When it is Feinstein being Spied on, Suddenly she Squawks

[unhappycamper]

http://www.juancole.com/2014/03/feinstein-suddenly-squawks.html

When it is Feinstein being Spied on, Suddenly she Squawks
By Juan Cole | Mar. 12, 2014

Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) took to the senate floor on Tuesday to denounce the Central Intelligence Agency for spying on her staff as it undertook an investigation into the CIA torture program conducted under the Bush administration. The corporate media in the US refer to it as an “interrogation” program, often playing down the use of torture. Feinstein said, “How this will be resolved will show whether the Intelligence Committee can be effective in monitoring and investigating our nation’s intelligence activities, or whether our work can be thwarted by those we oversee.” Even Republican senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) admitted that if Feinstein’s allegations are true, “this is Richard Nixon stuff.”

Feinstein wants to go further, and just release the 6000-page Intelligence Committee report on the torture program, and she should be supported in this demand. We the public deserve to see it, unredacted and in full, right now. Further, the CIA should release its own 3 detailed reports on the torture program.

The Feinstein speech was a chess move in a contest with the CIA, which has played hardball with Feinstein’s staff. CIA director John Brennan went to the Department of Justice to file a complaint against the staffers for printing out and taking with them a classified internal CIA material on the program; there had been a gentlemen’s agreement that they wouldn’t remove such material from a designated reading room, but apparently the CIA had dragged its feet on the investigation by handing over reams of undigested material that would take years to comb through at the monitor. Feinstein said Tuesday that there was no justification for the complaint to the DOJ and her staffers had done nothing illegal. Then she confirmed the McClatchy news service report that the CIA monitored computers used by her staff in the investigation, thus contravening an agreement she made with the agency. For more, see Bill Moyers’ interview with Jonathan Landay and the McClatchy journalists.

The CIA used torture techniques in the interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects for several years. It seems likely from stories that have emerged from Guantanamo that some suspects died under torture. The Obama administration definitively shut the program down on coming into office in January of 2009; Obama staffers were reportedly “appalled” to discover the details. However, no officials have been charged with wrongdoing.

[liberal N proud]

1. It is OK when they shit in your neighbors yard

But when they cross that line and shit in your own yard, you are going to go after them.

I don't know if we should be pissed that she was so complacent before or happy she is finally speaking up.

[PoliticAverse]

2. It's all fun and games until the petard gets you... n/t

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. +1. Header of the Day. K and R

>>>> When it is Feinstein being Spied on, Suddenly she Squawks>>>>>