The release of a highly anticipated Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA's interrogation tactics has been delayed due to "significant redactions" made by the Obama Administration, the committee chairwoman Sen. Dianne Fenistein (D-Calif.) announced on Friday.
The committee's report on the CIA's use of harsh interrogation and detention techniques in the post-9/11 era was expected to be released in the coming days, and has much of Washington on edge. U.S. officials have said that the report will conclude that the Bush-era tactics were unnecessary and accuse some CIA officials of misleading Congress about the program's effectiveness.
After receiving the redacted report from the White House, Feinstein announced that the wider release of the report would be delayed "until further notice," McClatchy reports.
More of Feinstein's statement from Roll Call:
The committee this afternoon received the redacted executive summary of our study on the CIA detention and interrogation program.
A preliminary review of the report indicates there have been significant redactions. We need additional time to understand the basis for these redactions and determine their justification.
Therefore the report will be held until further notice and released when that process is completed.
The news of the delayed release followed President Barack Obama's admission on Friday that in the aftermath of 9/11: "We tortured some folks. We did some things that were contrary to our values." Obama also expressed his support for CIA director John Brennan, despite a report that CIA employees spied on computers used by the Senate Intelligence Committee during their investigation, which Brennan had adamantly denied to Congress. Several lawmakers have called for Brennan's resignation.
Citing Feinstein, Roll Call reports that Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) expressed concern about “the excessive redactions” to the report on interrogation tactics, adding "especially given the president's unequivocal commitment to declassifying the Senate Intelligence Committee's study." The Washington Examiner notes that the Committee's review of the CIA redactions could take weeks.
It is not known what parts of the report have been redacted, according to McClatchy. The extensive investigation into CIA practices found abuse that Feinstein called "chilling." While the report is believed to stop short of calling the practices "torture," the "enhanced interrogation" techniques detailed prompted Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to warn, "The American people will be profoundly disturbed about what will be revealed in this report," The Daily Beast reports.
Roll Call said that following Feinstein's announcement of the report's delay, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper defended the omissions, saying they were intended to protect classified information.
“More than 85% of the Committee Report has been declassified, and half of the redactions are in footnotes,” Clapper said. “We are confident that the declassified document delivered to the Committee will provide the public with a full view of the Committee’s report on the detention and interrogation program, and we look forward to a constructive dialogue with the Committee."
Before You Go
