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Congressman: Release CIA Briefing Notes on Interrogations
Guest Column | By Jim Kouri, CPP | May 13, 2009
U.S. Rep Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, released a letter Monday to Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and CIA Director Leon Panetta requesting that the CIA's Memoranda for the Record on the enhanced interrogation program be reviewed for declassification and publicly released.
"The American people should be given the full picture on what was known and agreed to on Capitol Hill on a bipartisan basis about the enhanced interrogation program," Hoekstra said.
"I think the administration should review the CIA notes and records from the briefings and, consistent with national security, make them available to the public," he said.
Hoekstra sent his request following his personal review of the records at CIA headquarters last Thursday. He said it is a mistake for people to look at this issue politically, instead of focusing on the importance of the congressional role in reviewing and conducting oversight of various intelligence programs.
"This effort is not about one person, but what lawmakers in this institution, in both parties, were aware of and supported at the time," Hoekstra said.
"Releasing these records will help clear the air. Accountability for enhanced interrogation doesn't begin with lawyers who offered opinions or interrogators in the field, it begins right here in the halls of Congress," said the veteran congressman.
Democrats have moved to block the release of documents favorable to the interrogators and attorneys who debated the policy and have been successful - with the help of the news media - in using the term "torture" to describe the controversial interrogations in the days following the worst terrorist attack ever perpetrated within the continental United States.
Many Washington insiders believe that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was deceptive when she claimed she knew nothing about enhanced interrogation techniques were used on terror suspects by CIA agents. The techniques included what is known is "waterboarding." However, documents exist confirm that Rep. Pelosi indeed knew about the intense interrogations in the months following 9/11.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, also joined other House committee ranking members last week in introducing a bill that would prevent sending terrorists currently held at Guantanamo Bay to the United States.
The staunch conservative pointed out that one of President Barack Obama's first acts upon his swearing in as President was to sign an executive order to close Guantanamo Bay without a plan for where to send the terrorists.
"Releasing hardcore radical Jihadists into Michigan or anywhere else in the United States should horrify law-abiding citizens," Hoekstra said. "It would immediately and unnecessarily endanger American lives by sending trained terrorists into the very country that they vow to destroy."
One of President Barack Obama's first acts upon his swearing in as President was to sign an executive order to close Guantanamo Bay without a plan for where to send the terrorists.
FSM Contributing Editor Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri’s website is located at http://jimkouri.us
Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views of Accuracy in Media or its staff.
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