the evidence incriminating it and its agents having personally conducted or directed the so called enhanced interrogation, otherwise known as torture.

The CIA has demonstrated two inherent and indelible characteristics over time. It is capable of anything and it is completley untrustworthy. Remember that the CIA is largely an instrument of the Executive. Anyone assuming that the CIA has cleaned up its act or that it has been reined in by the Obama Administration is naive in the extreme. Obama will be entitled to credibility on the issue only when he begins prosecution of the criminals involved in the ordering, development and conduct of these offenses against humanity.

[tatianalensky]

so its this CIA that Obama has given blanket immunity to?

not so good.

[fishingriver]

If on his way to court, a criminal convinces a judge to overlook the law, the judge becomes a partner in crime. Obama is no different in this situation. By turning his head and granting torturers immunity, he is as much a participant in the crime as the torturers themselves. By not pursuing an investigation of the leaders who illegally authorized torture, he is setting a precedent that future president's will use to justify acts of depravity. He has been able to do this because the right wing defends torture, while many on the left overlook this in their desire to defend Obama. The result is that we are ALL now participants in war crimes. Demand accountability. Shout it from the rooftops!

[sarahwaters]

Did the CIA extend the contract of water boarding when Obama took office without consulting him?

[instagladiator]

Why bother? Your last POTUS "set the precedence" for the run-away agencies that you have which will be near impossible to repair.

[mdn]

Yes, that is my question. On day one, Obama said torturing will stop. And CIA renewed the torture contracts anyway???

[Grunty1]

The Bush adminstration knew that Obama would terminate the contract but that the company would get most of their money anyways. Favors for big business. Nothing new here.

[fallout4U]

Monday, June 15, 2009

Yemen — A Yemeni security official says three German women hostages have been found de-ad, their bodies mu-tilat-ed.

The official says shepherds found the bo=dies Monday morning in the mountainous northern Saada province, near the town of el-Nashour, which is known as a hide=out for Al Q-ae-da milit-ants.

A tribal leader in the area says Al Q-ae-da was behind the kil-ling.

Both the official and the tribesman spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the press.

The three were among a group of nine foreigners, including seven Germans, ab-duc-ted Friday in the remote area. The Interior Ministry said the foreigners, who were not identified, were kid-napp-ed while on a picnic.

[brandnewstuff]

No criminal actions? No professional sanctions for doing acts of Evil?

[rst2536]

SEE "THE SOLUTION TO THE TORTURE PROBLEM" on http://poemsonaffairsofstate.blogspot.com/

[BPCentrisAmerican]

Joe Scarborough is shocked I tell ya, shocked, that Leon Panetta would be get into weeds and respond to the great DICK Cheney, please..... I guess there no used to a Democrat responding to anything.

[furey]

"the architects of waterboarding"

"architects" of the Iraq invasion

up is down

destruction is creation

2 + 2 = 5

Is the New Yorker interested in what real "architects" have to say about the foundation of the "War on Terror"? Why not?

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/truth-and-friends/

[Coinyer101]

Fired? They should be arrested for conspiracy to commit war crimes along with everyone else involved. But, then, justice doesn't seem to matter much, in this country, anymore. Perhaps we need a new AG . Someone who will do their job.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

Not if your a big-shot or former big-shot.

[rabiddog6708]

A lot of people in this rogue's gallery should be up on charges, but "No Drama" Obama and his admin won't even discuss it.

[Roxie74]

That's why they selected E. Holder, he's always been a willing flunkee.

[MrsFonebone]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[clabberty]

Did they get a "golden handshake" and how much was it?

[jferguson]

"Architects" of waterboarding? Why slander an otherwise innocent profession? Leave the engineers alone too. Why not call these guys the "authors" of waterboarding? See, you didn't like it did you?

Better word might be "justifiers."

[bayside]

Obama can change the very tip top but has a whole govt. of neo cons civil servants, military, govt. intent on doing it their way..He cannot be everywhere. It will take time..

[GKJames]

Good point. The national security apparatus -- with its limited public accountability -- is, after decades, so baked into the governing fabric that even someone with Obama's talents won't be able to bring it to heel. Narrow financial, political, and career interests will continue to drive the agenda until there's a fundamental culture shift, something that's most definitely not on the horizon.

[SurrealPumpkin]

I wonder how many Bush neocons were "burrowed" into the fabric of our civil service. The clean up is going to take years.