The CIA: Out of Control

The CIA is in the news and once again they are involved in a scandal, this time destroying evidence concerning videos of interrogation on al Qaeda prisoners.  Officials of the CIA told a federal court and the 9-11 commission that they had no record of the interrogation; those were lies.  

 

CIA lies, misinformation, and violation of the law go back to at least the Church committee who documented wrong doing in the middle 1970s.  One CIA director, Richard Helms, was even found guilty of perjury. 

By destroying the video of the interrogation, the CIA destroyed any torture procedure that may have been on the video.  That has been a real concern that has dogged the Bush administration because, if true, serious legal charges could be brought about.

 

One problem with the CIA today is the director, General Mike Hayden.  The director is usually a civilian so the intelligence given to a president can be clear and independent.  Being a military man, Hayden can not be independent.  The President is Commander in Chief.  General Hayden ran the super secret NSA before accepting the directorship of the CIA.  At NSA, he fully supported Bush's authorization of wire taps and warrant-less intrusions without going to the FISA court.  He has demonstrated that he is a person who can not be trusted to protect the American people's right to privacy.

 

President Kennedy was quoted as saying he was going to break the CIA up in a thousand pieces and scatter it to the wind.  Kennedy found out about the CIA dirty tricks and that some at the CIA had their own foreign policy agenda far different than his.

 

In the case of the videos that were destroyed, it was reported that the CIA was trying to hide evidence of coercion.  FBI officials on the scene protested the tactics and then forbid its agents from taking part in such acts.

 

Congress should take away all operational functions of the CIA and leave them to gathering intelligence only.  That was President Truman's idea when the CIA was created.  Then Congress has to come down hard on the CIA and really hold them accountable for their actions.  The lies have gone on for too many years.