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CIA boss John Brennan to defend agency after report CIA boss John Brennan defends post 9/11 strategy
(35 minutes later)
CIA Director John Brennan is defending his agency's past use of interrogation methods after a highly critical Senate report. CIA Director John Brennan has said some of the agency's interrogation methods after 9/11 were "abhorrent".
Mr Brennan is speaking to journalists and agency staff in a rare televised speech from CIA headquarters. But he said overall the interrogation programme implemented after 9/11 yielded information that saved lives.
The report said "brutal" methods like waterboarding and sleep deprivation did not lead to life-saving intelligence and the agency misled politicians. A scathing Senate report said "brutal" methods like waterboarding and sleep deprivation were ineffective.
Former Bush administrations officials have rallied to the CIA's defence. Speaking at CIA headquarters, Mr Brennan admitted some officers acted beyond their authority and should have been held accountable.
In an interview with Fox News, former US Vice-President Dick Cheney said the report was "deeply flawed". But he asserted the CIA "did a lot of things right" in a time when there were "no easy answers" and there were fears of more attacks from al-Qaeda.
Mr Cheney said Mr Bush "knew everything he needed to know" about the programme, and the report was "full of crap". While he was speaking, Senator Dianne Feinstein, who heads the committee that produced the report, was rejecting his arguments on Twitter.
His former boss led the charge against the report ahead of its release on Tuesday. One tweet said: "Brennan: 'unknowable' if we could have gotten the intel other ways. Study shows it IS knowable: CIA had info before torture. #ReadTheReport"
"We're fortunate to have men and women who work hard at the CIA serving on our behalf," he told CNN on Sunday.
Current CIA director John Brennan will make a statement on Thursday afternoon and take questions at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
Correspondents says the speech is intended to be a morale boost to the spy agency's employees as much as a defence of the overall interrogation programme.
In a written statement he has hit back at the report, saying the CIA's methods prevented terror attacks and saved lives.
An outgoing Democratic Senator, Mark Udall, has called on Mr Brennan to quit, citing interference from the CIA in preparing the report.An outgoing Democratic Senator, Mark Udall, has called on Mr Brennan to quit, citing interference from the CIA in preparing the report.
A summary of the larger classified report says that the CIA carried out "brutal" and "ineffective" interrogations of al-Qaeda suspects in the years after the 9/11 attacks on the US and misled other officials about what it was doing.A summary of the larger classified report says that the CIA carried out "brutal" and "ineffective" interrogations of al-Qaeda suspects in the years after the 9/11 attacks on the US and misled other officials about what it was doing.
The information the CIA collected using "enhanced interrogation techniques" failed to secure information that foiled any threats, the report said.The information the CIA collected using "enhanced interrogation techniques" failed to secure information that foiled any threats, the report said.
The UN and human rights groups have called for the prosecution of US officials involved in the 2001-2007 programme.The UN and human rights groups have called for the prosecution of US officials involved in the 2001-2007 programme.
"As a matter of international law, the US is legally obliged to bring those responsible to justice," Ben Emmerson, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism, said in a statement made from Geneva."As a matter of international law, the US is legally obliged to bring those responsible to justice," Ben Emmerson, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism, said in a statement made from Geneva.
He said there had been a "clear policy orchestrated at a high level".He said there had been a "clear policy orchestrated at a high level".
The chances of prosecuting members of the Bush administration are unlikely - the US justice department has pursued two investigations into mistreatment of detainees and found insufficient evidence.The chances of prosecuting members of the Bush administration are unlikely - the US justice department has pursued two investigations into mistreatment of detainees and found insufficient evidence.
On Wednesday, an unnamed justice department official told the Los Angeles Times prosecutors had read the report and "did not find any new information" to reopen the investigation.On Wednesday, an unnamed justice department official told the Los Angeles Times prosecutors had read the report and "did not find any new information" to reopen the investigation.
Key findings:Key findings:
What is 'enhanced interrogation'?What is 'enhanced interrogation'?
Who knew what when?Who knew what when?
Who were the detainees?Who were the detainees?
US President Barack Obama, who has acknowledged some methods amounted to torture, has said on Tuesday that he hoped that the publication of the report would "help us leave these techniques where they belong - in the past".US President Barack Obama, who has acknowledged some methods amounted to torture, has said on Tuesday that he hoped that the publication of the report would "help us leave these techniques where they belong - in the past".
Some Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee released a minority report, accusing the Senate of having a "flawed analytical methodology", "inadequate objectivity" and "political considerations".Some Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee released a minority report, accusing the Senate of having a "flawed analytical methodology", "inadequate objectivity" and "political considerations".
However, influential Republican Senator John McCain argued that torture "rarely yields credible information" and that even in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden the most important lead came from "conventional interrogation methods".However, influential Republican Senator John McCain argued that torture "rarely yields credible information" and that even in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden the most important lead came from "conventional interrogation methods".