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Top Bush aides approved interrogation
tactics: report
Raw
Story
Thursday, April 10, 2008
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush's most senior advisers
approved "enhanced interrogation techniques" of top
al-Qaeda suspects by the Central Intelligence Agency, ABC News
reported on Wednesday (see video below), citing sources it did
not name.
ABC reported that the so-called "principals" discussed
interrogation details in dozens of top-secret talks and meetings
in the White House.
Then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice chaired the meetings,
which took place in the White House Situation Room and were typically
attended by a select group of senior officials or their deputies,
ABC said.
"Highly placed sources said a handful of top advisers signed
off on how the CIA would interrogate top al Qaeda suspects --
whether they would be slapped, pushed, deprived of sleep or subjected
to simulated drowning, called waterboarding," ABC reported.
(Article continues below)
In addition to Rice, the principals at the time included Vice
President Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary
of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney
General John Ashcroft, the report said.
There was no immediate comment from the White House on the ABC
report.
Waterboarding has been condemned by many members of Congress,
human rights groups and other countries as a form of illegal torture.
Bush and administration officials have said repeatedly that the
United States does not use or condone torture.
ABC News said spokesmen for Tenet, Rumsfeld and Powell declined
to comment about the interrogation program or their private discussions
in the principals meetings.
The White House also declined comment on behalf of Rice and Cheney
and Ashcroft could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, ABC
said.
Citing sources, ABC said Ashcroft agreed with the policy decision
to allow aggressive interrogation tactics and advised that they
were legal but was troubled by the discussions.
Ashcroft argued that senior White House advisers should not be
involved in the grim details of interrogations, sources were cited
as saying.
ABC cited a top official as saying that Ashcroft asked aloud
after one meeting: "Why are we talking about this in the
White House? History will not judge this kindly."
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