After Torturing Prisoners, "Albert" Rejoins the CIA as a Contractor (ACLU Blog)

[chill_wind]

Sep 8th, 2010
Posted by Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 4:46pm

After Torturing Prisoners, "Albert" Rejoins the CIA as a Contractor

It's safe to say that many employers might frown upon a potential hire who https://www.aclu.org/2007/11/08/is-torture-illegal-let-us-count-the-ways">violated domestic and international law.

Not so at the CIA. The Associated Press reported yesterday that a former CIA agent known as "Albert," who was previously disciplined for torturing detainee Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, has once again found gainful employment with the CIA, this time as a contractor.

Al-Nashiri is accused of planning the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole, and is one of three detainees in CIA custody who were repeatedly waterboarded. But thanks to "Albert," a more novel act of torture was inflicted upon al-Nashiri.

Last June, during our Document-a-Day Torture Awareness Month initiative, Larry Siems, author of The Torture Report, pointed to a passage in the CIA inspector general's May 2004 report on the agency's Rendition, Detention and Interrogation program. This passage describes the "gun and drill" incident, wherein al-Nashiri was threatened with execution in a secret CIA prison in Poland:

Sometime between 28 December 2002 and 1 January 2003, the debriefer used an unloaded semi-automatic handgun as a prop to frighten Al-Nashiri into disclosing information. After discussing this plan with "the debriefer entered the cell where Al-Nashiri sat shackled and racked the handgun once or twice close to Al-Nashiri's head. On what was probably the same day, the debriefer used a power drill to frighten Al-Nashiri. With consent, the debriefer entered the detainee's cell and revved the drill while the detainee stood naked and hooded.

"The debriefer," we learned yesterday, is "Albert." And as Larry points out in the Torture Report, death threats are specifically prohibited under international and U.S. laws banning torture.

(snip)

That "Albert" is again gainfully employed by the CIA is repugnant. Those who authorized and carried out the Bush torture program must be held accountable.

http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/after-torturing-prisoners-albert-rejoins-cia-contractor

[OnyxCollie]

1. K&R. nt

[chill_wind]

2. And here's another fun factoid I ran into: Jose Rodriguez is still lurking

around at the ODNI as a consultant. He was the CIA's top clandestine officer involved with the destruction of the torture tapes.

July 26th, 2010 3:48 PM
Key omission in memo to destroy CIA terror tapes

They were fools not to destroy these woodcuts

By Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo

(...)

Rizzo was angry and Miers livid, according to internal CIA e-mails. Goss agreed with Rodriguez's decision, the e-mails said, but predicted he'd get criticized for it. Rodriguez was undeterred.
around at the ODNI.

"As Jose said, the heat from destroying is nothing compared to what it would be if the tapes ever got into public domain - he said out of context, they would make us look terrible; it would be devastating to us," said an e-mail from an aide to the agency's No. 3 official, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo.

Such statements could be used as evidence if prosecutor John Durham seeks charges in the case. Even if Rodriguez genuinely worried about the safety of his officers and wasn't trying to obstruct an investigation, if he feared the tapes might someday be made public, that could be enough to violate the Sarbanes-Oxley obstruction law.

As the case winds down, McPherson, who reviewed the tapes in 2003, again has been thrust into a central role. McPherson has received immunity in exchange for cooperating with prosecutors, an unusual protection for a government lawyer.

CIA spokesman George Little said the agency is cooperating with investigators.

Rodriguez, now an executive with contractor Edge Consulting, a job that regularly gives him access to the national intelligence director's office and CIA headquarters, still hasn't received an official retirement party.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latest-news/key-omission-memo-destroy-cia-terror-tapes

Marcy Wheeler has been covering a series of related articles here:

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2010/09/07/about-all-those-torturers-coming-back-to-cia-as-contractors/

[OnyxCollie]

3. Thanks!

[Jefferson23]

4. K&R n/t

[Solly Mack]

5. Update on al-Nashiri

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9196549&mesg_id=9196624