WP: Chertoff Denies Advising on Interrogation Tactics

[kskiska]

In Cordial Senate Hearing, Homeland Security Nominee Says He Did Not Discuss 'Hypothetical' Cases

Michael Chertoff, President Bush's nominee for secretary of homeland security, said at his Senate confirmation hearing yesterday that he did not give intelligence officials any specific advice in 2002 when they asked him which interrogation techniques used on alleged terrorists might someday be prosecuted as illegal torture.

Chertoff was responding to repeated questions from Democratic senators who asked him yesterday whether he knew about aggressive and possibly improper interrogation methods used by U.S. forces on detainees when he was a top Justice Department official. He said he did not know and he did not recall which interrogation methods were discussed then.

(SNIP)

The senator showed Chertoff a heavily edited internal FBI memo written last year that recalled bureau officials' observations in 2002 that military and FBI interrogators employed differing techniques when interrogating the Guantanamo Bay detainees. Chertoff replied that he had no memory of hearing then that torture was used there, "or anything approaching torture."

The memo, obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union through the Freedom of Information Act, said that at some point FBI officials had discussed with lawyers in Justice's criminal division the ineffectiveness of some military interrogation techniques in producing reliable information.

Chertoff said he was not aware of any discussion of harsh methods being employed at Guantanamo Bay while he ran the criminal division.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57255-2005Feb2.html

[joanski01]

1. Here's another one who can't remember

anything. bush* should be impeached and the Cabal should be run out of town.