The CIA Vault: the Torture Tapes
The CIA Vault: the Torture Tapes
When the CIA got caught destroying torture video tapes from a secret prison and got away with it.
You’re Gonna Be a Star, Baby!
Back in 2002, the CIA made a bunch of videotapes of a couple of detainees at a black site in Thailand. Some tapes even depicted their torture. There were 92 tapes in total. Those goddamn black sites, I tell ya…
The Discovery
With more due diligence, the tapes probably wouldn’t have been destroyed. The videos and their destruction went public in December 2007. The DOJ later launched an investigation into the matter, appointing special prosecutor John Durham. He declined to file any criminal charges related to destroying the videotapes.
Ghosts of the Past
Fast forward to 2018, enter Gina Haspel, a Bush-era CIA agent striving to be the next CIA director. Not only did Haspel support destroying the tapes back then, but she was also directly involved. Despite all that, she said she wouldn’t have supported doing it again and confirmed that the CIA’s torture program wouldn’t be restarted under her watch. Human Rights Watch penned a public letter against Haspel’s nomination, though her nomination was eventually accepted.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more.