Behind the scenes at the White House a power struggle has been waged between CIA Director Leon Panetta and Attorney General Eric Holder regarding the prosecution of Bush-era CIA officials. Holder won, and has announced the appointment of special prosecutor John Durham to carry out the investigation.
Imagine working at the CIA and hearing yesterday that an investigation headed by the Attorney General of the United States would be targeting you and your co-workers. How many of these honorable men and women went home to their families last night and called a defense attorney for fear that they might be sent to prison? Even more disturbing is that Obama and Holder personally told CIA employees and members of Congress four months ago that no such prosecution would take place. Once again the president lied to the American people and to the men and women who serve in our security agencies. Here’s what Obama said then:
“You know, there have been some conversations that I’ve had with senior folks here at Langley, in which, I think, people have expressed understandable anxiety and concern. So I want to make a point that I just made in the smaller group. I understand that it’s hard when you are asked to protect the American people against people who have no scruples, and would willingly and gladly kill innocents. Al-Qaeda’s not constrained by a Constitution. Many of our adversaries are not constrained by a belief in freedom of speech or representation in court or rule of law. So don’t be discouraged by what’s happened in the last few weeks. Don’t be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we’ve made some mistakes. That’s how we learn.”
In April, Eric Holder said, “It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department.” Long Island Congressman Peter King, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, responded to Holder’s sudden about-face, saying, “It’s disgraceful. You wonder which side they’re on. It’s a total breach of faith, and either the president is intentionally caving to the left wing of his party or he’s lost control of his administration.”
Former Vice President Cheney, one of the biggest advocates of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques, said this in a statement on Holder’s decision: “The activities of the CIA in carrying out the policies of the Bush Administration were directly responsible for defeating all efforts by al Qaeda to launch further mass casualty attacks against the United States. The people involved deserve our gratitude. They do not deserve to be targets of political investigations or prosecutions.”
To justify the decision to prosecute CIA officials, Holder authorized the release of a classified 2004 report detailing the treatment of detainees. What you won’t find the “mainstream” media about this report is the effectiveness of the interrogations and the critical intelligence information gathered. For instance, in the documents titled “Khalid Sheikh Mohammad: Pre-eminent Source on Al-Qaeda” and “Detainee Reporting Pivotal for the War Against Al-Qaeda,” multiple plots against the United States were uncovered. These include:
- Identities of 70 people capable attacking Western installations.
- Identities of participants planning possible Al-Qaeda anthrax attacks.
- Identities of the creators of the bomb used in the 2002 attack on a U.S. consulate in Pakistan.
- A plot to attack Camp Lemonier, a U.S. military base located in the nation of Djibouti in East Africa.
The report went on to say that “Detainee reporting has helped thwart a number of Al-Qaeda plots to attack targets in the West and elsewhere.” These plots included flying planes into buildings on the West Coast, setting off a series of bombs in U.S. cities and a plan to employ a network of Pakistanis with the capability of attacking railroad tracks, gas stations and the Brooklyn Bridge. The evidence shows that these interrogations were essential to ensuring the safety of the American people. But the Obama Administration disregards their effectiveness. It releases terror suspects while hoping to jail the people who protect us.
I believe Obama will regret this decision politically. The American people will not like seeing employees of an important agency like the CIA attacked and ridiculed for actions that protected our well-being. But, the ramifications of this decision are more important than politics. Some of our strongest allies in the “war on terror” are mentioned in these reports. Why would friendly governments want to help us again if we go against our word and release the details of confidential documents highlighting their role in intelligence gathering?
Prosecuting members of the CIA also will affect the recruitment and retention of dedicated patriots and professionals. People may be reluctant to work for the CIA if they feel they could be subject to partisan criminal prosecutions. Current members of the CIA will be much more cautious when dealing with detainees who know critical intelligence information. The Obama Administration’s decision puts innocent American lives at risk and makes another 9/11 more likely.
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