CIA Investigations: Risking America’s National Security

From the Office of Congressman Ed Whitfield
Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Last month, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder made the controversial decision to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate possible abuses by the CIA during interrogations of suspected terrorists. Americans across the country reacted strongly to this news, with many concerned that such an action could make CIA officials fearful of doing their job and result in a less safe, less secure United States. Even President Barack Obama stated that now was the time to look forward, not backward, in terms of national security. In fact, President Obama’s spokesperson, Robert Gibbs, said that “a hefty litigation looking backward is not what we believe is in the country’s best interest.”

More recently, seven former heads of the CIA penned a letter to President Obama asking him to end the inquiry into these allegations. They noted that the cases under review by the Attorney General had already been investigated during the Bush Administration and that lawyers had decided not to prosecute all but one of these cases. In the letter, the former CIA Chiefs wrote that “this approach will seriously damage the willingness of intelligence officers to take risks to protect the country. In our judgment, such risk-taking is vital to success in the long and difficult fight against terrorists who continue to threaten us.” Yet, despite these warnings, President Obama pulled an about-face this week, stating that he would not put an end to these investigations.

I am completely opposed to acts of torture and other human rights abuses and believe that the United States should continue to be a leader in ending such atrocities. I have supported legislation in the past which expressly bans cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment of detainees in the custody of any U.S. agency anywhere overseas.

That being said, tying the hands of the men and women charged with keeping us safe with threats of a lawsuit is not only foolish, but dangerous. While I believe proper oversight is important, CIA officials must have the tools, resources and authority to do their jobs and keep Americans safe. Furthermore, when seven former CIA Chiefs, as well as the current head of the agency, come out in opposition to actions which directly impact the ability of their agency to act effectively, I think we need to listen.

It is my sense that Americans now want to look forward, rather than behind, in a more constructive use of our energies to try to get our country back on track. There are too many challenges facing our nation right now to waste time on investigations that have already been done and pose a serious risk to our national security. Now is the time to come together, not work apart, for the common good of our entire nation.