Wednesday, May 13, 2009

House majority leader wants Nanci Pelosi investigated for torture memos

The House Majority leader,Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md, has agreed to investigate what briefings Nanci Pelosi received from the CIA relating to waterboarding and other interrogation tactics. Nanci Pelosi has denied she was briefed about the enhanced interrogation techniques. She has said, "We were not — I repeat — were not told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation methods were used." However, released CIA memos indicate she had more information than she has admitted. This has caused Nanci Pelosi to make numerous conflicting follow up statements. AP via Google Hosted News is reporting:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House majority leader reluctantly agreed Tuesday that congressional hearings should investigate Speaker Nancy Pelosi's assertion that she wasn't informed, more than six years ago, that harsh interrogation methods were used on an al-Qaida leader.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., called Republican challenges to Pelosi's assertion a diversion from the real question of whether the Bush administration tortured terrorist suspects. Nonetheless, he acknowledged the controversy should be resolved.

Democrats will hold a series of hearings on Justice Department memos released last month that justified rough tactics against detainees, including waterboarding — simulated drowning — and sleep deprivation.

While Democrats want the hearings to focus on what they call torture, Republicans have tried to turn the issue to their advantage by complaining that Pelosi and other Democrats knew of the tactics but didn't protest. Pelosi was briefed in 2002 while on the House Intelligence Committee.

Here is Pelosi's last sputtering statement on the briefings she received.

2 comments:

Reaganite Republican Resistance said...

Apparently Pelosi and Obama forgot something: the CIA KILLS people… it’s in their job description. Did these two really think that these killers were going to take-one-for-the-team… when the team captain is a lying, incompetent, arrogant nebbish who has basically told them they need to kiss his ring? -please
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Obama really kicked an ant hill with his ill-advised and politically motivated release of Bush Administration memos regarding EITs.
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Let’s have a hearing and get it all out there, shall we? Then watch the rats scatter who attacked Bush for protecting the country from terrorist attack… but who clearly knew what was going on five years before we heard a peep out of them.

Bluegrass Pundit said...

Reaganite Republican Resistance said...
"Obama really kicked an ant hill with his ill-advised and politically motivated release of Bush Administration memos regarding EITs."

Obama and the Democrats will regret this if they don't already. This was a stupid play to their base and it has backfired.