Musical Chairs: Trump wants people lockstep who agree with him
(Always 100% on all issues and policy)
This case proves that torture does not work
(See more below)
“Senate
confirmation fights ahead on Trump's State
and CIA picks”
and CIA picks”
Senate Democrats — and some top
Republicans — are slow-walking the process amid fresh questions over the Trump
administration's stance toward Russia and revived inquiries into the CIA's dark
history of torture.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions,”
says DEM Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Also, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) announced that
he would oppose both nominees — Mike Pompeo for State and Gina Haspel for CIA —
over their views on waterboarding, which he says: “Sends a terrible message to
the world” — as well as his concerns that Pompeo will advocate for regime
change in Iran that could lead to military action. I want to
do everything I can to block them. This is a debate that's really worth having.”
Trump will nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo (R-KS)
to replace Tillerson.
More on Pompeo’s replacement, CIA Dep Director, Gina Haspel, follows in the timeline below:
More on Pompeo’s replacement, CIA Dep Director, Gina Haspel, follows in the timeline below:
First this clip from Tillerson about being
fired by Trump:
======================================================
This post for today:
February 8, 2017: Haspel was appointed by Trump as the Deputy Director
of the CIA.
Several members of the Senate intelligence committee at that time, urged Trump to reconsider his appointment of Haspel as Deputy Director, and resistance is expected for her appointment as Director this time as well.
For example, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) quoted colleagues Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) who were also on the committee by saying:
“I am especially
concerned by reports that this individual was involved in the unauthorized
destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes, which documented the CIA’s use of
torture against two CIA detainees. My colleagues Senators Wyden and Heinrich
have stated that classified information details why the newly appointed Deputy
Director is “unsuitable for the position” and have requested that this
information be declassified. I join their request.”
March 13, 2018: Trump announced via Twitter that he will nominate Gina Haspel to be the Director of the CIA, which would make her the first female permanent CIA director. She is now a Deputy Director at the CIA.
Who is Haspel: She has been in
the CIA for 33 years (joined in 1985) – a lot of years of experience for sure,
but what kind of experience – what has been the impact of her experience and
where – in short, what is her record?
One aspect stands out vividly: The way she handled the harsh or so-called “enhanced interrogation
techniques” which is simply a buzzword or euphemism for torture.
BTW: Torture does not work – it is not effective, hell, just ask Sen. John McCain, but don’t ask Trump or his son Eric Trump, who once said waterboarding is no worse than “what goes on in a college frat prank” that stupid quote is here.
Now this historic example – one of many of high profile torture cases: Declassified CIA cables specify that Abu Zubaydah was “waterboarded 83 times in one month, was sleep deprived, was kept in a large box, had his head slammed against a wall, and he lost his left eye.” Later, Zubaydah was deemed by CIA interrogators to not be have been or in possession of any useful intelligence.
BTW: Torture does not work – it is not effective, hell, just ask Sen. John McCain, but don’t ask Trump or his son Eric Trump, who once said waterboarding is no worse than “what goes on in a college frat prank” that stupid quote is here.
Now this historic example – one of many of high profile torture cases: Declassified CIA cables specify that Abu Zubaydah was “waterboarded 83 times in one month, was sleep deprived, was kept in a large box, had his head slammed against a wall, and he lost his left eye.” Later, Zubaydah was deemed by CIA interrogators to not be have been or in possession of any useful intelligence.
Note: More on the interrogation
of Abu Zubaydah from the FBI Special Agent who first
interrogated Zubaydah – Mr. Ali Soufan – that follows this rundown on Ms. Haspel.
More background on Haspel: As Deputy director of the National Clandestine Service she had operated the so-called black site CIA prison located in Thailand in 2002. The site was codenamed “Cat’s Eye” and it held suspected al-Qaeda members Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri and Abu Zubaydah for a time.
The Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture specifies
that during their detention at the site they were waterboarded and
interrogated using no-longer-authorized methods. Haspel later was the chief of
staff to Jose Rodriguez, who headed the CIA's Counterterrorism Center.
In his memoir, Rodriguez wrote that Haspel had “drafted a cable in 2005
ordering the
destruction of dozens of videotapes made at the
black site in Thailand.” Noteworthy in that regard: Haspel was denied the permanent
CofS position due to the criticism about her involvement in the Rendition,
Detention and Interrogation program.
Mr. Ali Soufan
(Lebanese-American) was a FBI special agent who was part of the original team
that interrogated Abu Zubaydah from March to June 2002 after he was captured in
Pakistan.
That was before the harsh techniques were
introduced in August 2002 by the CIA.
Those techniques
and the flap over the years are due in part to the go-ahead from the Office of
Legal Counsel (OLC) occupied at the time by Jay Bybee and John Yoo, who wrote
the infamous “torture memo” in essence saying harsh interrogation techniques
were okay and authorized, which was precisely what the Bush team wanted them to
say.
Soufan stated that an iterative, rapport-building approach
yielded “important actionable intelligence” including the imminent arrival of JosePadilla, the so-called “dirty bomber” back to the U.S., but more importantly, it yielded information and the ID and role
of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM), the so-called architect of 9/11.
Soufan also told
anyone who would listen that in his counterterrorism career he has proven time
and time again that traditional interrogation techniques are successful in
identifying operatives, uncovering plots and saving lives; and not harsh
treatment.
Defenders of the
harsh techniques, including water boarding which is illegal, unlawful, and a
war crime, all have claimed that they got Abu Zubaydah to give up information
leading to the capture of Ramzi bin al-Shibh, a top aide to KSM, and American also
interrogated harshly, Jose Padilla.
All that is flatly false.
The information
that led to Shibh’s capture came primarily from a different terrorist operative
who was interviewed using traditional methods.
As for Jose
Padilla, the dates don’t match, e.g., the harsh techniques (so-called enhanced
interrogation) were first approved in the memo of August 2002 – Padilla had
been in May of 2002. That type of BS is part of the larger sell that “torture works”
it does not – never has and never will. Just ask Sen. John McCain and others
who have been tortured… a man will say anything to stop the pain – seldom giving
up valuable info, however.
Related to this
forthcoming realignment:
From Trump: “Keep Gitmo open and full and busy…”
From Trump: “And okay to put Americans in Gitmo, too.”
My 2 cents: From what I have seen and heard and have read about
Mr. Trump regarding all the dismissals, firing, and White House and Cabinet
changes (yeah, the chaos part) I have reached the conclusion that Trump is
acting more and more like a dictator – dismissing people who are not in harmony
all the time with him … he hates those who disagree with him – he wants to be
a “one-man show.”
Take this firing of Tillerson – who found out like Comey did – from a news
flash while overseas in another state who were not directly approached by Trump
to be fired. Apparently Trump has a coward streak about confronting people head
one to fire them. He lets the media (which he says he hates) make the announcement
for him.
Now once again Trump is falling into that same trap with
his stated belief that torture works and is always needs. No, Mr. Trump, it does
not work and it is unlawful, illegal, and a war crime. Advocating that (again)
with these new appointments is truly astonishing.
It is also very obvious
to me that Trump is taking us “Back to the Future” but without a DeLorean and
Doc. Brown. He now seems to be longing for previous illegal and crazy days of
approved torture. Pompeo supports Trump views and stance on torture and most
other policy positions with some sort of blind obedience which seems to be “the
more torture, the merrier”).
And, replacing Pompeo with Haspel whose record is dark and full of torture as outlined above.
And, replacing Pompeo with Haspel whose record is dark and full of torture as outlined above.
This all reminds of the Dick Cheney
days: “We need to operate in the
shadows on the dark side if you will.” (sic). Hence his nickname: “Dark Dick”
is alive and well and I suspect we’ll hear his comments soon on this next White
House shift.
The ones we need to clearly hear about is the Senate who
should vote to turn down Pompeo and Haspel nominations and the sooner the
better. This is in no way good for the country – not one bit.
Dark history is on their side and it’s not pretty.
Dark history is on their side and it’s not pretty.
Stay tuned to watch this new Trump horror show, part what? I’ve lost track.
Thanks for stopping by.
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