CIA Nominee Can’t Evade Drone Questions at Senate Hearing

from truthdig:


CIA Nominee Can’t Evade Drone Questions at Senate Hearing

Posted on Feb 7, 2013
By Thomas Hedges, Center for Study of Responsive Law


The confirmation hearing of John Brennan to become CIA director began and ended Thursday with questions about his oversight of the drone program that has been responsible for the deaths of at least 2,629 people, according to the U.K.-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Members of peace and social justice group Code Pink interrupted Brennan’s opening remarks before the Senate Intelligence Committee five or six times before being cleared from the room.

“Reject John Brennan,” they advised Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the committee. “Senator Feinstein,” one woman asked as security escorted her from the room, “are your children more important than the children of Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia?”

Many activist groups like Code Pink have been criticizing the Central Intelligence Agency for the way it’s handled certain responsibilities it inherited from the Pentagon after 9/11. They contend that the agency, which traditionally had provided intelligence for the military, has itself become a paramilitary group with limited oversight from Congress and the luxury of protecting its activities through classification. ....................(more)

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