Former Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), who was chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee at the time, has given support to Nancy Pelosi's claim that she was never told in briefings (she was chair of the House Intelligence Committee) that waterboarding had actually been used or that it would be used. The CIA has released dates that she was supposedly briefed; she's now saying the CIA lied to her.
Enter Bob Graham. For years, he has been thought a bit quirky for his obsessive habit of writing down everything he does each day in minute detail. So he asked the CIA to provide him with the dates that they claim they briefed him about waterboarding.
Only one of those dates matched his records, and the CIA has acknowledged that his records are accurate.
Further, although he was not allowed to take notes during that one briefing, he says he has no memory that waterboarding was discussed. And he also has what sounds like good reason to believe his memory is correct. He did note that there were two staff members present during the briefing, and the protocol requires that, when matters of a very sensitive nature are discussed in an intelligence briefing, no staff members are allowed to be present.
Now it seems that both Pelosi and Graham are saying that the CIA's claims to have briefed the appropriate Congressional leaders about torture are wrong. The circumstances are that the CIA is trying to shift the focus from their own wrongdoing to their claim that these Congressional leaders knew and did not object. But it looks like they are either mistaken or lying.
I'm voting for the latter. Let's not laugh at Bob Graham's obsessive record-keeping any more.
Ralph
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