Udall: Video at Bush Presidential Library Underscores Need for CIA, White House to 'Come Clean' About Detention, Interrogation Program

Press Release

Citing a video presentation to be shown at the new George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Mark Udall, who serves on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, renewed his call today for the White House and CIA to promptly correct the record on the effectiveness of the Bush administration's detention and interrogation program. The video presentation leaves the false impression that the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques resulted in intelligence that prevented terrorist attacks in the United States.

"Last week, I called on the Obama administration to acknowledge and correct the false public record about the CIA's detention and interrogation program and to lead in instituting the necessary reforms to ensure that such a program is never again established," Udall said. "This week, false claims about the effectiveness and results of the CIA detention and interrogation program were reportedly highlighted in a video at the new George W. Bush presidential library. This video could potentially leave thousands of visitors to the library with the false impression that this wrongheaded program prevented terrorist attacks here in the United States.

"As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I know these claims are false. The Senate Intelligence Committee spent more than three years studying the CIA's detention and interrogation program, and produced a 6,000-page report, including 35,000 footnotes, based on a documentary review of over six million pages of CIA and other records. In December, I voted with a majority of my colleagues on the committee to report out the study, and to send it to the CIA for its review and comments.

"I am renewing my push for the White House and the CIA to engage with the committee on the report, to declassify it and to come clean with the American people."

The CIA, the White House and other agencies continue their review of the committee's report on the CIA's detention and interrogation program, without a clear deadline for completing their review - despite a request from the committee for a coordinated administration response by February 15, 2013. Repeated requests for CIA Director John Brennan to meet with committee staff to learn about the report's methodology and findings have been declined, despite pledges made to Udall and other committee members that he would do so.

Udall led the push during Brennan's confirmation hearing in pressing the then-nominee to commit to declassifying the committee's report and correcting inaccurate information in the public record on the effectiveness of the CIA's use of enhanced interrogation techniques and detention measures. He called Brennan's nomination last month "only the beginning" of his efforts to ensure that the agency corrects the record on the Bush administration's detention and interrogation program and declassifies the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's more than 6,000-page report on the program.

Udall also was part of the bipartisan group of senators who successfully pushed the White House to provide access to the Department of Justice opinions outlining the legal basis for the targeted killing of U.S. citizens using drones.

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