Obama Safeguarding Classified Report on CIA’s Use of Torture

The White House counsel has announced a small victory for open government. 

The Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the CIA's detention and interrogation program, a landmark document that details the effectiveness of the agency's use of torture, will be preserved by the outgoing Obama administration. 

A letter to Senator Diane Feinstein of California, who had called on Obama to declassify the report, announced that the 6,700 page report will be safeguarded by President Obama under the Presidential Records Act (PRA). For now, it will remain classified in the presidential library, where it will be protected from shredding by future administrations. 

According to The Guardian, the report details the CIA's use of "harsh interrogation techniques," like waterboarding, in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks and concludes that the use of torture had not produced any useful intelligence findings.  

“It’s my very strong belief that one day this report should be declassified," a statement from Sen. Diane Feinstein read. "The president has refused to do so at this time, but I’m pleased the report will go into his archives as part of his presidential records, will not be subject to destruction and will one day be available for declassification.”