A top Democrat on the House Intelligence committee says Republicans who criticized Nancy Pelosi's claim that the CIA lied to her now owe the Speaker an apology.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), who has been helping lead a committee probe into the CIA's process for briefing lawmakers, asserted yesterday that the agency had misled or outright lied to Congress five times since 2001. One of those cases, Schakowsky confirmed, concerned the 2002 torture briefing at which, Pelosi has claimed, she was lied to about waterboarding. Republicans, led by Minority Leader John Boehner, had savaged her for that charge.
Moments ago, Schakowsky was asked on MSNBC whether Republicans now owed Pelosi an apology. "I certainly think they do," she said.
Speaking about the briefing process more broadly, Schakowsky charged that "the intelligence community on both sides of the aisle" aren't properly kept informed by the intelligence agencies. "It's not transparent, there's no staff, there's no notes, there's no nothing," she said.

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Homefries
October 28, 2009 7:00 PM
They won't.
Back to health care Jan, please ...
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Hussein Stemper
October 28, 2009 7:05 PM
I am glad Rep. Schakowsky is doing this. Supposedly them GOPers just loves them some personal accountability! Dish it right up, Jan.
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LEGALEAGLE
October 29, 2009 8:52 AM in reply to Hussein Stemper
THE SO-CALLED WATERBOARDING IS NOTHING. YOU SHOULD TRY SOME OF THE METHODS USED BY FOREIGN INTEL PEOPLE IE: ELECTRIC PROBE UP YOUR MALE ORGAN , OR WIRES TO THE TESTICLES OR REMOVAL OF ONES HEAD OR IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE I CAN TELL YOU A LOT OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN. TELL PELOSI AND "JAN" TO TAKE A HIKE OR COME SEE ME
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The Decider
October 29, 2009 9:49 AM in reply to LEGALEAGLE
Tell me more! These ideas sound interesting...
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a SC mom
October 28, 2009 7:05 PM
seems like everyone lies to promote their agenda
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Armageddon T. Thunderbird
October 28, 2009 7:21 PM
Republicans are scared shitless of Nancy.
And they should be...she's on their ass.
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LEGALEAGLE
October 29, 2009 8:49 AM in reply to Armageddon T. Thunderbird
PELOSI IS FULL OF YOU KNOW WHAT AND IT IS NOT BRAINS
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AlphaLiberal
October 28, 2009 7:22 PM
Thank you, Rep. Schakowsky! Democrats rarely push back hard against the Republicans. We need elected officials to do that and to make an issue of their obstructionism.
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ohyeathatsright
October 28, 2009 8:13 PM in reply to AlphaLiberal
I support your point but I don't think that, "I certainly think they do" qualifies as a hard push.
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atticus1104
October 28, 2009 7:27 PM
The CIA puts an Afghan drug lord, on their payroll, and the GOP rejoices. Funny that the GOP also want us to send more troops to help prop up an illegitimate Karzai government.
Good article here.
http://progressnotcongress.org/?p=3304
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cwnidog
October 28, 2009 7:53 PM in reply to atticus1104
Gee, refresh my memory if needed, but isn't that self-same drug lord Karzai's brother?
Don't you just love it when things stay in nice, neat packages?
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ohyeathatsright
October 28, 2009 8:12 PM
"the intelligence community on both sides of the aisle"
The Republicans have an "intelligence community"? Sure fooled me.
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neesy08
October 29, 2009 12:00 AM
it will be a cold day in hell before Pelosi receives an apology
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Jim3K
October 29, 2009 2:34 AM
I'm glad this is coming out. When the story first surfaced, the GOP was really vicious, and Pelosi's explanation seemed a bit defensive. But two GOPers tended to confirm her and then the CIA's memo was clearly an after the fact reconstruction (read CYA). I'm not really surprised that Panetta allowed the staff to defend itself, but that defense was weaker than almost anything else about the story.
So I'm happy that Pelosi is being vindicated. But don't hold your breath for an apology.
Despite that, the biggest problem is that the CIA has been disingenuous to Congresscritters of both parties. I hope Panetta straightens that out. Like it or not, Congress is the only representative the public has when it comes to the CIA's business. Honesty is required.
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LEGALEAGLE
October 29, 2009 8:57 AM in reply to Jim3K
SOME OF YOU PEOPLE HERE HAVE YOUR HEADS UP YOUR ASS. PELOSI HAS NOT BEEN VINDICATED AND WILL NEVER BE EXCUSED FOR HER LIES AND DISTORTION OF FACTS. KNOWING WELL HOW THE COMPANY WORKS THEY SHOULD TAKE CARE OF PELOSI ...........
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de TOQUEville
October 29, 2009 9:43 AM in reply to LEGALEAGLE
Thanks for sharing your thoughtful, well-reasoned remarks with us, Mr. Eagle!
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The Decider
October 29, 2009 9:51 AM in reply to LEGALEAGLE
AND I LIKE HOW YOU TYPE IN CAPS. THAT'S SCARY TOO! COOL!!
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Clavis
October 29, 2009 10:37 AM in reply to LEGALEAGLE
Shouldn't you be studying for midterms, little boy?
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Clavis
October 29, 2009 10:36 AM
We do ourselves no favors when we treat each new example of ruthless right-wing hypocrisy, mendacity and swiftboating as if it were the first time. The Republicans in power have begged us for 30 years to accept that they will *always* behave this way (or at least until it stops working for them). They are right-wing authoritarian hypertribalists. It's not a new political decision they're making each time. It's a concerted, long-term mindset and it works because there are few civic institutions with any pushback left. The media stinks. Politicians are corrupt. We can't afford to play nice and give them the benefit of a doubt. They have earned the opposite.
From now on, if someone says they are a GOP Rep or Senator, they START from a position of corruption and dishonesty and fearmongering and collusion with war criminals. They have to earn your trust OUT of that hole.
Any Democrat going on TV today with a Republican should immediately start haranguing that Republican and demanding that they either defend the outrageous extremist words of their colleagues or else distance themselves from them. That's a tactic the right loves to use, and given how often the right says awful, evil things, it's about time we turned the tables on those SOBs.
In fact, that's the new meme: GOP = SOBs.
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