User blog:Bzero/House Dems Investigate Coffin

MacLeod continues to back torture

By ADAM CANCRYN

House Democrats plan soon to begin investigations into the recently revealed CIA black site known as the Coffin. Reports indicate Democrats want to haul up implicated Cabinet officials and dig into controversial decisions that led to the re-opening of off-site detention centers. They plan to put CIA Director Gina Haspel and acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan under oath and investigate extralegal detentions in Greenland.

“Over the last two years President MacLeod set the tone from the top in his administration that behaving ethically and complying with the law is optional,” House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings said. “We’re better than that.”

John MacLeod immediately pushed back, repeating his claims that torture “absolutely” works and that the US should “fight fire with fire.”

Speaking to ABC News, MacLeod said he would defer to acting Defense Secretary Shanahan and CIA director Haspel to determine what can and cannot be done legally to combat the spread of terrorism.

But asked about the efficacy of tactics such as waterboarding, MacLeod said: “absolutely I feel it works.”

MacLeod said he asked intelligence chiefs earlier this week whether torture works. “The answer was yes, absolutely,” he said.

The scandal has already claimed at least one official. Lt. Colonel David Lane announced Wednesday he is stepping down from his post at the US Army Criminal Investigation Division Command pending a court martial for his involvement as liaison between the US Army and the CIA in regards to the Coffin. The office of USACIDC Major General David Glaser said they will refrain from commenting until the court martial is settled.