{"id":2752,"date":"2009-09-18T17:59:32","date_gmt":"2009-09-18T21:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/?p=2752"},"modified":"2009-09-18T17:59:32","modified_gmt":"2009-09-18T21:59:32","slug":"seven-former-cia-directors-ask-pres-obama-to-end-criminal-investigation-of-cia-interrogators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/09\/18\/seven-former-cia-directors-ask-pres-obama-to-end-criminal-investigation-of-cia-interrogators\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Former CIA Directors Ask Pres. Obama to End Criminal Investigation of CIA Interrogators"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency sent a letter to Pres. Obama on Friday asking him to reverse Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to re-open a criminal investigation<\/a> of CIA interrogations that took place following the attacks of September 11:<\/p>\n

Seven former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency on Friday urged President Obama to reverse Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to hold a criminal investigation of CIA interrogators who used enhanced techniques on detainees.<\/p>\n

The directors, whose tenures span back as far as 35 years, wrote a letter to the president saying the cases have already been investigated by the CIA and career prosecutors, and to reconsider those decisions makes it difficult for agents to believe they can safely follow legal guidance.<\/p>\n

“Attorney General Holder’s decision to re-open the criminal investigation creates an atmosphere of continuous jeopardy for those whose cases the Department of Justice had previously declined to prosecute,” they wrote.<\/p>\n

“Those men and women who undertake difficult intelligence assignments in the aftermath of an attack such as September 11 must believe there is permanence in the legal rules that govern their actions,” the seven added.<\/p>\n

The letter was signed by former directors Michael Hayden, Porter Goss, George Tenet, John Deutch, R. James Woolsey, William Webster and James R. Schlesinger.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can read the full text of the letter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

President Obama would do well to heed the of advice messieurs\u00a0 Hayden, Goss, Tenet, Deutch, Woolsey, Webster and Schlesinger… There is no good that can come from opening this can worms.<\/p>\n

The President has already banned the use of the interrogation techniques in question and previously declared the CIA personnel who used them after September 11 would not be charged. By allowing Attorney General Holder to continue this ill-advised investigation the President will undermine the ability of CIA officers to to do their jobs effectively. More over there is no guarantee the investigation will remain narrowly focused. There is the very real risk that this investigation may ultimately undermine the ability of this president and his successors to obtain candid legal advice, as lawyers fear they may in turn by scapegoated by a future administration.<\/p>\n

President Obama should stand by his commitment to the CIA and end this investigation before it poisons this country for years to come by criminalizing policy differences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seven former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency sent a letter to Pres. Obama on Friday asking him to reverse Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to re-open a criminal investigation of CIA interrogations that took place following the attacks of September 11: Seven former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency on Friday urged President Obama […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,193],"tags":[57,628,663,574,836,840,837,835,665,838,839],"class_list":{"0":"post-2752","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-politics","7":"category-war-on-terror","8":"tag-barack-obama","9":"tag-cia","10":"tag-enhanced-interrogations-techniques","11":"tag-eric-holder","12":"tag-george-tenet","13":"tag-james-r-schlesinger","14":"tag-john-deutch","15":"tag-michael-hayden","16":"tag-porter-goss","17":"tag-r-james-woolsey","18":"tag-william-webster","19":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfpI7-Io","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2142,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/08\/cia-says-pelosi-was-briefed-on-use-of-enhanced-interrogations\/","url_meta":{"origin":2752,"position":0},"title":"CIA Says Pelosi Was Briefed on Use of ‘Enhanced Interrogations’","author":"Jeff","date":"May 8, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The Washington Post and ABC News are reporting that Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefed on Enhanced Interrogations Techniques and their use on on Abu Zubaydah. From the Washington Post: Intelligence officials released documents this evening saying that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was briefed in September 2002 about the use\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2154,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/11\/top-pelosi-aide-briefed-on-enhanced-interrogations-in-2003\/","url_meta":{"origin":2752,"position":1},"title":"Top Pelosi Aide Briefed on Enhanced Interrogations in 2003","author":"Jeff","date":"May 11, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The Washington Post on Saturday reported that a top aide to Nancy Pleosi attended a briefing CIA briefing on Enhanced Interrogations, including waterboarding in 2003: A top aide to \u00a0House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended a CIA briefing in early 2003 in which it was made clear that waterboarding and other\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2081,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/04\/27\/wsj-misconceptions-about-the-interrogation-memos\/","url_meta":{"origin":2752,"position":2},"title":"WSJ: Misconceptions About the Interrogation Memos","author":"Jeff","date":"April 27, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"William McSwain, a assistant U.S. attorney and executive editor of the 2005 Review of Department of Defense Detention Operations and Detainee Interrogation Techniques, commonly called the Church Report has a must read Op Ed in today's Wall Street Journal: President Barack Obama has reinvigorated the critics of George W. Bush's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1999,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/04\/23\/is-april-21-2009-the-day-bipartisanship-died\/","url_meta":{"origin":2752,"position":3},"title":"Is April 21, 2009 The Day Bipartisanship Died?","author":"Jeff","date":"April 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"There's no doubt that our political process has become poised by hyper partisan rhetoric but so far we have resisted the temptation of criminalizing policy differences. That all changed on April 21, 2009 when Pres. Barack Obama suggested that Bush Administration lawyers who advised the CIA on the law and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2218,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/17\/association-of-former-intelligence-officers-responds-to-nancy-pelosi\/","url_meta":{"origin":2752,"position":4},"title":"Association of Former Intelligence Officers Responds to Nancy Pelosi","author":"Jeff","date":"May 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Gene Poteat, president of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, offers the following statement on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's claim that the CIA lied to her in their briefings: Those CIA officers chosen to brief the Congress, and especially the intelligence committees, are very senior, experienced officers, who well know\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2489,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/07\/08\/pelosi-v-cia\/","url_meta":{"origin":2752,"position":5},"title":"Pelosi v. 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This week, the Speaker's fellow Democrats are set to block public\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2752\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}