Congress Kept in Dark, CIA Chief Admits

(NEWSER) - After being waterboarded 183 times and deprived of sleep for a week, self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Kalid Sheikh Mohammed transformed from an avowed enemy of the US into a sort of CIA guest lecturer, the Washington Post reports. Two anonymous sources, looking to build the case that harsh interrogation worked, say that in 2005 and 2006, KSM gave what CIA officers called “terrorism tutorials,” expounding on al-Qaeda’s structure and even reprimanding his “class” for poor note-taking. More»

Post: Higher-ups pushed interrogators for harsher methods than they wanted

(NEWSER) - The FBI was already getting information out of a suspected terrorist in a series of relatively friendly interrogations in 2002 when the CIA stepped in, a former US official tells the Washington Post. Agency contract psychologists escalated the techniques to sleep deprivation, extreme cold, and waterboarding, which the FBI interrogators called "borderline torture." Then, CIA higher-ups escalated the process further. More»

(NEWSER) - Republicans are slamming Nancy Pelosi for saying she felt she had no recourse when informed of harsh interrogation tactics in 2003, Politico reports. “If she felt it was wrong, she should have acted,” John McCain said. Some critics suggest the House speaker could have written a letter or requested a meeting with the president. A Pelosi aide said, “We were not in a position to change the policy.” More»

Former VP says they show how techniques worked to save lives

(NEWSER) - It’s no surprise that Dick Cheney thinks President Obama is wrong on torture. The surprise is that the infamously secretive former VP is suddenly in favor of public disclosure of classified memos that he thinks will prove his point. For his memoirs, Cheney has asked the CIA to declassify memos showing a direct connection between “enhanced interrogation techniques” and the foiling of planned terrorist attacks. “It worked. It’s been enormously valuable in terms of saving lives,” says Cheney. More»

Torture claims will be central to defense

(NEWSER) - A suspected al-Qaeda terrorist held at Guantanamo Bay for six years has been charged with masterminding the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors and injured 50 others. The treatment of Saudi prisoner Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri in custody, which included waterboarding by interrogators, will be a key element of his defense, reports the Washington Post. More»