Here’s yet more evidence — as if it were needed — that that CIA briefing document that Republicans are trying to hang around Nancy Pelosi’s neck is hardly a reliable source of information.
Rep. David Obey, who chairs the appropriations committee, just sent the following letter to CIA director Leon Panetta:
Dear Director Panetta:In light of current controversy about CIA briefing practices, I was surprised to learn that the agency erroneously listed an appropriations staffer as being in a key briefing on September 19, 2006, when in fact he was not. The list the agency released entitled “Member Briefings on Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EITs)”, shows that House Appropriations Committee defense appropriations staffer Paul Juola was in that briefing on that date. In fact, Mr. Juola recollects that he walked members to the briefing room, met General Hayden and Mr.Walker, who were the briefers, and was told that he could not attend the briefing. We request that you immediately correct this record.
Sincerely,
David R. Obey
Obey joins Sen. Jay Rockefeller, former senator Bob Graham, and of course Pelosi herself in pointing to inaccuracies in the CIA document.
And, though most of the media was fooled by last week’s statement, Panetta himself isn’t guaranteeing that the document is accurate.