James Mitchell, a psychologist who allegedly co-founded a company the CIA paid to run its terror interrogation program, is retired in Florida and spends his free time kayaking, rafting and climbing. And finding his life a little surreal. “I’m in a box -- I’m caught in some Kafka novel,” he said in a telephone interview from his home in Land O’ Lakes, Florida. “Everyone is assuming it is me, but I can’t confirm or deny it. It is frustrating because you can’t defend yourself.”

Saying he was speaking as a psychologist trained in interrogation techniques but denying any direct knowledge of the CIA program, Mitchell said he would support “anything legal and that doesn’t produce lasting harm.” He said anyone who engaged in sexually abusing or killing a prisoner should be in jail.

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His partner in Mitchell Jessen & Associates was Bruce Jessen, who was also involved in the CIA interrogations according to the officials familiar with the report. The Senate report didn’t name the firm or Jessen. Jessen didn’t respond to a message left at a number listed in that name in Spokane, Washington, which is where the U.S. officials said the company that worked for the CIA and was paid $81 million was based.

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“The people who think the men and woman in the CIA are doing the heavy lifting for them so they can sleep safe at night, those people I get a lot of positive comments from,” Mitchell said. “Then there are the people who think it would be better that 3,000 people die than that KSM get slapped,” referring to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, “and they don’t care because it isn’t going to be them who is dying. They just don’t care.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-10/psychologist-linked-to-cia-interrogations-kayaking-in-retirement.html#disqus_thread