According to the CIA, Pelosi was briefed on the enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs) that were used on Abu Zubaydah. Pelosi’s defenders are parsing the report, asking whether this includes waterboarding, which is mentioned specifically as it relates to other briefings but not for the briefing Pelosi got in Spetember 2002. It’s hard to imagine that waterboarding was not discussed, but it’s not clear from the document one way or the other. What can’t be parsed, however, are statements made by Pelosi in an interview with Rachel Maddow earlier this year. Joe Pounder sends around the clip that has Pelosi claiming “flat-out they never told us that these enhanced interrogations were being used.” In contrast, the CIA asserts that Pelosi “received a briefing on EITs including use of EITs on Abu Zubaydah.” Unless the CIA is “flat-out” lying as part of a scheme to bring down the woman who controls their budget — an unlikely scenario — Pelosi has some explaining to do.
