Nevada Lawmakers Respond to Senate Torture Report

Nevada lawmakers are responding to an extensive report released Tuesday about interrogation practices used by the CIA after the 9/11 attacks.

The report by the Senate Intelligence Committee says the agency inflicted pain and suffering on prisoners with tactics that went well beyond legal limits. The report also says the CIA deceived the nation with its insistence that harsh interrogation tactics had saved lives.

Rep. Joe Heck, R- NV, released a statement about the report on his website, which said in part:

"The release of this report is another clear example of the disdain the Administration and some elected officials have for our intelligence community and the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep America safe.”

Heck said he had hoped the report would be delayed because of fears it will put diplomats and troops in danger. He also believes it will put the efforts to build a coalition in the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL at risk.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-NV, spoke about the report on the Senate floor Tuesday. His statement said in part:

“This is how we, as Americans, make our nation stronger. When we realize there is a problem we seek the evidence, we study it, we learn from it, and then we set about to enact change. Americans must learn from our mistakes – as we did with the Pentagon papers, the Iran-Contra affair, and more recently, Abu Ghraib.”

Reid said without the report the American public would not know what actually took place under the CIA’s torture program. He said the country can protect its national security without resorting to torture.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
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