The government is withholding key volumes from Abu Zubaydah’s diaries, which not only would reveal he was critical of 9/11, but that he was tortured at the hands of the CIA.

I’m working on stuff that will post later this PM. But in the meantime, I wanted to draw your attention to two upcoming events.

First, on Friday, May 22, at 10:45 AM ET, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse will be joining us at the front page for a chat. He’ll be here for 45 minutes, and Senators’ schedules are always subject to change, but be sure to think of questions and mark your schedule

The discrepancy over whether an appropriations staffer attended a particular briefing or not may be no big deal. Or it may be a very big deal.

CIA has made errors on at least six different briefings, there are at least two briefings for which some of the attendees contest the CIA’s version, and CIA claims to be unable to provide full details on seven other briefings. No wonder Leon Panetta continues to say that “it is up to Congress to evaluate all the evidence and reach its own conclusions about what happened.” The CIA’s own version of when it briefed and whom is riddled with errors.

According to House Appropriations Chair David Obey, the CIA interrogation list records a Democratic Appropriations staffer attending a September 19, 2006 torture briefing, when all the staffer did was walk John Murtha and Bill Young to the briefing, but was turned away at the briefing.

In light of current controversy about CIA briefing practices, I was surprised to learn that the agency erroneously listed an appropriations staffer as being in a

Walter Pincus writes a story confirming the argument I made on Saturday about the purpose of Panetta’s statement to the CIA.

One of the most shocking quotes from the Senate Armed Services torture report came from Jonathan Fredman, then the Counsel for CounterTerrorism Center at CIA, now working for the Director of National Intelligence, told some interrogators at Gitmo, “It is basically subject to perception. If the detainee dies you’re doing
it wrong.” Fredman is reported to have said that on October 2, 2002.

Details on the Administrations new fuel efficiency standards.

Obama announced aggressive new CAFE standards today. But the price of that–I suspect–is the importation of Chinese assembled cars.

Bob Graham says OCA, not CTC, conducted his one “torture” briefing. He also said the location of the brieing–in the Hart Senate Office Building and not the White House–shows that the briefing was not highly classified.