Cheney Claims To Be Defending Interrogators, But They Worried His Torture Policy Put Them At Risk

[babylonsister]

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/torture/cheney-claims-to-be-defending-interrogators-but-they-worried-his-torture-policy-put-them-at-risk/

Cheney Claims To Be Defending Interrogators, But They Worried His Torture Policy Put Them At Risk


Now that Dick Cheney is claiming to speak for the CIA interrogators who will be investigated, defending them by saying they earned our “gratitude,” it’s worth restating a key revelation in the newly-released CIA documents:

The CIA agents themselves worried that the Bush/Cheney torture policies were putting them at legal risk.

In his statement responding to the news that agents will be investigated, Cheney said: “The people involved deserve our gratitude. They do not deserve to be the targets of political investigations or prosecutions.”

As Ben Smith notes, Cheney is “explicitly defending their actions.” Indeed, he’s going farther: He’s claiming to speak for them and positioning himself as their brave and lonely defender. So it’s worth recalling that some agents worried that they were being put at risk by policies Cheney championed. From page 94 of the CIA torture report:

During the course of this Review, a number of Agency officers expressed unsolicited concern about the possibility of recrimination or legal action resulting from their participation in the CTC program….One officer expressed concern that one day, Agency officers will wind up on some “wanted list” to appear before the World Court for war crimes…

That Cheney is now claiming to speak for, and defend, the same class of officers who worried his policies were putting them at risk is only the latest sign of how absurd Cheney’s stance has been throughout. It’s a key part of the story that risks getting lost in the noise.

[katandmoon]

1. I have no sympathy for them at all.

[Winterblues]

2. I don't think any sympathy will be necessary

Although I agree with you in your sentiments. I doubt there will be any prosecutions at all.