moldfarm

Q Scott, there's an FBI memo that's been released today through
a Freedom of Information request. It dates from August 23, 2002, and
recounts the interrogation — the interview of a detainee at Bagram.
And in this memo, the FBI recounts that this detainee says he had
nothing against the United States, but the guards in his detention
facility do not treat him well, their behavior is bad; about five
months ago, the guards beat the detainees and they flushed a Koran in
the toilet.

Now, there has been some statements coming from some administration
officials since the Newsweek retraction of its story that a Koran was
flushed down the toilet, that the United States government had no
knowledge of any such allegation.

MR. McCLELLAN: This is referring to a detainee, right?

Q Correct.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I think what the Department of Defense has said
is that they have found nothing to substantiate any such allegation.

Q At one point I believe Mr. DiRita said that there was no such
allegation.

MR. McCLELLAN: You can check with the Department of Defense on his
words, but I know that they have publicly said that they have found
nothing to substantiate any such allegations. There have been
allegations made by detainees. We know that members of al Qaeda are
trained to mislead and to provide false reports. We know that's one of
their tactics that they use. And so I think you have to keep that in
mind, as well.

Q For sure. How important is it –

MR. McCLELLAN: But in terms — I mean in terms of if there's any
abuse of detainees, we take any such allegations very seriously. And
if there is abuse of detainees, we hold people to account — you
mentioned mistreatment of a detainee — and we have done that, and we
also take steps to correct any problems. And we have done that, as
well.

Q Are you saying that there is no substantiation of any Koran
desecration at all at Bagram or Guantanamo Bay?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, if you look back, I think the Department of
Defense briefed last week, and they talked about the specific
allegation that you're bringing up, and they have found nothing to
substantiate any such allegation. In terms of the handling of the
Koran, that's a different matter, and they have talked about that, so
you might want to look back at what they've said.

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