Panetta to CIA employees: We told Pelosi the truth

Politico ^ | Glenn Thrush

[GOPinCa]

CIA Director Leon Panetta just sent a stern message to his employees defending the agency against Speaker Nancy Pelosi's criticisms.

His message: We didn't mislead Congress; stay focused on your job.

Panetta's note was sent to reporters via the CIA press office. Here's the key graph:

"Let me be clear: It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress. That is against our laws and our values. As the Agency indicated previously in response to Congressional inquiries, our contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing “the enhanced techniques that had been employed.” Ultimately, it is up to Congress to evaluate all the evidence and reach its own conclusions about what happened."

The full Panetta memo is after the jump.

[central_va]

And her fakes, by July.

[r9etb]

Paneta would not be defending the CIA against Pelosi unless Obama told him to. That he is gong after her in such unambiguous terms means that Obama wants her gone.

Perhaps -- it's a definite possibility. It would require more than just Panetta being a complete Obama hack, however; this response has more of an agency-wide flavor to it.

Panetta could simply be taking advantage of CIA's innate institutional survival instinct, which has become pretty acute over the past 30 years or so, with it's bad experiences under Carter and then Clinton. Obama's presidency would certainly trigger all of the CIA's bad institutional memories.

More interesting, though, is what if Panetta is not merely a complete Obama hack? I don't credit Obama's team with being canny enough to take sugh good advantage of the CIA's reflexes ... nor do I think Panetta is canny enough to just conjure up the destruction of Pelosi without prior support from within the agency.

I think he's developed "loyalty" of a sort; I just don't know why.

[swarthyguy]

>>What’s behind it?

Simple patriotism. A desire not to see the CIA eviscerated. Institutional loyalty instigated also by having to face the employees of the CIA every day. A good manager watches out for those underneath him.

I know, I know, a world turned upside down.

[naturalized]

I’ve found that those who scream liar loudest are trying to drown out the accusations about themselves that they know to be true.

[Grampa Dave]

opineapple, Excellent, this seems to sum it up!

[RikaStrom]

Now this is interesting.

[VA_Gentleman]

Put a for in her she’s done.

I wish I believed that. We forget that she’s a liberal woman. She can do no wrong. This will slide off of her. I hope I’m wrong and she is forced to resign, but I just don’t see it happening.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

I can't for the life of me understand how “one” person, and an idiot to boot, wants to screw with the CIA. Pelosi is flailing away at thin air and missing it. She should not only resign her Speakers’ position, but should be put on trial.

[mainepatsfan]

Pelosi thinks the MSM was rough on her yesterday? Just imagine what they'll be like if Obama unleashes them on her.

[conservativebuckeye]

I think the administration wants her gone. If she leaves in the near future, it makes it harder for Republicans to run against her next year. Obama knows that she is hated outside of her district. Even my friends who voted for Obama despise Pelosi.

[Typical_Whitey]

She tried the same excuse that Obama has been using.. standard liberal ploy: Just say it wasn’t you....

But in her case she can’t keep her lies straight unlike Obama who has the silver tongue gift.

[rod1]

Its all about turf and Pelosi just stepped in some.

Panetta’s been around the block and is not about to get pushed around.

[naturalized]

There can be only the One. And he does not share power.

[what's up]

but no one will demand her resignation

I'm conflicted. On one hand the Witch deserves a big smash-down and tar-and-feathering as she leaves office for damaging our security.

On the other hand it would be nice to have a proven liar tryng to navigate the House thru the socialized medicine issue this July...more of a chance socialized medicine wouldn't happen.

[Antoninus]

Pelosi will resign by the end of June.

Wrong. Democrat big-wigs NEVER resign in mid-term. Not for the good of the party. Not for the good of the country. Not if they get caught having sex with a dead underage chimp.

They know that to do so means to relinquish power and become vulnerable.

Nancy will ride this one out and then cruise to reelection in 2010.

[mainepatsfan]

There can be only the One. And he does not share power.

Harry Reid better take notice or else the justice department might start investigating real estate transactions in Nevada.

[Liz]

Pelosi has just been gutted in the open by Panneta and the CIA.

Oo-oo-oo.....I bet that smarted (/snic). Panetta (Obama's appointee) got the ok from Obama for that surgical strike on Pelosi.

Only problem is next-up----Steny Hoyer----is Rahm's gofer----things are going from bad to worse.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I think its greased for Hoyer....to slid in.

[MayflowerMadam]

Panetta. Good for him. Surprises me that he didn’t spin in favor of Pelosi, knowing his background.

[Venturer]

If she leaves it will be kicking and screaming.

I doubt it happens, but it would be better than a day at Disneyworld.