Tuesday, December 18, 2007

The Rabbit Hole Goes Deeper: Bush Lawyers Discussed Fate of CIA Tapes


Mark Mazzetti and Scott Shane write in The New York Times:

At least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives from Al Qaeda, according to current and former administration and intelligence officials.

The accounts indicate that the involvement of White House officials in the discussions before the destruction of the tapes in November 2005 was more extensive than Bush administration officials have acknowledged.

Those who took part, the officials said, included Alberto R. Gonzales, who served as White House counsel until early 2005; David S. Addington, who was the counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney and is now his chief of staff; John B. Bellinger III, who until January 2005 was the senior lawyer at the National Security Council; and Harriet E. Miers, who succeeded Mr. Gonzales as White House counsel.

It was previously reported that some administration officials had advised against destroying the tapes, but the emerging picture of White House involvement is more complex. In interviews, several administration and intelligence officials provided conflicting accounts as to whether anyone at the White House expressed support for the idea that the tapes should be destroyed.

More here.

Note: The depth and shocking audacity of the Bush Administration's machinations make Woodward & Bernstein's "All The President's Men" look like child's play. -ferg

1 Comments:

At Wed Dec 19, 03:01:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have given up hope that any of these charlatans will ever be impeached or otherwise prosecuted... The corruption simply is too widespread, and runs too deep. Is a hopeless feeling of doom and despair normal when reflecting upon our once glorious nation?

 

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