Pelosi: The CIA Lied

This must be torture for Nancy Pelosi.

Transcript

QUESTION: Regardless of the individual who told you that these techniques were being used, and regardless of the venue in which you learned of this fact, does not the foreknowledge of the use of these techniques make you complicit in their use?

NANCY PELOSI: No. This is a policy that has been, was conceived and implemented by the Bush administration. That they notify Congress that they had legal opinions saying that this was, was legal, but they would let us know if they were planning to use them, is what they briefed us on. I think you can see by what Mr. Panetta has sent out that it's really hard to confirm what did happen and the committees of jurisdiction may have to look into that. But it does not make me complicit. No.

QUESTION: But Mr. Sheehy, you say that Mr. Sheehy did tell you, your staff did tell you...

PELOSI: He informed me that that briefing had taken place. We were not in a place where he could, could, that was all that he was required to do. We're not in a setting. We weren't in the... I'm no longer the ranking member of Intelligence. He just informed me, and that the letter was sent. That is the proper person to send the letter, the ranking member of the Appropri... of the Intelligence committee. So, the le.., my statement is clear. And let me read it again. Let me read it again.

(Pauses while she flips through papers.)

I'm sorry I have to find the...

(Begins to read her prepared statement, then fumbles.)

I'm sorry. The page is out of order.

Five months later, my staff person told me that there had been a briefing, informing that there had been a briefing, and that a letter had been sent. I was not briefed on what was in that briefing. I was just informed that the briefing had taken place.

So, let's get this straight: The Bush administration has conceived a policy. The CIA comes to the Congress, withholds information about the timing and the use of this subject. We later find out that it had been taking place before they even briefed us about the legal opinions and told us that they were not being used. This is a tactic, a diversionary tactic to take the spotlight off of those who conceived, developed, and implemented these policies which all of us long opposed. My action on it was to further to say we have to change the majority in Congress. We have to win the White House so that we can change it.

QUESTION: So... Sheehy did not tell you that he was informed they were actually using the techniques.

PELOSI: No, he did say that. He said that the, that the committee chair, and, uh, the ranking member, and the appropriate staff had been briefed that these, uh, techniques were now being used. They...that's all I was informed, that they were being used and that a letter was sent....

(Blathers on, stumbles and stutters.)

QUESTION: Madame Speaker, just to be clear, you're accusing the CIA of lying to you in September of 2002.

PELOSI: Yes, misleading the Congress of the United States, misleading the Congress of the United States. I am.

Good grief. What a mess!

The CIA lied.

Pelosi was really suffering during this session with the press.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

______________

Read Karl Rove's op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal.

Congress and Waterboarding: Nancy Pelosi was an accomplice to 'torture.'