Officials: CIA gave waterboarders $5M legal shield

Officials: CIA gave waterboarders $5M legal shield

www.rawstory.com

Officials: CIA promised $5M in legal fees for psychologists who waterboarded detainees

The CIA agreed to cover at least $5 million in legal fees for two contractors who were the architects of the agency's interrogation program and personally conducted dozens of waterboarding sessions on terror detainees, former U.S. officials said.

The secret agreement means taxpayers are paying to defend the men in a federal investigation over an interrogation tactic the U.S. now says is torture.

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The deal is even more generous than the protections the agency typically provides its own officers, giving the two men access to more money to finance their defense.

What?? This is crazy and just as expeted, the American people have absolutely no say in the matter, even though we are the ones out of pocket.

I think that it is now more than clear, even to most sheeple, that the CIA is now a rogue entity, though the fault lies with the American public, as this is the kind of thing that will almost always happen when secrecy is so liberally granted to any organization with the power and leeway to influence policy.

We better reign in the CIA before we all find ourselves in a heep of trouble, if it's not too late already. You know, people always wonder how the Germans circa 1930's, allowed the Nazis to commit such horrible acts in their name. My answer to that, is the same way that the American people allow the American government and CIA to do the same thing. It should no longer be a mystery to anyone, how the German people fell for the Nazi policies.


--airspoon

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reply to post by airspoon


While I generally agree with you, I must protest one statement;

I think that it is now more than clear, even to most sheeple, that the CIA is now a rogue entity...

Perhaps it is a disagreement of perspective; so I will grant you that I cannot say you are wrong...

But in my opinion the CIA was ALWAYS a rogue entity.

It was always steeped in the kind activity with which, by definition, the US government wants no association; it is a tool for removing liability and accountability for actions directed by the miltary-industrial complex.

Oversight is a threat to them. And by the arsenal of political appointees and secret information, our representatives accept that such a threat carries over to the nation... (their nation, in practice, ours in principle.)

reply to post by Maxmars


While I can certainly see where you are coming from, I don't think that the CIA has always had interests which were completely seperate from the United States. Of course, I'm no expert and I could be wrong, but it is of my opinion that the CIA, back in the first half of the Cold War era, once believed in the American way of life, though they may have had the attitude of the ends justify the means. Of course they were always doing nefarious and clandestine operations, but I believe that the end goal was to ultimately preserve the American way of life.

I think that it is only relatively recently, maybe dating all the way back to the 70's or 80's, about the time when Georgy porgy Bush was heading the agency, that the CIA was diverted away from preserving America and instead, redirected to a corporatist agenda. I think that George Bush is part of the elites that are running the show, even up until this day.

I actually created a massive thread on this several months ago but for one reason or another, I never published that thread to ATS. Maybe I will in the near future.


--airspoon

If we accidentally killed some innocent Iraqi's all the United States is paying the families over there is $2000 for each innocent person we killed.

We're getting a good deal aren't we? I know people that pay more than that to go hunt and shoot elk or buffalo.

The CIA could be making money offering Iraqi hunts and even delve into letting people water board people for money.

I find it funny Barrack Hussein is still keeping Guantanamo open and is still torturing people around the world.

How much money are they providing in Bradley Manning's defense? Oh wait, they are holding him in solitary confinement. The hypocrisy is a million miles wide here.

These torture-enabling psychologists should be held personally accountable and liable for the crimes they were party to. They should be sued by their victims, stripped of their assets to be given back in compensation, and barred from their professional associations.

That won't happen though. Not in this backwards world, where a warmonger wins the Peace Prize and truth is censored and classified.

reply to post by airspoon


I whole heartedly disagree with the fundamental premise of this thread, everything the CIA does it great, we should all listen to them and let them have their secrets because they are acting in the best interests of the US and helping the rest of the planet become a safer...

Can't be sarcastic anymore...have to use humor or else the grim reality is too shocking.

Airspoon, what do you think would be a good strategy to change things. I can only think of things that do not work like media reports, protests, voting, these things have failed, the legal system is a joke IMHO. Aside from reaching for enlightenment I can't think of practical steps to remove the evil that is the CIA.