A couple days ago, I posted a diary about a 2004 “for eyes only” USCENTCOM report that was mistakenly mailed to me by a young aide at then-Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s office. The report came as the result of an investigation into US kidnapping and detention of noncombatant children in intelligence and combat operations, but Sen. Dole’s office accidentally asked the US Joint Staffs to investigate detention of civilians in Iraq. A key statement in the report from US Central Command:
The Coalition implemented a detainee review process that provides broader procedural discretions than the GC [Geneva Conventions].
I learned that same day from Sen. Richard Burr’s office that although nominee for CIA chief Gina Haspel participated in the destruction of videotapes and other recordings of torture sessions that she took part in and/or oversaw, she and her cohorts retained transcripts of those tortures.
Sen. Burr is one of my senators from North Carolina. He’s also chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. His “personal intelligence aide” (wtf is that???) Kelsey gave me this information by phone when I called to ask whether that Joint Staffs and US Central Command policy was still in effect, and whether that policy had impact on the 2005 decision to destroy recordings of “enhanced interrogation” of civilians.
After telling me that the CIA did destroy video recordings but retained written transcripts, Kelsey said that as Sen. Burr’s “personal intelligence aide,” she wasn’t privy to further information but referred me to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence itself. No one there has answered or responded to my calls yet.
As of this afternoon, I do not have independent confirmation of what Kelsey at Sen. Burr’s office told me. But that’s the starting place to start looking for those transcripts.