Pelosi: Blame Cheney for CIA's 'Attitude'

Veep was 'proud' of tone he set, agency's interrogation tactics
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 6, 2014 10:00 AM CDT
Pelosi: Blame Cheney for CIA's 'Attitude'
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks outside the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 1, 2014.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The Senate Intelligence Committee's coming report on CIA interrogation methods promises to be explosive, and it's already making waves. Speaking on State of the Union today, Nancy Pelosi wasted no time in pointing fingers today: "During the Bush-Cheney administration, that Vice President Cheney set a tone and an attitude for the CIA. Many people in the CIA are so patriotic, they protect our country in a way to avoid violence, etc. But the attitude that was there was very ... I think it came from Dick Cheney." Politico notes that she then repeated three times: "I think he's proud of it."

Others were busily batting down the report, with Mike Rogers warning that it's "not the Holy Grail, it doesn't answer all the questions." Rebutting Pelosi, he questioned "why now in an election year would you bring this up and then to say this is about Dick Cheney ... clearly when you say things like that it becomes highly charged politically." Former CIA director Michael Hayden, meanwhile, said that "the motivation for the report may show deep emotional feeling on the part of (Sen. Dianne Feinstein), but I don’t think it leads you to an objective report." (More Sunday morning talk shows stories.)

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