Colin Powell Kept In Dark By CIA About Post 911 ‘Torture’ Practices

According to The Army Times, a Senate report has concluded that then Secretary of State, Colin Powell, as well as many U.S. ambassadors, was kept in the dark by the CIA regarding detention and interrogation practices after the 911 attacks.

The classified report, which is currently circulating among White House Staff, found that Powell, along with other high ranking officials, was kept in the dark regarding secret prisons and severe techniques used to interrogate suspected terrorists.

The document also reports that ambassadors who did know about the interrogations of al-Qaida prisoners at “black sites” in their countries were told not to inform their superiors at the State Department.

An unidentified former CIA official said that ambassadors in countries with CIA black spots were “usually” notified of the covert operations, but that it is standard practice for the CIA to ask the ambassadors not to share the information with others who did not have a “need to know,” which is determined by the National Security Agency.

The Bellingham Herald reports that a congressional official has confirmed these findings in the 6300 page Senate report, which has been years in the making. The report is also expected to reveal more details about the CIA program and possibly renew the debate as to whether the CIA used torture techniques in questioning suspected terrorists right after the 911 attacks.

The CIA states that Powell was eventually informed of the practices, and was a part of meetings at which the harsh interrogation techniques were discussed. But it is unclear at this time when he was informed and exactly which U.S. officials were aware of the practices at the time they began.

Powell has yet to comment on the report’s findings.

The report is expected to be made public in the next few weeks. According to unnamed sources, it concludes that the CIA used cruel techniques on detainees, and that the techniques failed to produce critical intelligence. Waterboarding, humiliation, physical abuse, exposure to cold, and sleep deprivation were among the questionable methods used by the CIA in the interrogations. The report also claims that the CIA misled both Congress and the Justice Department about their actions – leaving important government officials in the dark about what was going on.

CIA officials and some Republicans claim accusations that the interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, failed to extract critical information are false. President Obama has since declared some of the interrogation techniques torture and stopped them, but he still relies on the CIA. This puts the White House in precarious position over the report, as the Democrats on the Senate Intelligent Committee and the CIA are at odds over the revelation.

The White House has prepared a four-page document of talking points in response to the Senate’s report and accusations that the CIA kept government officials in the dark. It is not clear yet what the Obama administration’s response to the investigation will be.

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