CIA director John Brennan gave a press conference on Wednesday afternoon defending the agency from the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA's use of torture during the Bush administration. During the speech, Sen. Dianne Feinstein — the leading force behind the report — fact-checked Brennan's assertions. And it was devastating.
For example, when Brennan said it was "unknowable" whether torture was necessary to produce useful intelligence, Feinstein pointed out that the CIA's own records show that the best intel was obtained without torture:
Brennan: "unknowable" if we could have gotten the intel other ways. Study shows it IS knowable: CIA had info before torture. #ReadTheReport
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) December 11, 2014
When Brennan said the CIA didn't mislead Congress, Feinstein cited CIA sources saying otherwise:
Former CIA General Counsel Preston says CIA provided inaccurate information. #ReadTheReport
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) December 11, 2014
When Brennan said torture provided "useful intelligence," Feinstein pointed out that — even if that was true — this wasn't nearly enough to justify its use in legal terms:
"Useful information" was not the legal policy standard for EITs. #ReadTheReport
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) December 11, 2014
Brennan said that tortured detainees provided "useful intelligence" in the hunt for bin Laden. Feinstein points out, correctly, that torture played no role in finding the al-Qaeda chief:
Study definitively proves EITs did not lead to bin Laden. Page 378. #ReadTheReport
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) December 11, 2014
Feinstein also went off on the CIA's use of torture more generally, dismantling the agency's legal and practical case for the program as well as its attacks on the report's credibility:
No evidence that terror attacks were stopped, terrorists captured or lives saved through use of EITs. #ReadTheReport
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) December 11, 2014
Executive summary backed up by 6,700-page classified report, 38,000 footnotes. Every fact based on CIA record, cables, etc. #ReadTheReport
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) December 11, 2014
Numerous abuses never brought to the attention of DOJ or CIA IG. #ReadTheReport
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) December 11, 2014
The whole feed is pretty devastating.
