Democrats Outraged; Republicans Tell the Whole Truth
House Democrats are upset with Republicans after a House Intelligence Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations meeting. Here’s what the Hill is reporting:
Republicans ignited a firestorm of controversy on Thursday by revealing some of what they had been told at a closed-door Intelligence Committee hearing on the interrogation of terrorism suspects.
Democrats immediately blasted the GOP lawmakers for publicly discussing classified information, while Republicans said Democrats are trying to hide the truth that enhanced interrogation of detainees is effective.
GOP members on the Intelligence Committee on Thursday told The Hill in on-the-record interviews that they were informed that the controversial methods have led to information that prevented terrorist attacks.
When told of the GOP claims, Democrats strongly criticized the members who revealed information that was provided at the closed House Intelligence Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing. Democrats on the panel said they could not respond substantively, pointing out that the hearing was closed.
Cry me a river. The Democrats weren’t upset when President Obama declassified the so-called Torture Memos even though those documents included sources and methods. Now they’re freaking out over Republicans telling reporters about a briefing by the intelligence community that says the EITs prevented terrorist attacks.
I’d be upset with Republicans if they’d given these Hill reporters specific details on what information led to the thwarting of the attempted terrorist attacks. That didn’t happen:
Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), a member of the subcommittee who attended the hearing, concurred with Hoekstra.
“The hearing did address the enhanced interrogation techniques that have been much in the news lately,” Kline said, noting that he was intentionally choosing his words carefully in observance of the committee rules and the nature of the information presented.
The Hill’s reporters note that Rep. Kline’s comments didn’t violate the subcommittee’s rules. If that weren’t the case, Democrats could file ethics charges against Republicans who talked. That that isn’t happening speaks volumes. If Republicans had violated the committee’s rules, ethics charges would’ve been filed within minutes of that violation.
If these Democrats had any integrity, they’d be investigating Speaker Pelosi for saying that the CIA routinely and frequently lied to Congress. Knowingly misleading Congress is a crime. Until the Democrats investigate Speaker Pelosi’s comments, I won’t take their whining seriously.
President Obama can clear this up by declassifying the memos that former VP Dick Cheney has requested be declassified. Then we could determine whether the EITs prevented terrorist attacks.
Democrats lambasted their Republican counterparts for discussing the information that was provided behind locked doors.
“I am absolutely shocked that members of the Intelligence committee who attended a closed-door hearing…then walked out that hearing, early, by the way, and characterized anything that happened in that hearing,” said Intelligence Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairwoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). “My understanding is that’s a violation of the rules. It may be more than that.”
I wouldn’t trust Rep. Schakowsky as far as I could throw her if I had two broken arms and a bad back. She’s a political hack and a mindless one at that. If I’m forced to choose between trusting her or trusting Rep. Kline, that decision won’t take a split-second. I’ll trust Rep. Kline in a heartbeat because he’s a man of integrity.
This next quote is rich:
Both Schakowsky and Reyes accused GOP members of playing politics with national security.
“I think they are playing a very dangerous game when it comes to the discussion of matters that were sensitive enough to be part of a closed hearing,” Schakowsky said.
If Rep. Schakowsky weren’t such a hyperpartisan, I might give her statements serious consideration. If President Obama is going to tell the world that EITs are wrong by releasing documents that include sources and methods, then the American people have a right to know the entire picture so they can decide whether President Obama made the right national security decision.
Technorati Tags: Intel, Jan Schakowsky, Torture Memos, Silvestre Reyes, President Obama, Sources And Methods, Democrats, John Kline, Dick Cheney, National Security, EITs, Republicans
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog