Knowing your interest in matters of national security, I wanted to share my thoughts on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent accusation that the Central Intelligence Agency misled her during a 2002 briefing about the use of certain enhanced interrogation techniques on a high-value terrorist suspect.  CIA Director Leon Panetta responded to the accusation by stating firmly that Speaker Pelosi, in her then-position as Ranking Member of the Intelligence Committee, was "briefed truthfully" about the interrogation methods the agency had employed.

Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi has spent the last several years attempting to use the controversy over enhanced interrogation techniques for political advantage, despite the fact that these methods brought forth vital information that saved American lives.  But recent reports indicate that she was among the first to know of them and did not voice a single objection.  After information was released showing that she attended a briefing where the use of these interrogation methods was indeed discussed, the Speaker has changed her story repeatedly, eventually accusing the CIA of a federal crime - lying to Congress - without providing any evidence.  I firmly believe that if she can not offer concrete evidence backing up her accusations, Speaker Pelosi should apologize to the men and women at the CIA for her unsubstantiated and firmly refuted accusation.

In order to conduct an open and fair debate about the CIA's interrogation program, we must acknowledge its successes.  As I noted last month, disclosing Top Secret information about the program's tactics while failing to disclose its successes could have a detrimental impact on the morale of our nation's intelligence community.  Showing our playbook to our enemies could also make it easier for al Qaeda jihadists to prepare for future interrogations and make it more difficult for the CIA to protect the American people.  This is a very serious matter, and the Speaker's unsupported accusation has certainly done nothing to make America safer in a time of war.