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Nancy Pelosi, CIA Interrogations | 05/22/2009 9:52 am

Nancy Pelosi: 'I Stand By My Comment' That CIA 'Misled' Congress on Waterboarding

Pelosi refuses to comment further on accusation that CIA may have lied to Congress, but GOP, including John McCain, still want her to prove it.
By The staff at wowOwow.com
© Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insists she has said all she’s going to say about the CIA’s Congressional briefings on the interrogation techniques were being used on terror detainees in September of 2002.

Pelosi has been under fire from Republicans who object to her remarks accusing the CIA of misleading her, an accusation she has not substantiated with proof. Some have even called on the FBI to launch an investigation into whether the CIA did in fact keep things from Congress. The Democratic-led House on Thursday rejected that idea, with Pelosi’s spokesman calling it a "political stunt."

Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, told FOX News’ Greta VanSusteren last night that since Pelosi brought up the accusation, it’s her burden to prove it, particularly since the CIA claims she knows more than she’s telling. 

"If she’s accusing an agency of government that they are - that they have misbehaved and deceived Congress, then I think it’s her obligation to prove it. And if she needs to have those [CIA] documents to prove it, that’s fine with me," McCain said. "We have to be careful about the morale, therefore the effectiveness, of the CIA and other intelligence agencies because we are in this struggle, as was just proven yesterday in New York City. So let’s get it done and move on and help these agencies protect America." 

Giving her first press conference since making the CIA accusations, Pelosi, D-CA, told reporters today that she will offer no further comment on the matter, what she knew in terms of interrogation, or when she knew it. Instead, she wants Democrats to focus on jobs, health care, energy, and other topics.

"I don’t have anything more to say about it. I stand by my comment. What we [Democrats] are doing is staying on our course and not being distracted from it," Pelosi said.

232 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

DeBúrca obj
Let the truth commission get to the bottom of this. Meanwhile, the Democrats can attend to the many challenges we face today, and the Republicans can go on with their obstructionism and lack of ideas and campaign stunts.
By DeBúrca obj on 05/22/2009 10:28 am
Maggie W

Exactly!   Dick Cheney is doing everything to distract Obama from health care, the economy, Pakistan, and two wars.  He’s just a meddlesome old man who still can’t prove there were WMDs in Iraq but expects everyone to believe it because he says so.  The man is toxic.

As for Nancy and Leon… give them both a lie detector test and then let’s get on with getting government business done.

By Maggie W on 05/22/2009 10:34 am
S G
Not to mention more and more evidence seems to come to her side.
By S G on 05/22/2009 1:15 pm
Mel Berg
DeBurca, did you look at the Huffington Post or The Daily Beast today? There are articles in both about the pictures Pres. Obama is not releasing. According to the Telegraph, the pictures show the rape of a women prisoner and also of a man. The Obama administration is saying it is not accurate but Ret. Major Antonio hasn’t said they are not. He was the officer who oversaw the investigation. I can see if this is true, why the President will not release these pictures. I want to know what you think of this, I found this old thread to write about it so I would be on topic.
By Mel Berg on 05/28/2009 7:12 pm
Mel Berg
Well, sort of on topic…
By Mel Berg on 05/28/2009 7:14 pm
caj p
They need to get over themselves this has been done to death and has no relevance to anything.  The more important thing here is who was involved in the actual wording and who gave the orders etc to go ahead with it.  What Nancy Pelosi knew or didn’t know does not matter and so what if she called the CIA liars if that’s what she believes to be true.   This constant nonsense coming from the right is a pure smoke screen and they need to grow up, just like kids in the playground….Mommy she called me a liar…it’s pathetic!!!
By caj p on 05/22/2009 10:35 am
Frannie Em

caj

the problem is, if she had been informed that water boarding was one of the techniques that was going to be used she made no protest to the CIA, whereas others who were during the same period - McCain and Harmon both had objections to it - Harmon wrote a letter to the CIA protesting it.  Some democrats and republicans actually asked if more could be done than just water boarding to get information.

Personally I think that someone must come through with concrete information one way or another to clear this up, otherwise it is just another stupid political sideshow.

This is what happens because no one wants to really be bipartisan.  Partisanship is such a disease in our country, no one is free of it 100% 

By Frannie Em on 05/24/2009 2:01 am
jessica pellar
The real problem is, if she was informed during those briefs, the dates are after they already started the techniques. And at that time anyone and remember anyone who said anything about the human rights of people in the middle east were considered unpatriotic muslim loving traitors. I get the impression that when Cheney was in office, it was very much we’re doing it my way or i’ll tear you out of existance. Now that isn’t a defense, but we aren’t looking at who authorized the torture, are we? My opinion, appoint an independant counsel on the torture matter (because if we dont, some other country who has signed the geneva treaty can prosecute, i think it would look better if we did it instead) and have the house get back to work on the many more important issues.
By jessica pellar on 05/24/2009 4:17 am
Frannie Em

Jessica - good points, but I do believe we have been looking at who initiated the techniques and who knew what.  That is how Pelosi and other dems got pulled into the argument.  How much did Biden know.  I think many of us know that Pres Bush, Cheney and a few others in his cabinet knew - there is no question about that and for the past few years the left has been trying to get them impeached and prosecuted for it.  Why do you think that did not happen?  My guess is that there are many democrats past and present that knew about it.  It is obvious because many have come forward and admitted it.  Now they are all clamming up until it is decided how to investigate.

We have known for a long time that waterboarding was used and there has been - we knew it during the election - so now it is all the particulars that are coming into play. 

By Frannie Em on 05/24/2009 11:45 am
caj p
The whole issue on torture should be looked because at the end of the day I have no doubt that Cheney in particular will be proved to be guilty of issuing methods that went against the law, it won’t matter who knew what and when because he was intent on getting that sort of thing done anyway to link Saddam to Al Queada.  I’m more concerned who wrote the orders and had them implemented than who knew what…that is a pure smoke screen for the Reps right now!  You can’t write/change the information and how you go about getting it to suit yourselves and it has been strongly suggested that was exactly was done here but we”ll have to wait and see what happens down the road I personally want an investigation done for all of it.
By caj p on 05/24/2009 8:42 am
Deena B.
I’m not taking anyone’s word for it on this one.  I could see it going either way.  I do agree that, if she makes such an accusation, she should be willing and able to back-up it up.
By Deena B. on 05/22/2009 10:45 am
Green Tears

Absolutely, Deena! The Speaker is making a major accusation and needs to supply major proof.

By Green Tears on 05/22/2009 11:15 am
Victoria J
Not sure why she has to prove anything. The CIA made the briefings.  They should have taped them. Feels like some really sloppy work by the CIA…excuse me by George Bush and Dick Cheney’s CIA.
By Victoria J on 05/23/2009 11:18 am
Green Tears
Gee, sorry Victoria, I had no idea that Madam Speaker was exempt from backing up accusations without substantiation. How did she receive this special dispensation? Special session of Congress or something?
By Green Tears on 05/23/2009 12:03 pm
Zera Lee
It’s not like Pelosi was allowed to take notes, or the CIA never destroyed incriminating records.
By Zera Lee on 05/23/2009 4:08 pm