ICAT Urges Sen. Durbin to take a stand on CIA Appointments

Posted on April 14, 2013

A copy of a letter from Illinois Coalition Against Torture to Sen. Durbin:

To: Senator Richard Durbin

From: Illinois Coalition Against Torture (ICAT) (http://illinoiscat.wordpress.com/)

The Washington Post reports that CIA director John Brennan has appointed as acting director of the National Clandestine Service a CIA employee who played a major role in directing the creation of “black sites,” illegal torture of detainees, and destruction of videotape evidence of waterboarding and possibly other acts of torture.

While ICAT applauded your holding of hearings on abuses of solitary confinement; we must object to your inconsistent vote in favor of confirmation of Brennan, himself deeply compromised in the CIA’s history of illegal torture.

We call on you at this point to use your position of power in the Senate to investigate and block the promotions of torture-compromised CIA officials. Congress has a duty to assert itself in the face of such shameful appointments. In fact, the very people who are being promoted should instead be prosecuted for their illegal involvement in torture.

Robert Clarke (2900 N. Burling St., Chicago 60657) for the Illinois Coalition Against Torture