Report: Bush Administration Knew

When controversy erupted over prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, the Bush administration pinned the crimes on “a few bad apples.” But, the 232-page report on torture released today shows that both military and CIA officers were being trained on how to conduct coercive interrogations as many as eight months before the Justice Department official okayed the measures, according to the Associated Press. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said, “Authorizations of aggressive interrogation techniques by senior officials resulted in abuse and conveyed the message that physical pressures and degradation were appropriate treatment.” He continued, "In my judgment, the report represents a condemnation of both the Bush administration's interrogation policies and of senior administration officials who attempted to shift the blame for abuse such as that seen at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan to low-ranking soldiers."