Former Intelligence Committee Chair on Torture Briefings: I do not recall a single objection from my colleagues

By Jeremy Scahill

Former CIA Director Porter Goss should be investigated for his role in the torture scandal, but he still makes an important point about the role of some Democrats

It has been known for years that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Jay Rockefeller and other leading Democrats were briefed on the US torture program in real time in 2002. This may be one reason why the Democrats seem to be leaning in the direction of closed door intelligence hearings instead of calling for an independent special prosecutor. While some Democrats have indicated they may hold public hearings, this is not the same as the criminal investigation that this war crimes scene necessitates. Unfortunately, the main figures calling out the Democrats on their complicity in the torture program are the biggest torture advocates—Republican politicians, who obviously have their own political agendas.

The latest Republican to detail the extent to which the Democrats were briefed on the torture program is Porter Goss, who was director of the CIA from September 2004 to May 2006 and was chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 1997 to 2004.

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Source jeremyscahill