Abu Ghraib Head: We Were Scapegoated
Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who ran Iraq prisons in 2003, including the notorious Abu Ghraib prison was insistent that all orders on interrogation practices came from the top down during the Bush administration on CBS News' The Early Show this morning.
"These soldiers didn't design these techniques on their own…we were following orders," Karpinski told Harry Smith. "We were bringing this to our chain of command and they were saying whatever the military intelligence tells you to do out there you are authorized to do."
A new Senate Armed Services Committee report finds that early roots of U.S. interrogation practices were being circulated through the CIA and the Pentagon as early as 2002.
The report also ties the interrogation policies of the Bush administration to abuse cases at Abu Ghraib prison as well as to interrogations at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
After the scandal involving Abu Ghraib's torture practices, Karpinski was demoted to colonel and has since retired.
Karpinski argued that there was a "clear" line between the techniques condoned by top level administration officials and the practices condemned in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.
"The line is clear," she said. "It went from Washington, D.C. From the very top of the administration with the legal opinions through Bagram to Guantanamo Bay and then to Iraq via the commander from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And the contractors who were hired to do those things."
Karpiniski was insistent that she and the soldiers prosecuted were "scapegoated" by superiors in the administration.
"Scapegoat is the perfect word and it's an understatement," she said. "Right now, with the hard, fast facts in those memos, the black and white proof, the administration is suggesting that those operatives should be immune from any investigations or persecution."
You can watch the interview below:
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "These soldiers didn't design these techniques on their own…we were following orders," Karpinski told Harry Smith. "We were bringing this to our chain of command and they were saying whatever the military intelligence tells you to do out there you are authorized to do."
A new Senate Armed Services Committee report finds that early roots of U.S. interrogation practices were being circulated through the CIA and the Pentagon as early as 2002.
The report also ties the interrogation policies of the Bush administration to abuse cases at Abu Ghraib prison as well as to interrogations at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
After the scandal involving Abu Ghraib's torture practices, Karpinski was demoted to colonel and has since retired.
Karpinski argued that there was a "clear" line between the techniques condoned by top level administration officials and the practices condemned in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.
"The line is clear," she said. "It went from Washington, D.C. From the very top of the administration with the legal opinions through Bagram to Guantanamo Bay and then to Iraq via the commander from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And the contractors who were hired to do those things."
Karpiniski was insistent that she and the soldiers prosecuted were "scapegoated" by superiors in the administration.
"Scapegoat is the perfect word and it's an understatement," she said. "Right now, with the hard, fast facts in those memos, the black and white proof, the administration is suggesting that those operatives should be immune from any investigations or persecution."
You can watch the interview below:
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Now, if you want to think about things getting out of hand, think about the last administration and what they determined was not torture and what they determined was no longer disgusting, and the lengths they went to make the Army think it was legal.
Now think about what they did when this information got out . --- They left the troops hang out to dry. That was worse than leaving a wounded soldier on the battlefield. It undermined soldiers trust in those above. It undermined soldiers trust in officers.
Posted by whosaid1
whosaid1... First, thank you for your service. Second, you may want to get your facts straight about the case. Gen Miller (from Gitmo) went to Abu Ghraib and trained the soldiers. He taught them the tactics on how to "take the gloves off" with the "enemy combatants." All of the commanding officers knew exactly what was going on, and don't forget Mr. Rumsfeld's trips. They all condoned what was happening and knew exactly what was going on. Remember, this was the hard site, not just a rinky dink prison.
Many folks there (not just the low-level soldiers) used those pictures as their screensavers on their computers. Hey Mr. Inmate... if you don't give us information, THAT is what will happen to you. ... the leaders WERE leading... they were leading based on the orders and SOPs handed down to them from above.
The activities were widespread, from Gitmo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. How can that be if it was just the actions of a "few bad apples"?
Bush lied to the world. And it is FINALLY (thank goodness) coming out to the public.
Free Graner!
Posted by norcalruss
You being the smart person you are....you do understand that the President was not in personal contact with the "troops" at Abu Ghraib....there are "many" levels of Command between the White House and the troops....levels of command in which....policies are interperted....added to...deleted from...then acted on. What happen there was clearly wrong....much of the questionable actions were not "torture" as ...is being discussed of late.....but rather degrading....crude actions. This certainly was not one of the Armys finest efforts....A major failure of Leadership at the UNIT level.....
Posted by whosaid1 at 2:31 PM : Apr 22, 2009
True there are many levels, but I think it would be na?ve to think, as the top brass wanted us too, that this was only the isolated work of a few lower level enlisted personnel. This is why a special prosecutor is needed to investigate. The investigation done under the Bush Administration was a scam to give them cover and buy them time. If the war was over by the time they left office no one would be talking of Abu Ghraib anymore.
"Waterboard Videos "
And Choked their chickens in Delight !