The ACLU, the CIA, the Truth

Learn more about the ACLU's ongoing efforts to document, expose and end government wrongdoing. Help support this important work.   Dear ACLU Supporter, The truth is finally starting to come out -- and it's happening because of the sheer persistence of you and the ACLU. Yesterday, in response to an ACLU lawsuit seeking government torture documents, the CIA acknowledged that it destroyed 92 tapes of detainee interrogations. This confirms that the agency engaged in a systematic attempt to evade a court order and hide evidence of its deep involvement in harsh interrogation techniques. Unconscionably, the CIA also withheld these tapes from the 9/11 Commission. It has taken years of determined efforts by the ACLU -- in the form of lawsuits, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and ongoing public pressure to get to this point. And with persistence and your help, we will expose the full extent of the Bush administration's unlawful national security policies. Without the full truth about what was done in our name, we can't move forward and we can't hold those responsible to account. And these essential efforts are having a real impact. Just yesterday, in addition to the CIA tape revelations, the ACLU played a key role in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) release of nine secret documents and opinions underlying the Bush administration's unlawful expansion of presidential powers. The memos were written by OLC lawyer John Yoo and others. And they essentially argue that the President has a blank check to disregard the Constitution during wartime, not only on foreign battlefields, but also here in the United States. The tireless efforts of ACLU attorneys and advocates -- efforts that you make possible -- have been the driving force behind these revelations. And now more than ever, as the full truth about what was done in our name starts to emerge, we need your ongoing support. Your donation can help fund the months of serious legal work, intense research, and unyielding advocacy that are behind each and every ACLU breakthrough against government secrecy and misconduct. And we must not stop now. Donate now to help the ACLU continue this important work. These revelations are critical as we seek to better understand who developed, justified, and advocated for policies such as torture and warrantless surveillance. And their release is fundamental to help all of us participate more meaningfully in the ongoing debate about national security, civil liberties, and human rights. But this is just the first step. Dozens of other OLC memos are still being withheld. Help America turn the page on a lawless era. Support the ACLU's efforts to get the truth out and all of our other work to restore lost liberties. Thank you for standing on principle and standing alongside the ACLU. Sincerely, Anthony D. Romero Executive Director ACLU © ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004

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