Pelosi Says She Was Never Briefed ‘About The Secret Memos’ Authorizing CIA Torture

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/10/07/pelosi-secret-memo/

Pelosi Says She Was Never Briefed ‘About The Secret Memos’ Authorizing CIA Torture

Earlier this week, after the New York Times revealed that the Bush administration gave the CIA secret approval in 2005 to use harsh interrogation techniques, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino asserted that members of Congress had been “fully briefed” on the secret opinions.

On Fox News Sunday today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who as minority leader in 2005 would have been informed of the most highly classified information, said that she had not been briefed “about the secret memos” in 2005:

CHRIS WALLACE: You were never briefed about these secret memos in 2005?

NANCY PELOSI: No, not about the secret memos.

Watch it at link~

Pelosi is not the first member of Congress to say that they were never briefed about the secret memos. On Friday, Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the administration “can’t say that Congress has been fully briefed” because they have withheld “key documents“:

They can’t say that Congress has been fully briefed while refusing to turn over key documents used to justify the legality of the program.

The reality is, the Administration refused to disclose the program to the full Committee for five years, and they have refused to turn over key legal documents since day one.

As ThinkProgress has noted, the White House has little credibility when it says it has “fully briefed” Congress on its counterterrorism activities. Though officials have repeatedly claimed that they briefed key lawmakers on the NSA domestic wiretapping program and other spying programs, those claims have never held up in the past.

[seemslikeadream]

1. Nancy did you ever here the word

Abu Ghraib


there were some photos floating around maybe you missed them?


Did you really have to be briefed?


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1983513

[Jim__]

2. What the hell does "fully briefed" mean?

We all know the White House does not hesitate to tell outright lies. Why would anyone infer what the White House wants them to infer from an ambiguous statement?

[C_U_L8R]

19. it's kinda like a wedgie

there's no forgetting when you've been briefed by these goons

[L. Coyote]

3. SO, is CIA Torture on the TABLE now? IMPEACH the LIARS!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. they cannot refuse to hand over documents, so,

what is Pelosi, et al going to do about it?

[babylonsister]

5. Sure they can. They've been stonewalling for months, not responding to

subpoenas, claiming executive privilege, etc. And they'll continue to do so until someone calls them on it definitively; stern warning letters obviously don't work.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. exactly, what are they going to do about it now?

there are laws or is that a thing of the past?

[cali]

20. What do you suggest?

I'm all for impeachment, but under no illusion that it will amount to anything. I'm all for contempt citations, but recognize that Tayor won't do a thing to enforce them. So what exactly is your suggestion?

[babylonsister]

24. I do think they should try arrest warrants; that would get someone's

attention. The alternative is to do nothing and let them get away with what they have been getting away with. I imagine Waxman, Leahy, Conyers, et al., are fit to be tied that they're being ignored. The question is, will they do anything concrete about it, or can they?

Is there an interim step I'm unaware of? And impeachment would also get their attention, but like you, I don't think that will happen-sadly. To me, the stonewalling would be another reason to add to the impeachment argument.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

25. apart from calling in a 'higher' government?

it is up to the people to take charge of their country. Perhaps constituents should set up town hall meetings to hold their congresspeople accountable?

[Ghost in the Machine]

6. They'll send 'harshly worded letters', then have an investigation, which

will lead them to issue subpoenas that will be promptly ignored. After waiting for 4 months, they'll declare that "we can't do anything because we can't get documents", then things will just die down and it'll soon be forgotten by the masses when the new playstation comes out.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. surely the legislative branch isn't THAT lame?

send out warrants for their arrest?

[tavalon]

16. They've been just exactly that lame so far

Is there something that makes you think this will be different?

[Ghost in the Machine]

22. Where have you been hiding?

Where's Condi's arrest warrant? Where's The arrest warrants for not turning over all of the RNC emails? This congress has no guts, morals or ethics. Period.

[tavalon]

15. Nothing, unless Nancy and et al grew a spine overnight

[VP505]

7. She also

said that she was against the war from the start, if so, she sure has enabled a lot of support for something she claims to have been against.

[ray of light]

8. So can she PLEASE PUT IMPEACHMENT ON THE TABLE!

[gratuitous]

10. So the administration lied to your face

Then went public and lied about your collusion with their lies. You know, that would have gotten someone off my Christmas card list for sure, Ms. Pelosi. Are you planning to execute any similarly dire consequences for this lying, lawless administration, or will you just repeat to yourself again that they really, really love you, and go back to the abusers? There are options, you know.

[Pachamama]

21. The only option is impeachment, but Nancy took that off the table...

She doesn't get it...Just like last week when she sat in an interview with Wolf Blitzer and said that the republicans now own this war that Bush started. Really? Who's in charge? :shrug:

[gratuitous]

26. But if she isn't going to impeach . . .

At the very least, the Democrats should be laying out their own political vision for the country, and giving we the people a good look at what their governing philosophy will be. Are we a nation that practices torture? No. Then let's see some laws passed, with teeth, that will constrain the Bush administration from its headlong rush to fascism. Are we a nation that cares for its citizens, particularly the poorest? If so, let's override Chimpy's veto of SCHIP.

My fear is that Pelosi and her caucus don't want to appear to be too effective, because if they do accomplish some of the goals of their constituency, they might be called upon to do more. Maybe they're just too lazy, I don't know.

[Pachamama]

28. I completely agree with you - and on the topic of torture for example, the silence of the Dems and

the lack of action on passing some laws with teeth, worries me a lot. The old saying about the "Silence speaks volumes" or the "Silence is deafening" comes to mind. I don't understand what seems to be silence and lack of action on the part of the Dems. Are they being threatened? I just don't understand and I think a lot of Americans are wondering the same.

[Fovea]

12. Well, that explains everything

She wasn't fully briefed.
Forgive me for calling you feckless, Nancy.
You are simply incapable.

[tavalon]

17. No, she is quite capable,

but you are confused about what her job is. She is to collude while distracting the masses with Bread and Circuses. I think she's doing a fine job at that. Sadly, we at DU and a few other left blogosphere sites are the only ones noticing that she's all talk and no action.

[Mojorabbit]

13. NANCY PELOSI: No, not about the secret memos.

But is this parsing words? Was she briefed on what they were doing but did not know about the memos? I have been watching these replies from her and Rockefeller closely and the wording is very meticulous.

[tavalon]

18. It depends on what the definition of is is.

Whoa, de ja fucking vu!

Boy, it really kind of sucks for her that we don't lockstep like the fascist Repigs.

[tavalon]

14. Um, we were

Perhaps you should come over here.

[ThomWV]

23. OK, so is IMPEACHMENT back on the table now?

[Disturbed]

27. Pelosi doesn't know if water boarding is Torture or not?

WALLACE: So let me ask you directly. Do you think that the interrogation techniques that have been reported -- let's not talk about what's in the memo, but what's been reported -- in combination, head slapping, water boarding, exposure to extreme temperatures. Torture?

PELOSI: There is a legal definition of torture that I believe this would fit. The president says it is not. Again, we have to see the degree and what he is talking about, because again, to answer on the basis of something that's been reported in the press that the president has deemed is not torture, it's just not -- I just can't give you an informative answer on that.

[AntiFascist]

29. Now she's attempting the tried and true method of the religious right...

she's praying for Bush! :sarcasm: