INTERAGENCY FEUDS? A 438-page report issued by Inspector General (IG) Glen Fine of the Justice Department finds that FBI agents have been questioning military and CIA interrogation methods since 2002.

The report covers U.S. prisons in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo. Because the prisons are not in the United States, there is ongoing controversy about whether the prisoners are protected by the American legal system.

According to the IG, FBI observers thought tactics used on suspected terrorists bordered on torture, and that information obtained by such methods could not be used as evidence in U.S courts. FBI agents may not use harsh interrogation techniques but gain information through building rapport with suspects.

FBI Not Squeaky Clean

Overall, the report is generally complimentary to the way FBI agents behaved. Most agents obeyed FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III, and left the interrogation rooms when tactics became abusive.

However, some agents continued to participate, since their superiors did not give clear guidance on what was or was not abusive. Eventually the FBI decided that the Pentagon was responsible for the way the military behaved and that the Department of Justice (DoJ)—the FBI’s parent agency—had no authority.

Rep. John Conyers (D–Mich.), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said "While I take comfort in knowing that, for the most part, FBI field agents followed the agency's policies regarding interrogations, I find it very disturbing that many senior FBI and DoJ officials failed to take strong action after identifying interrogation abuses." (Associated Press, 5/21/08)

The Administration’s Response to Torture

The administration waited seven months before allowing the report to be released, with just a few blacked-out (censored) sections.

But the government has been aware of reports of abuse since 2003, as shown by the following:

• The report said that aides to John Ashcroft, then attorney general, confirm that he spoke to Condoleezza Rice about ill treatment of prisoners.
• Shortly after FBI agents began to question CIA tactics, the Justice Department wrote a legal opinion that said the CIA could use harsh interrogation methods.
• In March of this year, Bush vetoed legislation that would ban the CIA from using water boarding and other abusive techniques.
• The Pentagon says it is now using new and improved methods of interrogation, and that it never found any evidence of torture or inhumane treatment at Guantanamo.
• White House spokesman Tony Fratto said, "abuse or inhumane treatment of prisoners is not, and never has been, U.S. policy." (Reuters, 5/20/08)

Copyright © 2009 Informify

Sources

Audit: FBI didn't join harsh terror interrogations (Associated Press, 5/21/08)

FBI agents objected to military's 9/11 interrogations, audit finds (Los Angeles Times, 5/20/08)

Audit Finds FBI Reports Of Detainee Abuse Ignored (The Washington Post, 5/21/08)

W. House ignored FBI concerns on prisoner abuse –probe (Reuters, 5/20/08)

Question for Readers:

Do you think the Bush administration acted in the best interests of the country by allowing harsh interrogation methods for suspected terrorists?