The harsh interrogation techniques used by the CIA in the years after Sept. 11 were essentially useless, and far more brutal than the spy agency told Congress and the public, according to a Senate report released Tuesday, NBC News reported. It found that CIA interrogation tactics, employed for days or weeks at a time, never led to imminent threat intelligence. In some cases, the means were counterproductive, the report found. It also criticized the CIA for "inadequate and deeply flawed" management of the interrogation program. A group of former CIA officials posted a response online, at the domain name CIASavedLives.com, and said that the Senate report contained factual errors and completely missed the context of the post-9/11 threat. In a statement, President Barack Obama said that the report documented a "troubling program" of interrogation tactics that were "inconsistent with our values as nation." Marines have been placed on alert in and around the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea to respond to any possible threats against American embassies over the report's findings, defense officials told NBC News. Senators are also expected to weigh in on the report.
