Via Steve Benen, Spencer Ackerman has obtained a letter from seven Democrats to CIA Director Leon Panetta, which reveals that Panetta told Congress that the CIA "concealed significant actions from all Members of Congress, and misled Members for a number of years from 2001 to this week.” Sam Stein confirms that the issue that the CIA allegedly mislead Congress over is enhanced interrogation.
Over the last few months, the debate over torture shifted from torture to whether or not Nancy Pelosi hated America because she alleged she was mislead by the CIA. The CIA actually has something of a history of lying to Congress--something I think has less to do with the inherent dishonesty of the CIA than it does with the executive branch's history of asking the CIA to do questionable things and then throwing them under the bus--so Pelosi's statement should have been taken seriously. Instead it turned into a joust over which party is more patriotic, which is strange considering it wasn't so long ago the Right believed the CIA was a cabal of liberals intent on undermining George W. Bush.
The CIA has issued something of a non-denial denial, stating that "This agency and this director are committed to a candid dialogue with Congress. When Director Panetta believes something should be raised with the Hill, it gets done quickly and clearly. Our oversight committees recognize that."
-- A. Serwer
