Inquiry of CIA Interrogation Techniques Moving Faster Without Bond's Obstructions
In March, Sen. Kit Bond and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) agreed to conduct a review that would look at
- how the CIA created and operated its detention and interrogation program,
- how the CIA determined that detainees were aware of relevant intelligence,
- whether the CIA was being truthful in its description of the program to Congress and
- what kind of intelligence was gleaned through the tough interrogation tactics.
However, Bond quit the review to protest AG Eric Holder's appointment of a special prosecutor to review the legality of Bush-era interrogation techniques. Since he's quit, Politico reports, things are moving along more quickly because Bond isn't arguing over the content of the report.
Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said Bond’s decision to not participate “sort of helps” the panel’s investigation “because everybody knows there is too much partisanship on that committee, and I don’t think we caused it.”
Rockefeller, who chaired the Intelligence Committee in the previous Congress, added: “Everybody knows it’s a very important subject; now they’ll have a free hand to go at it. ... I’ve been through this process [and] we don’t do it unfairly.”
“It’s more of a public perception issue,” Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, another Democrat on the committee, said of Bond’s decision to pull out. “As long as the inquiry is objective, straightforward, it will have legitimacy and speak for itself. And no members will support it if it looks like it’s a partisan witch hunt.”
Bond, to his credit, acknowledges that there are problems, but says it's just because “staffs always look at things differently.”
It's too bad Bond threw his fit and withdrew from the bipartisan review. As NBC Political Director Chuck Todd noted at the time, it's a really bizarre choice for a Senator to shirk his or her responsibilities and pursuit of the truth about potential wrongdoing. "Shouldn't Congress do its job too?" he asked.
Image credit: Politico
