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Mr. President! Free Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean!
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60 Minutes Up To Its Old Tricks
By Roger Aronoff
April 3, 2008
Page 2 of 3
Pelley also stated that the FBI thought that Kurnaz was an "innocent man with no connection to terrorism." But while the FBI document, (web site) which was posted on the CBS website, actually said that "there is no investigative interest in this detainee," it also said, "Although he has denied being a member of the Jama'at al-Tabligh, his associates, travel and religious studies contradict this denial. For these reasons, Karnaz is believed to pose a [redaction of two words] to the national security of the United States and its allies if released." Jama'at al-Tabligh is generally described as an Islamic missionary group.
Another document, (web site) which CBS posts on its website, is the response from the Department of Defense to the 60 Minutes report. This is the most damning proof of CBS's manipulation. Scott Pelley quotes the report as saying that the claims of torture are "false" and "absurd," but he doesn't mention the basis for their denials. What the DOD points out are examples of evidence that Kurnaz is lying. CBS makes no mention of them. The statement says that "many of his claims can be easily refuted based on publicly available documents."
The statement goes on to cite his complaint that "he was grossly underweight while at Guantanamo because he was deprived of quality food. In fact, according to the list of heights and weights of detainees released by the Department of Defense and available on the internet, Mr. Kurnaz stayed, for the most part, well above his ideal body weight contrary to his claims. Publicly available photos released from his reunion also visually indicate a man of robust health at the end of his detention." Plus, the statement adds, "During his Combatant Status Review Tribunal testimony, Mr. Kurnaz never mentions a single allegation of mistreatment, neither during his time in Kandahar nor in Guantanamo."
So why not report on any of these charges that might impeach Kurnaz's credibility? Because the story wouldn't have the desired impact: To indict the U.S. government and the Bush Administration for their actions during this very difficult war we are in.
I have no way of knowing whether this man is guilty of seeking to be part of terrorist war against the U.S. Part of the reason he came under suspicion, according to Pelley, was that his mother had told German authorities that her son "had become more religious, had grown a beard, and was attending a new mosque. Schoolmates said that Kurnaz might have been headed to Afghanistan," raising suspicions about what he was up to.
None of this would justify in any way the sort of treatment that Kurnaz claims happened to him. But there are two distinct issues here. One is how aggressive the U.S. can and should be in interrogating detainees. The other is the issue of what legal avenues should be provided to enemy combatants. But the issue with this 60 Minutes story is how it was reported.
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