I am getting messages saying “Hey, the anti-torture folks need to stop knee-jerk criticism of the Biden nominees, a long time has passed.” Here’s why that is enraging, and why it would be a huge disservice to stay quiet now (thread) @Transition46 1/

First of all - “knee-jerk”? How dare you. Many among us have spent nearly *two decades* highlighting the USG’s use of torture. 2/

So when Avril Haines’ name surfaces to head up the intel community, we’ve got the receipts. Ditto for Mike Morell, and Gina Haspel, and anyone else who touched the CIA torture program in anyway. @danielljjonesus 3/ https://twitter.com/DanielJJonesUS/status/1330943398736367617?s=20

This is why, when @JohnBrennan and @GenMhayden and Clapper reinvented themselves as anti-Trump heroes, we spoke up to remind people that these men fully covered up US torture. 4/ https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/e/7/e7fde6e8-4053-454a-a15c-47234daf175e/1FB727F237C5E0C97F075462081B6DAC.hayden-book-response-march-2016.pdf

Torture is one of the highest int'l crimes. @UNhumanrights The US condemns torture all over the world. So it *matters* that USG organized/funded/ staffed detainee torture in secret dungeons ( @CIA’s word from SSCI report, not mine); and then lied about the torture TO THIS DAY. 5/

There is no question that what we did was torture, including to my client @BaluchiGitmo. No matter how many times Mike Morrell wants to deny the word. Brutal, medieval torture. 6/

And it is not in the past, contrary to what @BarackObama hoped people would believe. Indefinite detention continues to this day at Guantanamo and tortured detainees deteriorate without treatment for that torture. To this day. @GitmoWatch 7/

Americans still do not know the full horror of the program - not even close. Here is part of the reason why that matters. 8/ https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2020/01/14/Alka-Pradhan-Torture-secrets-still-being-uncovered-at-Guantanamo-Bay/stories/202001140009

Don’t take my word for it. Here is former Navy GC Alberto Mora talking about how badly the torture program harmed our national security @Transition46 @joebiden @kamalaharris
https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Mora-Speech.pdf

So no, none of us who have sat in rooms with victims of the CIA torture program are going to unreservedly applaud the appointment of Avril Haines or anyone else who touched and then whitewashed American torture. 10/

We want loud and firm commitments to accountability and transparency, declassification of the SSCI torture report, closure of Guantanamo. @br_farley 11/ https://www.justsecurity.org/73311/a-path-for-renewing-guantanamo-closure/

Anything less is just furtherance of a literal criminal conspiracy. And btw, refusal to punish crimes and hold anyone accountable is exactly what allowed the Trump admin the latitude they’ve enjoyed for four years. [Fin] 12/