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Leon Panetta Admits CIA Has Lied to US Congress Since 2001
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by Jarrett Martineau | July 9, 2009 at 01:50 pm
135 views | 2 Recommendations | 6 comments
Leon Panetta, the Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has admitted that the CIA routinely concealed "significant actions" from the US Congress dating back to 2001.
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At a private intelligence committee meeting on Wednesday, Panetta allegedly indicated that the CIA had "misled members" of Congress and withheld information about ongoing interrogation of terror suspects.
Leon Panetta's testimony was made behind closed doors, but yesterday the details of a letter written by Democrats to the intelligence chief discussing his committee appearance said the CIA had "misled members".
Rush Holt, one of the signatories, would not identify the classified matter the CIA has been accused of lying about but said: "We wouldn't be doing this over a trivial matter."
The CIA has been accused in recent times of lying over its extraordinary rendition programme – grabbing suspects from other countries without formal extradition.
Democrat intelligence committee chairman, Silvestre Reyes, has accused the CIA of having "lied outright".
The CIA responded by stating that, aside from "rare instances" the CIA has told the truth in "the vast majority of matters".
George Little, a CIA spokesman, said: "It is not the policy or practice of the CIA to mislead Congress. This agency and this director believe it is vital to keep the Congress fully and currently informed. Director Panetta's actions back that up."
Reyes said in a later statement: "I believe that CIA has, in the vast majority of matters, told the truth. But in rare instances, certain officers have not adhered to the high standards ... Both director Panetta and I are determined to make sure this does not happen again."
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at 14:19 on July 9th, 2009
A lot of politics going on here.....
It's interesting that this important letter the Democrats wrote to Panetta, wasn't important enough to be on official congressional letterhead....
I think what's going on here is these officials will be on a quest to prove to the US citizens that the CIA lied about SOME THINGS to congress, maybe about terrorist interrogations.
By doing so they want us all to think this proves Nancy Pelosi's claims that SHE was lied to and had no idea or that she was unaware of, in her position of oversight of the intelligence operations of these agencies, the very actions she was so vocal in criticizing the former administration for.
They seem to be pursuing something besides what she has claimed, in order to exhonerate her outrageous claims.
This seems to be the status quo for Democrats on the hill. Put the Republicans up to doing the dirty jobs against our enemies that they know need to be done, quietly allow them to do them and even go over the line doing the job- not unexpected- then attack them afterwards and play stupid.
What you are promoting- no, accepting, from Nancy Pelosi- is that during the time when she was ranking chairperson on the House Select Intelligence Committee, their sole overseers, she had no idea what they were really doing and had her feeding from their hands, whatever silly lie they told her.
That the boss-holding that position since 1997, had no clue what those she had oversight were doing- remember she presides over the approval of their budgets as well, and remember the instigation of all this is she is attacking the policies of a man who at that point had been in Washington DC for less than a year- compared to her 14 (since 1987)
This works only if you forget the legislative branch also forms policies the CIA runs under.
But then with all the people running around saying Congress got its information for its Iraq war vote of 2002 by listening to George Bush's speeches, you can see people will believe anything if it fits their politics.
That's relevant because if the intelligence on Iraq's WMD was flawed, Nancy Pelosi- along with John Kerry, John Edwards, Jay Rockefeller, and others with CIA oversight- are the people whose head should be on a pike.
(not the Fish!)
at 14:26 on July 9th, 2009
Oh, just to get this out of the way, of course the CIA lies. You thought they didn't?
Politicians do too.
So what are they really trying to do here? Will you say afterwards, "ah HA! See, we proved they can lie!"
Will that mean that Pelosi didn't put a big foot in her mouth trying to attack Bush for something she was aware of and was going on with her full approval? Doubtful.
at 15:08 on July 9th, 2009
Apparently Panetta talked about a secret program that never really got off the ground but existed since 2001 and never reached the status that required a congressional briefing. It allegedly had nothing to do with interrogation techniques, which was the issue where Pelosi claimed the CIA lied.
Panetta is not talking.
Pelosi when asked about this during a press briefing gave a very cautious reply something to the effect that obviously some members of congress received a briefing and they are following it up as they will.
It should be of note that this letter of accusation was not even on congressional letterhead.
There is also a major intelligence bill to be introduced to the House shortly.
Sound like politics as usual to me.
at 20:29 on July 9th, 2009
Has anybody noticed that 911 attack was carried out in 2001? What the CIA had lied about? Is it about the 911 covert operation?
at 21:29 on July 9th, 2009
Why, I think "truthers" have another solid piece of evidence to pursue now. (smacks self in head) Should keep them busy for a while with this one.
(and off the streets, thank goodness)
You ever realize that whatever their true involvement, if any- and my mind is open, but the controlled demolition, the "they gave the order to pull building 7". etc, etc only leaves the reasonable to stonewall any interest in that-and is only going to facilitate them getting away with it?
I will find myself siding with Bush and his war in Iraq because I cannot side with those who believe the legislative branch votes on immensely important bills over wars by watching televised speeches by the executive branch. Just like I can't side with people who can't accept that building 7 came down after a huge chunk of the towers hit it and it burned half the day, weakening its structure and the predictions were because you could see the damn thing leaning before it came down.
Now I find out that 9/11 happened in 2001. DAMN. I never noticed that! Get a rope, where's President Cheney!
at 07:33 on July 10th, 2009
"this letter surfaced. It’s signed by seven Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee -- who claim the CIA’s director, Leon Panetta, admitted behind closed doors that the agency misled Congress for as long as eight years about a separate secret matter -- but, the CIA says it’s not policy or practice to mislead Congress.
The timing seems really weird, the letter is dated June 26th, so it’s been out for a few weeks now, it’s just surfaced today, the only thing that we know that’s going on in intelligence politics right now is that there is a bill..." -http://www.newsy.com/videos/congress_dems_take_on_cia
So I think I agree with the rest about this being politics as usual.