White House: CIA report due out Tuesday

The White House said Monday that a report examining allegations of CIA torture will be released Tuesday, adding that U.S. embassies have taken “prudent” steps to brace for possible unrest.

{mosads}White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that the U.S. had “for months” been preparing for the release of the report on interrogation techniques used after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

“There are some indications that the release of the report could lead to a greater risk that is posed to U.S. facilities and individuals all around the world, so the administration has taken the prudent steps to ensure that the proper security precautions are in place at U.S. facilities around the globe,” Earnest said.

The White House said that the Senate Intelligence Committee had decided on the timing of the report’s release, adding that the administration “on principle” supported the dissemination of the declassified summary.

“We want to be sure that we can release that report, be transparent about it and be clear about what American values are and be clear about the fact that the administration believes and in a way that’s consistent with American values, that something like this should not never happen again,” Earnest said.

Republican lawmakers and Secretary of State John Kerry have expressed concern that the report’s release could incite attacks on American facilities. CBS News reported over the weekend that the committee found the CIA went beyond what was “legally allowable” and that the agency deceived the White House, Congress and Department of Justice about the activities.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) warned during an appearance on CNN on Monday that “this will cause violence and deaths.”

“I think this is a terrible idea,” Rogers said. “Foreign leaders have approached the government and said, ‘You do this, this will cause violence and deaths.’ Our own intelligence community has assessed that this will cause violence and deaths.”

Kerry last Friday urged Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to reconsider the timing of the release. But Earnest sidestepped questions about that outreach, saying the president supported the committee’s ability to decide when to release the report.

Earnest said Obama shared Kerry’s concerns, resulting in the preparations for potential violence. Earnest also said he was not sure there would ever be a “good time” to release the report in a way that would avoid provoking a reaction.

Feinstein subsequently told The Los Angeles Times she believed “we have to get this report out.”

She said the findings undermined the “societal and constitutional values that we are very proud of. Anybody who reads this is going to never let this happen again.”