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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrevor Timm: CIA director John Brennan lied to you and to the Senate. Fire him.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/31/cia-director-john-brennan-lied-senateCIA director John Brennan lied to you and to the Senate. Fire him
Trevor Timm
As reports emerged Thursday that an internal investigation by the Central Intelligence Agencys inspector general found that the CIA improperly spied on US Senate staffers when researching the CIAs dark history of torture, it was hard to conclude anything but the obvious: John Brennan blatantly lied to the American public. Again.
The facts will come out, Brennan told NBC News in March after Senator Dianne Feinstein issued a blistering condemnation of the CIA on the Senate floor, accusing his agency of hacking into the computers used by her intelligence committees staffers. Let me assure you the CIA was in no way spying on (the committee) or the Senate, he said.
After the CIA inspector generals report completely contradicted Brennans statements, it now appears Brennan was forced to privately apologize to intelligence committee chairs in a tense meeting earlier this week. Other Senators on Thursday pushed for Brennan to publicly apologize and called for an independent investigation. Sen. Ron Wyden said it well:
Ron Wyden (@RonWyden)
July 31, 2014
.@CIA broke into Senate computer files. Then tried to have Senate staff prosecuted. Absolutely unacceptable in a democracy.
July 31, 2014
.@CIA broke into Senate computer files. Then tried to have Senate staff prosecuted. Absolutely unacceptable in a democracy.
But the director of the CIA and the architect of Americas drone program, who will be all but defending torture for the next several weeks should do more than that. Apologies arent enough: John Brennan should resign.
The latest row isnt the lone CIA-spying-on-the-Senate scandal on Brennans watch. In a little noticed story last week, McClatchy reported that the CIA has also been spying on emails from whistleblower officials and Congress:
The CIA got hold of the legally protected email and other unspecified communications between whistleblower officials and lawmakers this spring, people familiar with the matter told McClatchy. Its unclear how the agency obtained the material.
That spying scandal, as well as the one Brennan has actually owned up to, both spawn from the Senates damning 6,000-page report on CIA torture, part of which is supposed to be publicly released any day now. The document will serve as yet another reminder that Brennan, when he worked in the CIA during the Bush years, supported many of the barbaric techniques used on prisoners after 9/11, which the Obama administration claims to oppose.
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Trevor Timm: CIA director John Brennan lied to you and to the Senate. Fire him. (Original Post)
Hissyspit
Jul 2014
OP
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)1. This post's premise is utterly wrong.
It wasn't lying. It was Freedom Obfuscating.
Regards,
TWM
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)2. Is that better or worse than "least untruthfull"ness? n/t
rateyes
(17,438 posts)3. Fire AND prosecute him.
90-percent
(6,829 posts)4. My suggestion to help John's PR problems
He should simply state;
"My previous statements are now inoperative."
A little nostalgia for the old folks.
-90% jimmy
IronGate
(2,186 posts)5. He should be fired, arrested and prosecuted for perjury,
illegal spying on Americans.
The CIA is forbidden by law to operate in the US against US citizens, he's responsible for the actions of his personnel.
Time for a revamping of the CIA, bring back the Church hearings.