Hoekstra: Release CIA Notes On Congressional Briefing

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (MI), the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, is calling for the CIA to release its notes from the meeting in which, according to a report released last week, it briefed members of Congress including Nancy Pelosi on harsh interrogation techniques. "This effort is not about one person, but what lawmakers in this institution, in both parties, were aware of and supported at the time," Hoekstra said in a press release today.  "Releasing these records will help clear the air.  Accountability for enhanced interrogation doesn't begin with lawyers who offered opinions or interrogators in the field, it begins right here in the halls of Congress."

While this may not be about one person, the fact that Hoekstra felt the need to say so gives a nod to the criticism Pelosi has already taken for last week's report. It could also be about Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee at the same time, inasmuch as it's about anybody.

Hoekstra has been out front in suggesting that any investigation of interrogation tactics must include an investigation of which members of Congress knew and when. According to last week's report, Hoekstra was first briefed on harsh interrogations in November 2005. Hoekstra says he personally reviewed records at CIA headquarters on Thursday.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/05/hoekstra-release-cia-notes-on-congressional-briefing/17418/