News on Central Intelligence Agency

Ex-spy says US officials went after Iraq critic: report

2011-06-16T21:30:17Z

Officials in the George W. Bush administration may have tried to use the CIA to dig up information on an Iraq war critic in order to discredit him, the New York Times reported Thursday.

Glenn Carle, who served as a top counterterrorism official in the Obama nominates candidate for CIA inspector general, spy agency's new watchdog

President Barack Obama has nominated a veteran investigator to be the next CIA inspector general, a crucial position that has remained vacant for more than a year.

David B. Buckley, currently a senior manager with a consulting firm, will hav...

Lunch With the CIA

2010-10-25T04:20:22Z

...

"Anomaly - Is There Really A War Profiteering Global Elite Steering Us To One-World Government and Genocidal Depopulation?"

2010-10-13T13:44:59Z

This is from an email I put together to help some friends get "up to speed" on things and to help make better sense of the world:

All of this information is from decent, well-respected sources. However, this may be the first time you've seen it presented together like this:

Respected journalist Bill Moyers on secret government

More secretive meetings of the elite:

...

Cheney to FBI: No idea who leaked Plame's identity

2010-04-16T09:30:24Z

Cheney told FBI he had no idea who leaked the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame

Citing faulty memory, former Vice President Dick Cheney told federal investigators in a 2004 i...

Cheney harshly criticized CIA in Plame leak probe

2010-04-16T09:30:16Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dick Cheney, then U.S. vice president, had harsh words for the CIA sending a spy's husband to Africa to see if Iraq was seeking nuclear material, according to an interview with th...

Judge rules for government on detainee documents

2010-06-25T20:15:29Z

Judge keeps secret portions of detainee interrogation documents that may describe abuse

A federal judge ruled Friday in a case on detainees at Guantanamo Bay that the government can maintain the secrecy of portions of some records that allegedly describe torture and abuse.

The American Civil Liberties Union h...

Rancor over Obamas last choices

2010-10-22T12:08:02Z

...

Playing the God Card

2010-10-22T11:45:42Z

...

Editorial Roundup

2010-06-25T20:33:48Z

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

Sept. 22

Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, on ACORN:

ACORN has a lot of work...

Obama: Justice OK to conduct interrogation review

2010-04-16T10:13:37Z

Obama won't tell Justice Dept. to end interrogation probe of Bush administration practices

President Barack Obama says he has no plans to ask the Justice Department to end its criminal investigation into the harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists during the Bush administration.

Seven former Appeals court temporarily halts CIA secrets case after judge chides agency

A federal appeals court has put a lawsuit against the CIA on hold temporarily, disagreeing with a lower court judge who claimed the agency was hiding behind dubious national security arguments to shield itself from potential embarrassment.

The decision by a federal appeals panel on Thursday to grant ...

White House battles Cheney on security

2010-06-25T20:51:45Z

The White House fought back fiercely Monday against former vice president Dick Cheney's charges that President Barack Obama has hurt US national security, as a feud over CIA interrogations deepened.

US national security adviser Jim Jones, a gruff retired...

Cheney is Right to Criticize Obama's CIA Probe

2010-10-22T07:36:44Z

...

Cheney says politics behind CIA probe at Justice

2010-04-16T10:35:15Z

Cheney points to politics as reason Justice Department is looking at CIA interrogations

Former Vice President Dick Cheney says politics are driving the Justice Department's decision to investigate whether CIA interrogators abused terror suspect...

Justice Dept. again fielding charges of politics

2010-06-25T20:52:33Z

Justice Department beset once again by charges of playing politics, this time under Democrats

Besieged during the Bush administration for bending to the White House's will, the Justice Department is again accused of playing politics with cases — this time in investigating whether Never mind what CIA interrogators did to terrorism suspects, Cheney says

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is blistering Attorney General Eric Holder for appointing a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that the CIA tortured suspected terrorists.

Cheney sai...

Cheney slams 'political' CIA torture probe

2010-06-25T20:53:26Z

Former US vice president Dick Cheney Friday slammed a Justice Department probe into alleged abusive interrogation techniques by CIA agents as an "outrageous political act."

In an interview with

2010-06-25T20:56:15Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney criticized President Barack Obama's ability to handle national security after the Justice Department appointed a special prosecutor to investigate

2010-10-22T07:36:12Z

...

'Inhumane' CIA terror tactics spur criminal probe

2010-06-25T20:58:23Z

Criminal probe ordered as report says CIA used 'inhumane' tactics on terror suspects

The Obama administration launched a criminal investigation Monday into harsh questioning of detainees during President George W. Bush's war on terrorism, revealing CIA interrogators...

Analysis: Obama in crosswinds on detention policy

2010-04-16T10:40:15Z

Analysis: Obama struggles to put Bush-era abuses of terror suspects behind him and move on

After declaring he would rather look forward, President Barack Obama is delving instead into the past to deal with lingering assertions of CIA mistreatment of terror suspects during the Bush administration. It's another headache for an administration struggling to juggle two wars, a painful recession and a crowded agend...

The CIA (Finally) on Trial

2010-10-22T07:36:05Z

...

CIA report: 'Inhumane' tactics used on detainees

2010-06-25T20:57:32Z

CIA interrogators threatened to kill the children of one detainee at the height of the Bush administration's war on terror and implied that another's mother would be sexually assaulted, newly declassified documents revealed Monday as the government launched a criminal investigation into the spy agency's "unauthorized, improvised, inhumane" practices.

At the same time, the Obama administration announced a new policy for future ...

Special prosecutor to probe CIA interrogations: US media

2010-04-16T10:40:24Z

The US attorney general is set to name a special prosecutor to probe CIA interrogators suspected of having violated anti-torture laws, US media said Monday.

Eric Holder, America's top law enforcement official, will name veteran justice department prosecutor Obama administration is assigning a veteran prosecutor to begin a criminal probe of CIA questioning of terror suspects during the Bush administration, and a new detainee interrogation unit is being created to be supervised by the White House, officials said Monday.

Federal pros...

Obama approves new US interrogation team: report

2010-04-16T10:40:55Z

US President Barack Obama has approved the creation of an elite team of interrogators to question key terrorism suspects, The Washington Post reported Monday.

Citing unnamed senior administration officials, the newspaper said the decision was part of a broader effort to revamp US polic...

Justice Dept advises pursuing CIA abuses: report

2010-04-16T10:40:59Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has recommended reopening nearly a dozen prisoner-abuse cases, which could expose CIA employees and contractors to prosecution for their treatment of terrorism suspects, AP sources: Internal CIA probe reveals more details about US treatment of terror detainees

As the Justice Department considers whether to investigate alleged harsh interrogation practices sanctioned by the Bush administration, sources say a soon-to-be-released report by the AP Interview: Former AG Gonzales says he'd 'do some things over,' including 'quaint' memo

Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday he wishes he could "do some things over" from his years with the Bush administration, citing a memo he wrote that human rights groups contended led to the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in

Mendacious Indignados

2010-10-22T11:03:43Z

...

Lawsuit seeks CIA records for Pelosi briefings

2010-06-25T21:21:16Z

Judicial Watch sues CIA to get records of congressional briefings on terror interrogations

The conservative group Judicial Watch has filed a lawsuit to get access to the CIA's records of congressional briefings on terrorism interrogation techniques.

Judicial Watch says it's trying to discover the truth about House Speaker ...

Checks, balances ignored

2010-04-16T11:16:53Z

New disclosures suggest secret CIA program borne of rash decision-making

More information is being learned about a CIA program created after 9/11 that was kept hidden from Congress until last month when the agencyÕs director, Leon Panetta, first learned of it and immediately shut it down.

Liz Cheney declines to say whether father ordered CIA to conceal secret program from Congress

Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter Liz said Tuesday she doesn't believe her father did anything wrong in connection with a secret CIA operation that officials have sai...

Officials: CIA program targeted al-Qaida leaders

2010-06-25T21:31:39Z

Officials: Panetta canceled CIA effort to find, kill al-Qaida leaders up close

A secret intelligence program canceled by CIA Director Leon Panetta in June was meant to find and then capture or kill al-Qaida leaders at close range rather than target them with air strikes that ri...

Democrats push for probe into Bush policies

2010-06-25T21:32:17Z

Democrats push for probe into Bush anti-terror policies, despite Obama's reluctance

President Barack Obama has been reluctant to probe Bush-era torture and anti-terrorism policies, but his Democratic allies aren't likely to let the matters rest.

"I've always preferred my idea of a commission of inquiry to look at all these issues," Senate Judiciary C...

Cheney hid CIA program from Congress: senator

2010-06-25T21:32:43Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA withheld information from the U.S. Congress about a secret counterterrorism program on orders from former Vice President Dick Cheney, a senator said on Sunday as

Feinstein suggests CIA concealment broke law

2010-06-25T21:32:26Z

Senate Intelligence chair Dianne Feinstein suggests counterterror program concealment illegal

Six months into Barack Obama's presidency, his Democratic allies are pushing for twin investigations into Bush-era torture and anti-terrorism policies.

Two senators including the head of the intelligence committee suggested Sunday that the prior ad...

U.S. top prosecutor considering torture investigation

2010-06-25T21:32:32Z

by Jim Vicini

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is considering whether to appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's interrogation practices involving the CIA, and is expected to make a decision in a few weeks, a Justice Department...

Feinstein: CIA concealment may have broken the law

2010-04-16T11:23:10Z

Senate Intelligence chair Feinstein says concealment of program may have broken law

The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says the Bush administration may have broken the law if it ordered the CIA to conceal the existence of a counterterrorism program.

Durbin: Probe possible Cheney concealment

2010-04-16T11:23:11Z

Senator calls for probe of whether Cheney ordered concealment of program from Congress

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin says Congress should investigate whether former Vice President Dick Cheney and others in the Bush administration ordered the CIA to conceal the existence of a ...

US attorney general mulls appointing 'torture prosecutor'

2010-06-25T21:32:39Z

US Attorney General Eric Holder is mulling appointing a criminal prosecutor to probe if CIA personnel tortured terrorism suspects after the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to a newspaper.

Citing three unnamed sources close to the matter, The Washington Post said such a move could set the stage for a conflict with officials in House Democrats say CIA misled Congress; White House threatens veto on eve of intel debate

CIA Director Leon Panetta told Congress last month that senior CIA officials have concealed signifi...

Obama administration delays release of CIA report

2010-06-12T10:44:03Z

Justice Dept delays release of CIA report on detention, interrogation program until late Aug

The Obama administration said Thursday that it needs two more months to review an internal CIA report on the agency's secret detention and interrogation program before making it public, drawing criticism from civil libertarians who s...

Intelligence pick bows out over CIA tactic ties

2010-06-25T22:03:17Z

Homeland Security intelligence nominee drops out of consideration over ties to CIA tactics

President Barack Obama's pick for intelligence chief at the Homeland Security Department withdrew from consideration Friday amid qu...

DHS nominee drops out over ties to CIA tactics

2010-06-25T22:02:14Z

DHS nominee drops out of consideration for top intel post over ties to CIA tactics

President Barack Obama's pick to be the top intelligence chief at the Homeland Security Department withdrew from consideration Friday after...

Cheney's secret briefings defended interrogations

2010-06-25T22:03:47Z

Cheney's secret 2005 briefings tried to shore up Capitol Hill support for CIA interrogations

Dick Cheney as vice president conducted secret briefings for lawmakers in 2005 aimed at defending harsh interrogations as their methods were coming under congressional scrutiny, a...

Analysis: CIA's Panetta navigating tight course

2010-06-25T22:12:56Z

Analysis: Balancing act for CIA's Panetta _ support agency, keep lines open with key lawmakers

If Leon Panetta was hired to lead the CIA because of his deft touch with Congress, he's been earning his paycheck.

Relations between the CIA and Capitol Hill are never e...

Pelosi: Nothing more to say on her CIA allegation

2010-06-25T22:13:49Z

Pelosi says she's got nothing more to say about CIA briefing, but GOP critics persist

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she won't talk any more about her charge that the CIA lied in 2002 about using waterboarding on terrorism suspects. "I have made the statement that I'm going to make on this," she told reporters at a <...

House rejects panel to investigate CIA briefing of Pelosi

2010-06-25T22:14:43Z

The Democrat-led US House of Representatives on Thursday spurned Republican efforts to launch a formal probe into Speaker Nancy Pelosi's charges that the CIA misled her on alleged torture.

By a largely party-line vote of 252 to 172, the House rejected a resolution proposed by House of Representatives will call Thursday for a formal probe into Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's charges that the CIA misled her on alleged torture, an official said.

"House Republicans will call today for a bipartisan investigation of Speaker Pelosi with regards to allegations the CIA lied to her" about inte...

Parsing The American Appetite For Torture

2010-10-21T09:59:31Z

...

Gingrich, Boehner Embarrass Republicans Over Pelosi Brouhaha

2010-10-21T09:32:55Z

...

Boehner: Pelosi needs to come clean on accusations

2010-06-25T22:20:33Z

Republican leader says Pelosi needs to prove CIA misled her on interrogations or apologize

The top House Republican says Speaker Nancy Pelosi should provide evidence the CIA misled her about harsh interrogation techniques or apologize for her accusatio...

CIA rejects Cheney request for memos declassification

2010-06-25T22:22:50Z

The CIA said Thursday it has denied former vice president Dick Cheney's request for the declassification of memos that he said showed that harsh detainee interrogations yielded valuable intelligence.

CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said the request was rejected because the information ...

CIA rebuffs Cheney over interrogation documents

2010-06-25T22:22:50Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA Thursday rejected a request by former Vice President Dick Cheney that it make public documents that he said showed the effectiveness of using harsh interrogation methods on terrorism suspects.

Cheney had asked the agency to declassify two memos that...

Flailing In Quicksand

2010-10-21T10:01:33Z

...

Absurd Fun

2010-10-21T09:59:23Z

...

Pelosi under fire over 'torture' briefings

2010-06-25T22:24:56Z

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- a key ally of President Barack Obama -- has come under fire over whether she has long known about harsh interrogation tactics used in George W. Bush's "war on terror."

"She was briefed on it and if she felt it was wrong she should have acted," US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- a key ally of President Barack Obama -- has come under fire over whether she has long known about harsh interrogation tactics used in George W. Bush's "war on terror."

"She was briefed on it and if she felt it was wrong she should have acted," Source: Draft Justice report says no charges should be filed in terrorist interrogation memos

Justice Department investigators say Bush administration lawyers who approved harsh interrogation techniques of terror suspects should not face criminal charges, according to a draft report that also recommends two of the three attorneys face possible professional sanctions.

The Obama administration decided las...

Democrats push for interrogation investigations

2010-04-16T13:35:35Z

Democrats push for interrogation investigations while Republicans say it's time to move on

A leading Democratic senator said Sunday independent investigators should determine whether Bush administration officials ought to face charges over the harsh interrogation techniques used against suspected terrorists.

The White House ...

Pentagon to release photos of US detainee abuse

2010-06-12T10:44:22Z

Obama administration to release photos detailing US abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan, Iraq

The White House vowed Friday it will not be distracted by an upcoming disclosure sure to gain attention at...

GOP, Democrats, stoke interrogation debate

2010-06-25T23:23:21Z

With both parties seeking gains from CIA interrogation debate, Obama must stand by and watch

Congressional Democrats and Republicans don't agree on much. But each party signaled Friday it thinks it can benefit from further disclosures...

UN torture envoy: US must prosecute Bush lawyers

2010-04-16T13:37:33Z

UN envoy says United States must prosecute Bush administration lawyers who approved torture

The U.S. is obligated by a United Nations convention to prosecute Bush administration lawyers who allegedly drafted policies that approved the use of harsh interrogation tactics against terrorism suspects, the U.N.'s top anti-torture envoy said Friday.

Analysis: Obama walks thin line on interrogations

2010-06-26T00:15:29Z

Analysis: For Obama, CIA interrogations pose political risk

Barack Obama, facing perhaps the trickiest political issue of his young presidency, is trying to appease his liberal base without losing control of a potentially volatile inquiry into George W. Bush administrat...

White House opposes special commission

2010-06-25T23:24:24Z

White House opposes special commission on harsh Bush-era detainee interrogations

The Obama administration struggled to quell persistent Democratic demands for a potentially explosive probe of harsh Bush administration detainee interrogations Thursday, abruptly declaring opposition to an independent commission. Republicans stepped up their own criti...

Gates: Interrogation info's release inevitable

2010-04-16T13:40:33Z

Defense secretary believed release of terrorist suspect interrogation details was 'inevitable'

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he approves of the Obama administration's release of Bush-era memos on harsh interrogations of terrorist suspects because he expects that the documents inevitably will become public.

Gates says he was most concerned wit...

Democrats hold back on second interrogations probe

2010-06-25T23:41:10Z

Senate Democrats hold back on independent panel as probe continues into harsh interrogations

Senate Democratic leaders don't appear inclined to appoint an independent panel to investigate the Bush administration's interrogation program before the Senate Intelligence Committee completes i...

CIA first proposed waterboarding in May 2002

2010-04-16T14:09:10Z

New document: CIA asked for permission to waterboard alleged terrorist in May 2002

A new document indicates the CIA first proposed waterboarding alleged al-Qaida terrorist Abu Zubaydah to top Bush administration officials in mid-May 2002, three months before the Shifting rhetoric at the White House on prosecutions related to interrogation policies

A look at the White House's shifting rhetoric on the possibility of prosecutions stemming from CIA interrogation techniques against terror suspects.

THURSDAY

In a written statement, Obama's Day: President meets Monday with Cabinet to discuss spending cuts, then visits CIA hq

Back from his fence-mending trip to Latin America and the Caribbean, President Barack Obama holds his first formal

Pelosi's Claims Of Powerlessness

2010-10-21T10:01:24Z

...

White House, Senator, against interrogation probe

2010-06-25T23:24:13Z

The White House and its top US Senate ally poured cold water on hopes of creating an independent commission to probe harsh Bush-era interrogation techniques widely seen as torture.

Lawmakers escalated their feud over who knew what, and when, and where, as well as what to do about the people who planned, justified and used tactics like the near-drowning known as waterb...

Obama leaves Bush aides open to torture charges

2010-10-21T10:37:48Z

...

Obama opens door to terror cases against officials

2010-06-26T00:32:16Z

President Barack Obama Tuesday opened the door to prosecuting Bush-era officials who authorized terror interrogations seen by critics as torture, wading into a deep legal and political thicket.

Obama distinguished between intelligence operatives acting under White House legal authority who used coercive tactics on Al-Qaeda...

Obama declines to rule out interrogation prosecutions

2010-04-16T14:47:33Z

President Barack Obama Tuesday declined to rule out prosecuting Bush-era officials who authorized harsh terror interrogations seen by critics as torture, despite shielding CIA agents involved.

Obama distinguished between operatives who used coercive tactics like near drowning on terror suspects under orders, and the Bush administration offici...

Former Bush officials slam release of torture memos

2010-04-16T15:22:46Z

Amid calls for torture prosecutions, former Bush administration officials Friday slammed President Barack Obama's release of terror interrogation memos, warning the move would fuel "timidity and fear" among US spies.

Unhappy with Obama's promise not to prosecute CIA officials, human ri...

Obama defends 'absolution' of CIA

2010-10-21T10:37:26Z

...

Obama defends CIA 'absolution'

2010-10-21T10:37:33Z

...

Obama releases Bush-era interrogation memos

2010-06-26T01:26:19Z

President Barack Obama's administration Thursday released four memos, with sections blacked out, which were written by Bush administration's officials to justify harsh CIA interrogations of terror suspects.

In a statement, Obama said the tactics adopted by the administration of his predecessor Judge Sergio Silocchi reads the sentence of the appeal trial on a CIA-led kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect, Muslim cleric Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, at the Kareem Khan, centre left, a Pakistani tribesman from North Wazirstan, is surrounded by media as his lawyer Mirza Shahzad Akbar, centre right, looks on, during a media conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday, Nov. 29, 2010. Khan, says he lost his son and brother in an American missile attack in the country's northwest and is demanding damage...

The Glamorous Spy

2010-11-04T06:53:06Z

FILE- This Friday, May 9, 2008 file photo shows former CIA officer Valerie Plame as she speaks at an annual "power lunch" hosted by Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky in Chicago. With the release Friday of "Rob Richer, a retired CIA officer, and his wife, Kim, walk their bikes to the Pacific Ocean outside the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, Calif. , Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, after completing their 47 day "Pedaling for Partriots" cross country bike ride t...

YEMEN POLAND CIA PRISON

2010-10-27T08:36:41Z

FILE -- In this Oct. 28, 2000 file photo, Yemeni fishermen pass by the damaged destroyer USS Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen, after a powerful explosion ripped a hole in the U.S Navy destroyer, killing at least 17 sailors and injuring some 30 others. Polish officials investigating a now-shuttered secret