John Kerry’s Statement on Amendment to Require Reports on Clandestine Detention Facilities

Senator John Kerry just offered an amendment on the Senate floor demanding reports to Congress on the CIA's now-public secret prisons in Eastern Europe. Here's a breakdown of the amendment:

Purpose: To require reports on clandestine facilities for the detention of individuals captured in the global war on terrorism. The amendment does not shut them down (if they exist), rather it demands oversight.

Report of the Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense will deliver to the Armed Services Committees of the House and Senate a classified a detailed report on his knowledge, or the knowledge of personnel of the Department of Defense, of clandestine detention facilities for individuals captured in the War on Terrorism.

Report of the Director of National Intelligence
The Director of National Intelligence will deliver a classified report to the House and Senate intelligence committees providing a full accounting on any clandestine prison or detention facility operated by the United States Government, regardless of its location, where detainees in the Global War on Terrorism are held.

Kerry Statement on Amendment to Require Reports on Clandestine Detention Facilities (As Prepared):

Mr. President, in recent weeks we have heard allegations about the existence of secret prison facilities operated by the United States government in various countries around the world. I know that many of my colleagues take this matter very seriously. The Central Intelligence Agency has reportedly requested a Justice Department investigation of how classified intelligence information made its way into print. Clearly, the revelation of these programs is a serious national security matter that we can all agree on, no matter where we sit.

MORE