The release of a Senate report graphically detailing the stomach-turning "enhanced interrogation" the CIA used on terrorists will result in the torture and killing of Americans around the world, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col Ralph Peters says.
And he said Sen. Dianne Feinstein's justification of the release of the wart-and-all report is akin to the vilification of Vietnam-era soldiers as "baby killers."
"It's inexcusable, it's vile, it's providing aid and comfort to the enemy … I didn't expect a stunt like this from [Feinstein]. It's just so damned sad," Peters said Tuesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
Newsmax TV.
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"I want to know if she and the White House, which supports the release of this report … [will] accept responsibility for the American deaths, kidnappings and tortures at the hands of terrorists that are going to result from her stunt."
The report — released Tuesday by Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee, chaired by Feinstein — says the CIA misled Congress and White House officials about its interrogations of terror suspects and mismanaged a program that was far more brutal and less effective than publicly portrayed.
It told of techniques such as waterboarding, rectal feeding, forced nudity, and extended periods of confinement in a coffin-sized box.
Peters — author of the bestselling Civil War novel
"Hell or Richmond" (published by Forge Books) — strongly disagreed with Feinstein's assurance that the release of the warts-and-all report will restore America's values.
"She's absolutely full of it … My values were just fine. Yours are just fine, the values of all the real Americans I know are just fine," Peters said.
"This is just absolutely, absolutely horrible, I ask everyone, please, show me one tangible benefit for the American people, show me one practical use in releasing this report right now.
"All it does it open old wounds, vilify unfairly the CIA, betray our allies who trusted us in the aftermath of 9/11, endanger American lives, diplomats, soldiers, but especially aid workers, teachers, etc., overseas."
He said the baring of the CIA methods "guarantees" that the terrorists will renew their attacks on Americans.
"What a propaganda gift to the terrorists … This hurts America, it hurts America really, truly badly and it does nothing good … It's the same thing as back in Vietnam calling soldiers baby killers," he said.
"Those CIA officers and others who in the tumultuous, chaotic aftermath of 9/11 did everything they could and did it successfully to prevent another attack are now being chastised, castigated, insulted, defamed, and libeled by Sen. Feinstein and her ilk on Capitol Hill.
"She's rewriting history and it's morally wrong, it's ethically wrong, it's practically wrong, and it just disgusts me."
Peters also bristled at the fact that the committee reportedly did not interview members of the CIA interrogation team.
"This report is compiled exclusively by Democratic Senate staffers without a single in-person interview, just relying on selective documents," Peters said.
"It's basically a kangaroo court in which nobody was allowed to testify for the defense."
The CIA is preparing its own rebuttal report.
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