Even as the White House confounds us by standing up yet again for torture, the New York Times reports that the CIA destroyed videotapes of the waterboarding of Al Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah even as federal judge Leonie Brinkema was seeking information on the case against him.
Brinkema, the first female judge named to the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, presided over the case of Zacarias Moussaoui, who was found guilty of conspiring to commit the 9/11 attacks and is currently held in a federal SuperMax prison in Colorado. Since some of the evidence presented by prosecutors was drawn from Zubaydah’s interrogation, she sought additional materials as late as November 29, 2005.
According to the CIA, the tapes were “destroyed” that same month.
This stinks to high heaven.
I would have slightly more respect for the Bush Administration if they stood up for torture and released these tapes, with whatever “information” was purportedly gained from them, to defend their position. I would oppose them, but at least be convinced that they believed in what they were professing.
Yet they seem to want it both ways. They seem to know that torture is a big problem and want to defend themselves from future prosecution for it, even as they continue to defend it.
They are not only torturers, but weasels on torture.
January 21, 2009 cannot come soon enough…