Rule of Law by Randy Singer

Author:Randy Singer [Singer, Randy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Christian / Suspense, FICTION / Thrillers / Legal
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2017-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

53

John Marcano had an unnerving stare that was in full force during the afternoon session. He repeatedly hesitated and locked his eyes on Paige for just a moment before answering her questions. Judge Solberg seemed oblivious to it as she diligently took down notes.

Marcano’s eyes narrowed when Paige asked if his friend had jumped to his death from the World Trade Center. “What’s that got to do with anything in this lawsuit?” he snapped.

Kyle Gates stood and objected. Better late than never.

“It goes to Director Marcano’s motivation,” Paige argued. “It shows that he has a personal vendetta against terrorists.”

“That’s a stretch,” Solberg ruled. “Let’s move on.”

Wellington handed out copies of a bulky exhibit that Paige identified as the Senate Intelligence Committee’s 528-page summary of its report on the CIA’s detention and interrogation program carried out during the Bush administration. At the time of the events detailed in the report, Marcano had been head of CIA operations in Lebanon.

Paige directed Marcano to a page where the names of CIA agents who had participated in the program were redacted. She knew from the documents provided by the Patriot that Marcano was one of those names.

“Did you participate in this enhanced interrogation program during your time in Lebanon?” she asked.

“That’s classified information. That’s why the names are redacted.”

“Did you do the things in this report?” Paige asked. “Did you strip prisoners down, chain their wrists to the wall, deprive them of sleep for days, and feed them rectally?”

Gates stood but Solberg didn’t wait for an objection.

“You do not have to answer that question,” she said to Marcano. And then, turning to Paige: “This case is not about enhanced interrogation techniques. Let’s move on.”

“I understand, Your Honor,” Paige said, though she really didn’t. Marcano’s role in the torture program revealed a lot about the man’s character. But she and Wyatt could make a bigger deal about that during the jury trial—if there was a jury trial.

Paige looked down at her outline, flipped a few pages, and began the next set of questions.

“What is the date of the report you’re holding, sir?”

Marcano checked the publication page. “December 3, 2012.”

“During the Obama administration?”

“Obviously.”

“The report was filed six years after the events detailed in it?”

“That’s not unusual. In some cases, the delay is even longer.”

“So then, whether or not you are named in the report, isn’t it true that the CIA felt like it had been hung out to dry during the Obama administration? Like you had done what President Bush authorized but then risked being prosecuted for war crimes under Obama?”

Marcano placed the report on the broad rail in front of the witness box and pushed it a little to the side—creating some psychological distance from it. “Those techniques were authorized by the Bush Justice Department, by the DOD, and by the White House. And yes, CIA operatives felt like they had been hung out to dry when the next administration came in and tried to paint those same techniques as criminal.”

“Sounds political to me,” Paige said.

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