Below is the disastrous Pelosi press briefing where her speakership may have possibly come to an ugly end. In this briefing she first tries to claim to shore up her ridiculous claim she was not informed (directly or by staff attending direct briefings) that water boarding and other enhanced interrogation methods had been used on three (yep, only three) al Qaeda members with knowledge that stopped serious 9-11 attacks on this nation. 

As I have note many times before (here, here, here and here) this was the wrong fight to pick for Pelosi and the far left. The CIA has records on who was briefed on what. And so does Nancy Pelosi. In the briefing she is clearly in trouble and admits to things that put the lie to her claims she was not informed and did not object at the time.

She admits her staff were briefed in her place. She admits her staff notified her of the water boarding notifications (she tries to distinguish between being ‘directly’ informed and her staff being informed on her behalf and informing her, as is their job). 

In a lame attempt to hide her admissions of lying, she tries to charge the CIA with a serious crime: lying to Congress. It is also a crime to make a false charge in order to cover up a one’s acts. By making the charge the CIA lied she has opened herself up to proving this charge. She has opened the door to a full investigation.

If the Speaker of the House charges agents of the federal government of lying it carries weight and causes actions to be taken. It is not something that can be ignored. There now must be a full investigation, and the Speaker’s files are fair game for investigators to prove the charges or prove the CIA is innocent. The CIA has files, other congressional members and staff have files – all have differing record of what happened.

And Pelosi admits here her staff told her water boarding had been used – which makes her previous claims finely crafted, lawyer reviewed lies.

And if the CIA is innocent, and Speaker Pelosi knew that when she made the criminal charges, she will be fired and should be brought up on the felony crime of making false charges against others.

Her days are now numbered. Bring on the investigation of CIA crimes and let the chips fall where they may. We now will get to ‘the truth’.

Addendum: As has been noted a couple of times, the CIA gets NO benefit from lying to Congress. Their legal cover requires them to tell Congress, and if Congress decides to stop the interrogations and risk another attack they take the political and legal hits. There is no scenario which makes sense in reality (forget liberal fantasy land) where the CIA would mislead.

Pelosi wants the CIA records made public – bad  move. That means she now has to make her files public and her staff is now open to questioning. And I doubt they will commit perjury for her.

2nd Addendum: I also need to note that Pelosi admits her goal was to stop the interrogations (and therefore allow attacks to happen on American soil) by changing the control in DC from GOP to Democrat. She has openly confirmed the Democrats are more interested in protecting terrorists with knowledge of attacks on the US over US citizens in the cross hairs of these animals. She has openly confirmed democrats were the choice if you wanted to risk attack.

She openly confirmed democrats are reducing our security from attack by telling al Qaeda openly we will not use enhanced interrogation on them. If they can withstand stern questions, their plans are safe, their attacks can go as planned. 

What a dunce! When (not if) another attack comes against America and Americans, Pelosi has just admitted she and the democrats allowed it to happen by letting down our guard. I wonder if all Dems are ready to step up to that new party plank? Since she has pushed torture victim relief – and we know only 3 people were ever water boarded – does that mean she is expecting the master mind of 9-11, who had knowledge of the 2n 9-11 style attack on LA, to be beneficiaries of her victimhood work?

3rd Addendum: Pelosi was going to her notes because she had legally tested her statement and knew she was going to walk a thin line. I realize where her finely crafted wording gave her some legal wiggle room – which will do her no good with the media which now realizes they were lied to.

Pelosi states over and over again that the CIA briefing claimed water boarding ‘was not being‘ performed. Present tense. Here we get back to Clinton and what ‘the meaning of ‘is’ is. What about past tense?  Dana Bash (or someone) needs to ask the question: did the CIA brief you and Congress that water boarding HAD been used, not that it was currently (at the time of the briefing) being used. Pelosi will have to answer ‘yes’, the CIA did say it HAD been used on one al Qaeda detainee. Then it is bye-bye speakership.

4th Addendum: Ed Morrissey thinks Pelosi has raised the ante on the CIA, daring them to leak some more. Given they now face criminal charges, or the Speaker must step down, that was a dumb bet. The house (CIA) holds all the cards.

Tags: CIA, Nancy Pelosi, Truth Commission, Water Boarding