Why Did The CIA Destroy Detainee Tapes?

Source Tells CBS News Interrogation Videos Were Destroyed To Avoid Criminal Prosecution Of CIA Officers

(CBS/AP)  A well informed source tells CBS News the videotapes of U.S. interrogations of two high level al Qaeda operatives were destroyed to protect CIA officers from criminal prosecution, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

A day after CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden told agency employees the tapes were destroyed in 2005, members of Congress, human rights groups and lawyers for accused terrorists said the tapes may have been key evidence that the U.S. government had illegally authorized torture.

Angry congressional Democrats are demanding that the Justice Department investigate why the CIA destroyed videotapes of the interrogation of two terror suspects.

The Senate's No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin, said Attorney General Michael Mukasey should find out "whether CIA officials who destroyed these videotapes and withheld information about their existence from official proceedings violated the law."

Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy accused the CIA of a cover-up. "We haven't seen anything like this since the 18½-minute gap in the tapes of President Richard Nixon," he said in a Senate floor speech. The gap, which Nixon's secretary attributed to an accidental erasure, played a major role in the loss of support that resulted in Nixon's resignation.

The Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin, told reporters the CIA's explanation that the tapes were destroyed to protect the identity of agents is "a pathetic excuse," adding: "You'd have to burn every document at the CIA that has the identity of an agent on it under that theory."

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee sent letters to CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden and Mukasey asking whether the Justice Department gave legal advice to the CIA on the destruction of the tapes and whether it was planning an obstruction-of-justice investigation.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said Friday that President George W. Bush did not recall being told about the tapes or their destruction. But she could not rule out White House involvement in the decision to destroy the tapes, saying she had asked only the president about it, not others.

Perino refused to say whether the destruction could have been an obstruction of justice or a threat to cases against terror suspects. If the attorney general should decide to investigate, "of course the White House would support that," she said.

In a daily press briefing dedicated almost solely to the topic of the CIA tapes, Perino responded 19 times that she didn't know or couldn't comment.

At least one White House official, then-White House Counsel Harriet Miers, knew about the CIA's planned destruction of videotapes in 2005 that documented the interrogation of two al Qaeda operatives, ABC news reported Friday. Three officials told ABC News that Miers urged the CIA not to destroy the tapes. White House officials declined to comment on the report.

The spy agency destroyed the tapes in November 2005, at a time when human rights groups and lawyers for detainees were clamoring for information about the agency's secret detention and interrogation program, and Congress and U.S. courts were debating where "enhanced interrogation" crossed the line into torture.

Also at that time, the Senate Intelligence Committee was asking whether the videotapes showed CIA interrogators were complying with interrogation guidelines. The CIA refused twice in 2005 to provide the committee with its general counsel's report on the tapes, according to the committee's Democratic chairman, Sen. Jay Rockefeller.

Hayden told agency employees Thursday that the recordings were destroyed out of fear the tapes would be leaked to the press and reveal the identities of interrogators. He said the sessions were videotaped to provide an added layer of legal protection for interrogators using new, harsh methods. Bush had just authorized those methods as a way to break down the defenses of recalcitrant prisoners.

Destruction of the tapes came in the midst of an intense national debate about how forcefully prisoners could be grilled to get them to talk. Not long after the tapes were destroyed, Congress adopted the Detainee Treatment Act, championed by Republican Sen. John McCain, who was tortured while a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The law prohibits not only torture, but cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of all U.S. detainees, including those in CIA custody.

[poopusbuttus]

Smart move. But, even if the tapes that had been destroyed was covering up any "chicanery" by the CIA, then so be it.

The less the libs know, the better.

[starleo146]

I can not believe this administration who took an oath to uphold the constitution and e-mails lost, tapes lost, military equipment lost, and OUR MONEY they send to Iraq lost. Who is the culprit bagging all this stuff? MAYBE WE SHOULD LOSE THERE SALARIES THEY SURE ARE NOT DOING THE JOB WE PAID THEM TO DO.

[aeasus]

Seeing how the right of detainies are now going through the courts again... ain''t this convient for the Bush cronies

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by poopusbuttus at 06:31 PM : Dec 06, 2007

Hahahaha! You mean the less evidence there will to prosecute the republiCONS for their war crimes. Actually the tapes aren''t needed anyway because Mr. Bush has already promulgated legislation to pardon himself.Isn''t THAT a hoot!

Honest Abe and Dishonest Dubya, whatta pair! Both destroyed the Constitution.

[poopusbuttus]

Hahahaha! You mean the less evidence there will to prosecute the republiCONS for their war crimes. Actually the tapes aren''''t needed anyway because Mr. Bush has already promulgated legislation to pardon himself.Isn''''t THAT a hoot!

Honest Abe and Dishonest Dubya, whatta pair! Both destroyed the Constitution.


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Posted by RowdyTexan2


Dont be angry ROWDY.......No impeachment, No war crime trials, etc.....

[speakinup]

Hey vets - I believe we have a fake vet among us claiming he was in Vietnam, yet he has no clue as to what a CIB is. Check out the posts on this CBS site...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/06/iraq/main3584247.shtml

I don''t care if a person is left or right - I DON''T TOLERATE FAKE VETS!!!

[j-whitman]

speakinup,,,,, Bashing our troops & Viet Nam veterans again ???? You never served this country, go straight to hell girl

[poopusbuttus]

JWHIT -- How''z it hangin''...to the left, or to the right....

[j-whitman]

poopusbuttus,,,, Did you hear Bush idiotic lie today when he lit the National Christmas Tree ??? --- "Hope for peace in this holliday season" ----- ROTFLOL --------- To Bush it''s Stay the Course & More of the same

[poopusbuttus]

poopusbuttus,,,, Did you hear Bush idiotic lie today when he lit the National Christmas Tree ??? --- "Hope for peace in this holliday season" ----- ROTFLOL --------- To Bush it''''s Stay the Course & More of the same


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Posted by j-whitman



WRONG!!! Bush never lies....

[j-whitman]

poopusbuttus,,,, To the left, it''s the way mens clothes are designed.

[j-whitman]

poopusbuttus,,,, Oh yes, Bush lies... He can''t stop

On the NIE Report he was told about last August he claimed to not know about it untill Tuesday, yet he breifed Olmert on it on Monday.... At the end of August he was still preaching about the dangers of a nuclear holocaust from Iran.

[stevex47]

Absolutley amazing,

Right wing nutjobs go after MRS Clinton for a 100,000 land deal (whitewater) yet they lose a billion dollars worth of equipment, lost millions of white house e mails(felony) and blatantly destroy torture evidence? With Bush''s blessing?

NO PARDONS for anyone from this "administration". Future generations will be able to see the effects of an un-balanced government. When the executive branch rules the judicial branch as it does now, the 4th wing is all that''s left. (to save an inevitable disastrous end)

[poopusbuttus]

On the NIE Report he was told about last August he claimed to not know about it untill Tuesday, yet he breifed Olmert on it on Monday.... At the end of August he was still preaching about the dangers of a nuclear holocaust from Iran.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by j-whitman


ANd guess what? Bush will continue to warn us that the Nuclear Mullahs are still dangerous. Despite what the NIE says that was co-authored by liberals with a grudge....

[j-whitman]

poopsbuttus,,,,, "I SH@!T on all liberals faces!!!!" ---- Your twisted version of Christianity is hanging out for everyone to see... Great job

[j-whitman]

poopusbuttus,,,,, Remember the Bush promise of increasing delivery of Mine Resistant Vehicles to our troops ????? He renigged already, they aren''t getting them.

[j-whitman]

George Bush -- "Hope for peace this holliday season" --- Another fatass lie

[poopusbuttus]

poopusbuttus,,,,, Remember the Bush promise of increasing delivery of Mine Resistant Vehicles to our troops ????? He renigged already, they aren''''t getting them.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by j-whitman


That''s the SECDEF''s area of responsibility. The President (in this case) merely guarantees the money will keep flowing....

[j-whitman]

SECDEF serves at the President''s pleasure & is confined by his restraints & lead by his policies

[poopusbuttus]

SECDEF serves at the President''''s pleasure & is confined by his restraints & lead by his policies


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by j-whitman


Agreed. But if the commanders in the field say they need the armor, that goes to the SECDEF. IF the Gates says they will get them, the President will not deny it...

[searingtruth]

"When everything is secret, everything is legal."
SearingTruth


A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[poopusbuttus]

Later dudes.....headin'' out for the night. Peace on earth and goodwill to Bush

[speakinup]

j-whitman - you ran away - I had to seek you out, buddy.

So if Bush is responsible for the 1 billion dollars worth of lost military articles (and I doubt a M1 Abrams was among the items as CBS would have you believe from the pic); isn''t Kennedy responsible for the loss of the USS Thresher ?

Sayyyyy - are you still maintaining that the surge isn''t working ? Or, that it is a civil war ?

Oh, now he''s going to tell me to see the obgyn, or how about, this site is about the CIA.

Com''on j-dubya, cat got yer tongue ?

[j-whitman]

poopusbuttus,,,, You''ve got a short memory

[speakinup]

hey, atleast it isn''t selective, like yours j-dubya.

So what about that surge, huh ?

[j-whitman]

speakinup,,, USS Thresher SSN 593 ???? You don''t know squat do you ??? My last boat was the USS Plunger SSN 595. What do you want to know about submarine development ??????

[j-whitman]

The "Surge" didn''''t work, don''''t you follow any news ??? --- Al Queda of Iraq has moved to north of Baghdad as our forces are concentrating on the south ------ We lost 3 troops the day Gates apperared in Iraq & Iraq police held up banners saying, "American''''s Out Of Iraq" ----- There is no government reconcilliation girl, None
--- Try listening to General Casey & others,, We cannot sustain the security.

[speakinup]

I don''t give a fugh about your boat.

The question was... Is Kennedy responsible for the Thresher ? It was lost on his watch. Isn''t that what yo and your liberal friends are saying about bush and the billion bucks worth of military goods ?

SHE-IT, Kennedy didn''t even have a war going on at the time, and he lost a Nuclear Submarine!

[speakinup]

j-whitman - you are a pathetic, asinine, far left spinmaster, that doesn''t give a rat''sazz about our troops.

You don''t even recognize there are more folks murdered in california every year than we are losing in Iraq.

But, cut and run... cut and run !!! The sky is falling, the sky is falling.

What a pathetic jerk you are.

[searingtruth]

"History does not record a government of the people assured in secret."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[j-whitman]

speakinup wrongly,,,, The Thresher was a victem of the times, NAVOL torpedo''s & lack of current technology learned from that casualty & that of the Scorpion..... Much of what we learned from it is still highly classified....
..... It didn''t have anything to do with Presidential lies, corruption or incompetence as this current militry procurment does.

[j-whitman]

speakinup,,,,,, Wrong girl,,, It''s you & this GOP and President who insists on no oversight that "pathetic, asinine, far right spinmaster, that doesn''''t give a rat''''sazz about our troops."

[speakinup]

oh but j-whitman - just an hour ago you were saying there was no oversight from Bush for the billion. What about making sure that proper oversight was taken by Kennedy ?

Yeah -NOW you see how redicilious yor statement is.

But you won''t admit it will you ?

Nope - You''re a fuggin far left spin master, and that would mean you would have to admit that is ALL you do is spin the news to Bush Bash.

Hey anything to keep Hillary from having to REALLY run on her merits.

So, do you want to tell me a better qualifier for what makes her a leader that "she kept her marriage together" ?

HEll, that''s more than half the wives in America!

[j-whitman]

speakinup,,,,, This article is about the destruction of video''s that showed the abusive torture on terrorist suspects ----- Do you really think it was to protect CIA agents & their families ??? Bush could care less about our CIA agents, that he showed by outing Valerie Plame ------ It was to protect Bush

[j-whitman]

speakinup,,,,, *******,,,, The Thresher was lost to the technology of the times ----- How dare you use the lost lives of our servicemen for your dishonest political arguments have you no honor for our troops ???????

[j-whitman]

speakinup,,,, Cutting & Running again girl ????

[searingtruth]

"I begged for the denial of basic human rights for others. Not myself. Please let me go."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[j-whitman]

ST,,,,, How''s it going ? How about this weeks developments on Bush''s lies & now the destruction of CIA video''s on the torture ???

[sevenveils]

"CIA''s internal watchdog watched the tapes in 2003 and verified that the interrogation practices were legal."

It is comforting to know that the CIA was watching itself and determined that everything they did was legal according to Gonzales.

[j-whitman]

sevenveils,,, LOL, after arguing with these Bush Lovers like American hating speakinup who ha no honor to this country or it''s troops past or present,, It''s good to get a laugh, thanks

[searingtruth]

"ST,,,,, How''''s it going ? How about this weeks developments on Bush''''s lies & now the destruction of CIA video''''s on the torture ???"
j-whitman


Hello fellow patriot. I''m still having some health problems but they are nothing compared to the dismal health of our nation.

Thank goodness you and the rest of the patriots on the CBS forums are here regularly defending our Constitution and country. Our founding fathers counted upon citizens like all of you to assure the enduring legacy and existence of our great nation.

As for the CIA''s destruction of their torture tapes, it will be nothing compared to the day that we restore our Constitution and finally open the doors of our secret prisons and torture chambers.

This will indeed be one of our nations most desperate and anguished moments of being. Assuredly, the horror we will discover will only be surpassed in magnitude, not inhumanity.

But that day of reckoning will hopefully revitalize our American spirit, awaken all from apathy, and so imprint the tragedy of failed vigilance upon our people that we are assured at least another two centuries of freedom.
ST


"Please.
Protect the innocent."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[j-whitman]

ST,,, Sorry to hear about your health problems, your a good American, thanks for being here.

[searingtruth]

It''s not "You have nothing to fear unless you''re doing something wrong."
It''s "You have nothing to fear unless the government is doing something wrong."
SearingTruth


A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[j-whitman]

ST,,,, In January I said we would hit the 4,000 mark on troop deaths. I believe we are just short of that number by 22 ----- I wish I wasn''t right & hope we won''t hit that number.

[searingtruth]

"ST,,,, In January I said we would hit the 4,000 mark on troop deaths. I believe we are just short of that number by 22 ----- I wish I wasn''t right & hope we won''t hit that number."
j-whitman


As do I fellow patriot, but whether the date is today, two weeks from now, or next month, 4,000 will be counted, and the counting will continue.
ST


"We shall force peace upon them."
SearingTruth

"Her face of horror could not be seen so I blanked it out. No innocence. No ignorance. Just summary guilt. And death."
SearingTruth

"The blood. All of that blood. Dried and brittle and bound to her skin. To act as if I did not notice, as if I did not care. To search, to salvage, to endure, to live. To return. Broken."
SearingTruth

"One small drop of blood from the innocent.
Horror is often described that way."
SearingTruth

"Our stain of death. To never be erased."
SearingTruth

"Moments before our destruction we discovered that weapons were not reason."
SearingTruth


A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[cdfoxtrot]

Is there any level to which the current administration won''t stoop to? Destroying evidence of torture is the clearest signal yet that these people know how illegal their actions are. This behavior is more befitting the worst of dictatorships than what we keep hearing to be the "greatest country on earth". The race to the bottom shouldn''t be the standard we expect from our leaders.

[searingtruth]

Mirror

My friends, sometimes the most difficult thing about fighting evil is realizing that it actually exists, and then unambiguously and forcefully calling it what it is.

History shows time and time again that one of evils greatest strengths is its ability to disguise itself as good, or at least a temporary necessity, until that last fatal moment when its revelation becomes clear, indisputable, and inescapable.

So today let us take a clear and unadulterated look into the mirror at ourselves.

Just six years ago we were one of the most respected and admired defenders of democracy and human rights in history. Respected not only by our friends, but even begrudgingly by most of our enemies. In fact, even the fantastic power of our military paled in comparison to the overwhelming might of our moral authority.

Today we are a nation that operates secret prisons occupied by anonymous inmates, illegally abducted and held indefinitely without charge or representation. We are guilty of torture. We are guilty of murder. We are guilty of preemptive war of conquest. We are guilty of the wholesale surveillance of our population, suppressing all hope of privacy and free dissent. And we are guilty of disgracing our nation through the abandonment of even our most basic precepts of morality.

If this is not evil, then nothing we have ever fought against is evil, and nothing we have ever fought for is good.


Excerpt from A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[j-whitman]

ST,,, Good night friend, keep up the fight.

[searingtruth]

"ST,,, Good night friend, keep up the fight."
j-whitman

Goodnight fellow patriot.
ST

"Compassion requires the greatest strength of all."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[ubrew12]

Article: "The CIA also decided to destroy the tapes in "the absence of any legal or internal reason to keep them," Hayden wrote."

Nothing to see here, folks, move it along, go about your lives, don''t look at that man behind the curtain...