McClatchy News Service Breaks the Law?

[Guest Paragon]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/11/cia-harsh-interrogations_n_5130218.html

Oops, that's right. I can't just post a link! HuffPost reports today that the McClatchy News Service may have broken the law in reporting classified information from the US Senate report headed by Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Feinstein declined to comment on McClatchy's story, but said: "If someone distributed any part of this classified report, they broke the law and should be prosecuted."

The report, on the CIA and its adherence, or lack thereof, to rules and regulations involving torture, has been sent to the White House. There is no information on how the service obtained the classified report.

Okay, now. The real story here, of course, is not McClatchy. It's what the report says! According to McClatchy,

"A classified U.S. Senate report found that the CIA's legal justification for the use of harsh interrogation techniques that critics say amount to torture was based on faulty legal reasoning."

"The Central Intelligence Agency also issued erroneous claims about how many people it subjected to techniques such as simulated drowning, or "water boarding,"

"The report also concluded that the CIA used interrogation methods that were not approved by its own headquarters or the U.S. Justice Department, impeded White House oversight and actively evaded oversight both by Congress and its own Inspector General.

The CIA also provided false information to the U.S. Justice Department, which used that information to conclude that the methods would not break the law because those applying them did not specifically intend to inflict severe pain or suffering, the report added."

Bad CiA, but MCClatchy will probably be the ones in trouble!

[AdamSmith]

Bad CiA, but MCClatchy will probably be the ones in trouble!

Bingo.

I'm right now rereading David McCollough's bio John Adams. It just never ceases to amaze how clearly the founding fathers foresaw, and of course tried to construct protections against, just the kinds of evils cited in that article.

[MsGuy]

LOL, Adams may have foreseen but it's not so clear he made much effort to protect against.

Interesting that efforts at voter suppression and moves to criminalize political opposition have been linked from the very first days of the Republic.

[AdamSmith]

Touché. Grand irony that Adams foresaw early exactly some of the mischief he himself got up to, once he took up the power of the Executive.

[lookin]

I wish Senator Feinstein would start worrying about what the CIA is up to instead of who's finding out about it. It seems like she fancies herself part of a Star Chamber.

[Guest Paragon]

She's too emotional for all that!