Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI)
93 Articles

Questions for Senators (and Journalists) to Ask CIA Director Nominee John Ratcliffe
We asked intelligence experts and former members of the intelligence community for questions they would ask Ratcliffe in Wednesday's hearing.

Is Secret Law the Solution to an Overbroad Surveillance Authority?
Congress can legislate both responsibly and openly, as long as the administration declassifies certain information that is already in the public domain.

The Just Security Podcast: Counterterrorism and Human Rights (Part I Root Causes, Guantanamo, and Northeast Syria)
Perhaps no one is better equipped to consider the impact of counterterrorism on human rights than Fionnuala Ní Aoláin. This is Part 1 of a special two-part conversation.

Rehabilitation for Torture at Guantanamo is a Moral and Legal Imperative
To be an effective leader, the United States must honor its commitments under the Convention Against Torture.

SSCI Could Shake Up the Intelligence Community’s Whistleblowing System
Implementing SSCI reforms is crucial for building a whistleblowing system that intelligence workers can trust.

Uncertain Future for the ICC’s Investigation into the CIA Torture Program
The ICC Office of the Prosecutor has "deprioritized" investigation of CIA torture in Afghanistan. But Julian Elderfield, a former attorney in the OTP, says the stated reasons for…

A Torture Survivor Speaks at the Guantanamo Military Commissions
Majid Khan described his torture by the United States for the first time in a case that also shows how plea agreements are the only realistic path for those charged in Guantanamo…

Nuremberg Prosecutor says Guantanamo Military Commissions Don’t Measure Up
In an upcoming filing, the last living Nuremberg prosecutor, Benjamin B. Ferencz, says there is "very limited comparison" between the Guantanamo military commissions and the Nuremberg…

State Secrets and the Torture of Abu Zubaydah
More than any case to have reached the Supreme Court, Abu Zubaydah’s case demonstrates the need to carefully scrutinize what information the Executive Branch can legitimately…

Stopping Torture: Why Professional Governance Failed, and How It Can Do Better
Professionals -- psychologists, physicians, lawyers -- played key parts in enabling post-9/11 torture programs. Yet professionalism can also constrain state power. Gregg Bloche…

How to Fix the U.S. Litigation Position in Key Pending Cases
The Biden administration has the opportunity, and responsibility, to disavow the Trump administration’s dangerous litigation positions and the ideologies they reflect in these…

U.S.-ICC Relations Under a Biden Administration: Room to Be Bold
The Trump administration approached the ICC with open and unproductive hostility. Can Biden reset relations? Kip Hale says yes: first, remove sanctions. Second, investigate and…