Memo: Bush Administration Tortured Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 183 Times

One of the more shocking revelation from the May 30, 2005 Bradbury memo, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times in March 2003. Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times in August 2002. Unless I am missing something, that would mean that that KSM was tortured roughly six times a day.

The disclosure can be found on page 37 of the OLC memo, which referenced the rate to torture for the two men.

Notably, Bush officials earlier leaked a story that said that KSM broke within minutes of being waterboarded. CIA officials are quoted as saying “He sang right away. He cracked real quick.” Recently, reports have indicated that these interrogations produced largely known or false information, particularly in the case of the “successful” torture of Abu Zubaydah. Yet, putting aside these accounts, it is strange that CIA officials said that he broke quickly but proceeded to torture him 183 times in the course of a single month.

Notably, the CIA officials who earlier leaked information and details on the success of the torture program are now crying foul at the release of the legal justifications and the scope of the program.

These officials who tortured people multiple times a day have now been told by Attorney General Eric Holder that they will not be investigated and that the government will pay for any criminal defense.