FBI: We Warned About Torture of Detainees

Mueller Testifies Pentagon, Justice Dept. Were Told Interrogation Methods "Might Not Be Appropriate"

(AP)  FBI Director Robert Mueller on Wednesday recalled warning the Justice Department and the Pentagon that some U.S. interrogation methods used against terrorists might be inappropriate, if not illegal.

Mueller's comments came under pointed questioning by House Democrats demanding to know if the Federal Bureau of Investigation tried to stop interrogations in 2002 that critics define as torture.

Mueller said the FBI does not use coercive techniques when questioning suspects or witnesses, and he reportedly pulled his agents out of CIA or military interrogations several years ago to protect them from legal consequences.

FBI protocol "wouldn't engage in torture," said Rep. Stephen Cohen, a Democrat. "But if you find out that other agencies may engage in torture, that you believe is illegal - does your protocol include informing those agencies that you believe their actions are illegal?"

"Yes," Mueller answered.

"Who did you inform?" Cohen asked.

"At points in time, we have reached out to DoD, DoJ, in terms of activity that we were concerned might not be appropriate, let me put it that way," Mueller said. DoD refers to the Department of Defense and DoJ to the Department of Justice.

Mueller said some of the FBI's concerns dated back to 2002, when top al Qaeda detainees were waterboarded by CIA interrogators. Waterboarding involves strapping a person down and pouring water over his or her cloth-covered face to create the sensation of drowning. Critics call it a form of torture.

Asked how the Justice Department and Pentagon responded to the FBI's advice, Mueller declined to discuss it publicly, citing concerns about releasing classified information. He also referred to the Justice Department's legal guidance at the time that waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods were legal as long as they did not result in organ failure or death.

That guidance, contained in a series of memos by the department's Office of legal Counsel, since has been rescinded.

"If you could give us a response as to which agencies did not listen to you, Director, and engaged in torture, I think that would be very important for this committee to know," Cohen said. "If there's departments - of Defense and Justice, or CIA - that don't listen to the director of the FBI."

The brief exchange came during a House Judiciary Committee hearing. It highlighted Congress' interest in whether the Bush administration violated international laws against torture when allowing waterboarding against terror suspects in the years following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States.

The Justice Department is investigating internally whether its attorneys crossed a line in authorizing the tactics. Both the CIA and the Pentagon banned personnel from using waterboarding in 2006.

Committee Chairman John Conyers, a Democrat, said he was "shocked" that the FBI's refusal to coerce suspects during interrogations was not followed by the CIA or Pentagon

"The FBI deserves credit for those standards," Conyers said, "but they should be followed by all federal government agencies, not just the FBI."

[trishab4]

If it means saving hundred, thousand, tens of thousands, or even millions, ABSOLUTELY!.. Toture him twice just to make sure! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by Corey2444 at 03:05 AM : Apr 24, 2008

-such an idiot. Pathetic. Illegal is illegal. What the heck, made you doubt a sec that those guys were to kill millions? ! Those who killed millions were Europeans in the last world war.

[twowheelcowboy]

The FBI doesnt condone torture? I guess Waco and Ruby Ridge sure proved that. Sure glad i aint a Christian in America

[twowheelcowboy]

The FBI doesnt condone torture? I guess Waco and Ruby Ridge sure proved that. Sure glad i aint a Christian in America

[ioweign]

FBI protocol "wouldn''''t engage in torture," said Rep. Stephen Cohen, a Democrat. "But if you find out that other agencies may engage in torture, that you believe is illegal - does your protocol include informing those agencies that you believe their actions are illegal?"
**********************************

Gosh, there maybe hope. There are some decent and moral people in the government departments. The Bush administration is evil and it is nice to see at least the FBI trying to uphold American values.

Posted by kansas1946 at 11:37 PM : Apr 24, 2008


What ever happened to crime prevention ? If you are fairly certain a crime is going to take place or will take place - aren''t we suppose to prevent it ?

The FBI was fairly certain other agencies were going to use torture so where is the crime prevention ?

No Neighborhood Watch in DC...

[bohemianmob]

I think we should torture terrorists like in the movie Hostel.

[kansas1946]

FBI protocol "wouldn''t engage in torture," said Rep. Stephen Cohen, a Democrat. "But if you find out that other agencies may engage in torture, that you believe is illegal - does your protocol include informing those agencies that you believe their actions are illegal?"
**********************************

Gosh, there maybe hope. There are some decent and moral people in the government departments. The Bush administration is evil and it is nice to see at least the FBI trying to uphold American values.

[lastdance116]

J. Edgar Hoover" (FBI Director)
Often enjoyed : A Romp in Bed with : "Young Boys"
If those Young Boys, came from - Juvenile Detention Centers.
They may - "Not" - of had any - Choice in the Matter
That activity - Now turns into a : CHILD S*e*x* - Slave - Trafficking operation.

I want to see - The FBI - Describe - Explain and Justify the roll
The FBI played in the Child S*e*x .. Slave Operations

Including the roll ... The FBI played in : Assisting and Carrying out
The Torture - That was forced upon Children
Girls aged 9 thu 11 and Boys aged 10 thu 13
Incarcerated within American Juvenile Detention Centers
Including - The Mind Controlling Exercises and Devices
Administered to Those same children

The FBI has a More Recent history of :
Hiding and Suppressing Evidence against Federal Employees and Politicians
Allowing Under-aged Congressional Pages to be
S*e*x*u*ally Stalked and Assaulted

S*e*x*u*al Misconduct with Underage Children (known)
Rep. Larry Craig (R. ID) ................Rep. Ted Stevens (R. Alaska)
Rep. John T. Doolittle (R. Calif.) ....Rep. Gary G. Miller (R. Calif.)
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R. Calif.) .......... Rep. Rick Renzi (R. Az.)
Rep. Richard Curtis (R.WA.) ........Rep. David Vitter (R-La.)
Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) .............Rep. Bob Allen (R-Fla.)

Research : The Franklin Coverup Scandal (Copy and Paste (Google)
Research : (George Bush, The CIA, Mind Control & Child Abuse (Copy and Paste (Google)

When I enlisted in 1970 and took the oath, it was an eye opener for this 19yo. At least the part that went %u2013 to defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies both foreign and domestic. Those flimsy sheets of paper (along with the Magna Carta) are the greatest works produced by any one society. We depend upon the one unalienable right, the right of Habeas Corpus, to keep us free. We cannot afford to let any one suspend that right, for any reason. If we do, it is a very slippery slope to fall down to Hitlers level.

We need the DoJ to back up and undue what Gonzales let loose. It would be nice that our Gitomo interrogators could out think their charges. If they cant, then get smarter interrogators. Torture never did anyone any good. The info acquired by torture has never been viable. In my 21 years, never heard of anyone having good intel from this kind of source that operators (combat troops) would stake their lives on

[magoo2u1]

"Ok, if Mueller and the FBI felt so strongly that torture was illegal, why then did he not grow a pair and indict those responsible?"

Because the DOD has tanks? The CIA might waterboard him
as a terrorist sympathizer and send him to Syria as an extraordinary rendition prisoner? In times like these you develop a Sargent Shultz approach: " I see nothing, I say nothing, I know nothing"......

[impeach_w]

Agreed, If FBI saw it and did not make an arrest, Pull a gun or do anything to stop it, they are just as guily. Please lets hear ALL about what you saw and didn''t do anything to stop. The CIA won''t tell us...

[johnshaft4]

Ok, if Mueller and the FBI felt so strongly that torture was illegal, why then did he not grow a pair and indict those responsible?

[ricknuber]

notblue:

Does your rationale for anything not revolve around the the politics of fear?

No amount of illegal torture can stop individual acts of terrorism. Intel derived from torture is not nearly as accurate as that which is illicited via other means. Evidence extracted under physical duress is never admissible in a respectable court of law, making it harder to prosecute terrorists we DO catch.

You''re just trying to apologize for Bush at the expense of the safety of our troops and our moral standing on the global stage. You''re a one-trick pony, and very predictable.

Face facts: torture is morally wrong, and Bush knowingly abetted torture.

[ricknuber]

notblue:

There you go, further proving that Republicans are moral relativists, willing to lower the bar for whatever reason they can find.

Why bother having Geneva convention rules at all? Why not just liquidate every person we suspect of anything?

Other countries are likely to take your attitude towards our troops in the future. If you think it won''t happen, ask McCain about his time in Hanoi. Rules of engagement safeguard our troops as well. It is sad you don''t care about them.

In the race to the moral bottom, notblue is clearly the winner.

[watcher269-2009]

YUP! They warned everyone in a deleted email.

Some Proof there!

[mountainzen]

"What all you people purposely ignore is the enemy we are currently fighting could care less about our morals and values."

So we should throw our morals and values out as well?
Then we are no better...might as well throw out the constitution as well...

Then there''s no moral authority here anymore.

[ioweign]

This is like a flash back to the CIA MK-Ultra abuses on American citizens in the ''''60s. So what will the penalty be for the Justice Dept. if, by some act of God, it is found that what they did was illegal? I''''ll place the first $1000 bet that not one person goes to jail for this, unlike the Nazi''''s.

Posted by lochlan at 11:54 AM : Apr 24, 2008

Oh, people are watching. One group is the International Red Cross...

[emily3451]

dear true blue. two words GENEVA CONVENTIONS.
besides don''t most experienced interrogators say that info obtained through torture is often incorrect?

[notblue]

What all you people purposely ignore is the enemy we are currently fighting could care less about our morals and values. THe crimes the enemy has already perpetrated are beyond a reasonable moral Americans ability to comprehend. Even if we placed these Islamic savages in the Hilton with tghree squares a day their borthers would take you or your families heads in a heartbeat without remorse, our actions have absolutely no bearing on their savage agenda. Until this true fact is realized and blame is placed where it squarely belongs the enemy will continue to laugh at our infighting and blaming of fellow Americans.

[neenga]

Ooooh, what brilliant name-callers you all are. Run for office, pleeeeeeeez? You''ll fit right in.

[lastdance116]

NAZI Bush Apointee - FBI (Fascist) Director Robert (COWARD) Mueller

Where are The Criminal Complaints ? ?

Jeffrey Dahmer - Got his start as a Mass - Serial Murderer and Cannibal
By Torturing then Impaling small animals on stakes.

There was a Time when Anyone - Knowing that a Crime was Taking Place
Was Charged with the same Crime or as an Accomplice to that CRIME
There are People in Prison Today - Simply as an Accomplice to a Crime

Anyone in the US - Who Tortures people - Gets a One Way Ticket to :
The State Penn.
Anyone in the US - Who Tortures Animals - Gets a One Way Ticket to :
The City or County Prison

How many Police Officers are - In Jail or Prison - Because they Refused
To make an Arrest or File a Formal Public Criminal Report.

This is called : CORRUPTION -

FBI (Fascist) Director Robert (COWARD) Mueller
and the Entire Hierarchy of The FBI - Had no Intention of :
Following any Guidelines - That would have Given any Form of
Influence or Affluence Towards :
An OBLIGATION to the HUMANITY of : MANKIND

FBI (Fascist) Director Robert (COWARD) Mueller
and the Entire Hierarchy of The FBI - Have Demonstrated
By their own Actions - A Profound - Perverted and Degenerated
Sub-Human activity Towards - The Entire Human Race

Their Actions and Involvement - They - Did - Nothing
To Prevent or Stop It ! ! !

The (Fascist) FBI - The Vanguards and Protectors of :
The NAZI FASCIST RULE - Against the People of The United States
(this has been going on for decades)