Chertoff told the OIG that he was aware that the CIA had requested DOJ approval for certain interrogation techniques and that the CIA had obtained a general opinion from the OLC relating to its interrogations. Chertoff said that the Criminal Division was asked to provide an “advance declination” in connection with the CIA’s use of some techniques, but that he had refused to provide it. In testimony before the U.S. Senate on February 2, 2005, Chertoff stated that he was asked to review a draft of an OLC memorandum that eventually became [the first Yoo torture memo].

The timing of all this is unclear. Did Yoo try to get the advance declination in connection with the first or second torture memo?

skdadl,

(That would be the Charter.) I can’t judge how close that part of the judgement comes to a warning about faith in “get out of jail free” cards, but I should think that CSIS and other agents who participated in interrogations at GTMO in a context of violation of international law might well be asking themselves the same kinds of questions that FBI and other American agents have been asking themselves for some time.

I agree. Those questions become more acute when one realizes that the CSC did cooperate with international courts in exchange of information and interpretation of law regarding child soldiers, torture and detainee rights. Agents should not have faith that they are protected by a GOOJF card.

And yes Mary, how could our Congressional leadership pretend not to know these very same conclusions?

Philippe Sands quotes Jane Harmon as saying she didn’t expect it to be “pretty”.

She needs primarying.

Also, which has been mentioned previously but I thought I’d add to this comprehensive thread, the variation called “water treatment”. The person’s head is put in a bucket of water and then they are punched in the stomach, which forces them to breath in water.