Agencies returning copies of Senate report on torture, frustrating Democrats
Federal agencies are returning copies of a Senate report on CIA interrogation tactics used on terror suspects during the George W. Bush administration, at the request of Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr.
The CIA and the agency's inspector general's office, as well as the national intelligence director's office, have returned their copies. The FBI and the State, Justice and Defense departments also have copies. Burr, a North Carolina Republican, said he directed his staff to retrieve copies from federal agencies. Burr claims courts have ruled that the report is a congressional document, and therefore, not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
But Democrats say the intended goal is to "erase history" and make it harder for the public to ever learn the complete details of the 6,770-page report that documents the CIA's harsh treatment of detainees after 9/11.
The report was written by Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee while Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, chaired the committee. It has remained classified, with the exception of an executive summary, since the report was completed in 2014.
The report concluded that harsh interrogation techniques like waterboarding didn't result in useful intelligence.
Burr has wanted the report returned for years. He requested agencies return copies when he became the committee's chairman in 2015, dubbing the summary of the CIA's tactics a "fiction."
The North Carolina senator has been in the news more recently for his role as the head of the Senate committee investigating Russian election meddling and any ties between President Trump's campaign and the Kremlin. His committee will hear testimony from fired FBI Director James Comey next week, and will receive some subpoenaed documents from former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
