Inside the Belly of the Beltway Beast

A US judge has overruled Bush administration objections and ordered a hearing into The tapes are believed to have shown interrogation methods that included simulated drowning known as waterboarding, which has been condemned as torture. The CIA said it destroyed the tapes lawfully and did so out of concern for the safety of agents involved if the recordings were ever made public. The White House has repeatedly denied that the US uses torture. The justice department declined to comment on the judge's hearing order but the department last week urged Kennedy not to investigate the videotapes. It also said that in light of other government probes into the tapes, a judicial inquiry into the destruction was inappropriate. The government has also sought delays in congressional attempts to investigate the tapes' destruction, saying they would hamper a joint investigation by the justice department itself and the CIA. "Plainly the government wants only foxes guarding this henhou...

Americans often need their memories refreshed. This is an old report, but apparently this came out within a month of when the now infamous CIA interrogation tapes were destroyed... Retired agent John Kiriakou is now making major headlines, finally admitting that yes the CIA used water-boarding, and yes it is in fact a form of torture. Anyhow, it's helpful to see what was going on regarding the agency and torture at the time. ASIL Insight Alleged CIA Kidnapping of Muslim Cleric in Italy By Frederic L. Kirgis July 7, 2005 Introduction In late June 2005, it was reported that an Italian judge had issued arrest warrants for 13 U.S. CIA agents accused of kidnapping imam Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr in Italy in 2003, and sending him to Egypt for questioning regarding possible terrorist activities. Nasr apparently is an Egyptian national, although he was living in Italy when he was abducted. Allegedly, when he arrived in Egypt he was imprisoned and tortured during interrogations. The Ital...