Latest non-scandal poops out

The Democrats, eager to prove something…nay…anything, against this administration may have run out of luck once again. In the destruction of CIA “torture” tapes, it appears that CIA officials did it against orders from higher, according to an Associated press story in the Wall Street Journal;

The CIA official who gave the command to destroy interrogation videotapes apparently acted against the direction of his superiors, the top Republican House Intelligence Committee member said Wednesday.

“It appears he hadn’t gotten authority from anyone,” said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R., Mich.), speaking to reporters after the first day of closed testimony in the committee’s investigation. “It appears he got direction to make sure the tapes were not destroyed.”

Mr. Hoekstra said that raises the troubling prospect that there’s a thread of unaccountability in the spy culture.

“I believe there are parts of the intelligence community that don’t believe they are accountable to Congress and may not be accountable to their own superiors in the intelligence community, and that’s why it’s a problem,” he said.

Yeah, too many movies about “loose-cannon” cops and spies.

A congressional official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation said the document trail the committee is following strongly suggests Mr. Rodriguez knew destruction would be against the advice and wishes of his superiors.

“If you look at the documents, you get very close to a direct order (not to destroy the tapes) without it being, “Jose, you’re not going to do this,'” the official said.

But the fact that there’s evidence Rodriguez acted on his own won’t stop Congress from investigating the Administration, will it?

The first official said the committee will try to determine whether any CIA officials suggested “with a wink and a nod” that the tapes should be destroyed, and whether Mr. Rodriguez was being forced to take the blame.

It must be terribly disappointing for the Democrats to get nothing on this administration.

Category: Politics, Terror War