Jose Rodriguez, the former chief of the CIA Clandestine Service, says that many Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, were fully aware of the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques program - including waterboarding and sleep deprivation - since 2002.

Washington Times:

Some Democrats who have criticized the actions described in the Senate report on torture were aware of each of the techniques — including waterboarding and sleep deprivation — as far back as 2002, a former top CIA official said Sunday.

Jose Rodriguez, the former chief of the CIA Clandestine Service, said he briefed Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in 2002 on each of the interrogation tactics approved by the Justice Department.

“I briefed her on all of the techniques. These people were fully aware of all of the techniques approved by the Department of Justice and legal counsels,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.” “She never objected to the techniques at all.”

He said many members of Congress actually told CIA officials that they needed to be doing more to protect the country.

“Their biggest thing that they told me was, ‘Your problem is that you guys are risk averse. ‘You have to go out and give the authorities you’ve been given to protect America,’” he said.

A Senate report released last week found that CIA officials used tactics like waterboarding, sleep deprivation, rectal feedings, physical violence and threats to family members on those with suspected ties to terrorist organizations. The report found that the torture techniques didn’t produce any valuable intelligence and that, in some cases, the CIA had gotten the wrong person and ended up letting the suspected terrorist go after torturing him.

Mr. Rodriguez said the report throws CIA employees under the bus and that the country will “pay the price” for officials hesitating in the future as a result of the report and its subsequent backlash.

“Leaders at the agency are going to wonder whether the authorities they receive from their president will last longer than one election phase. That’s a big concern,” he said. “We want the CIA to be confident their authorities will not be second guessed when the administration changes.”

The level of hypocrisy is astounding. Weaselly Democrats egging the CIA on in 2002 and then turning on them when the political winds changed. Their protests ring hollow, and calls for the CIA to apologize by liberals should include calls for Democrats to apologize for their nauseating hypocrisy as well.