One of the reported architects of the interrogation program blasted in a scathing Senate Intelligence Committee report has tough words for the authors . `` It 's a partisan pile of bull -- -- , '' James Mitchell told CNN in an interview . Mitchell said he could not confirm or deny whether he was one of the key players referred to pseudonymously in the report -- citing a non-disclosure agreement he signed with the federal government . `` If they were truly interested in getting the truth out , they would release me from it , '' said Mitchell , adding that he would be happy to talk . The report describes two psychologists who developed the interrogation program , and later had received $ 80 million from the government to run it despite the fact that neither had `` specialized knowledge of al-Qa'ida , a background in counterterrorism , or any relevant cultural or linguistic expertise . '' Related : Read the torture report . Senate report : CIA misled public , White House , Congress on torture . Several publications and a 2008 Senate report have connected Mitchell to the program , including a New York Times article Tuesday . `` The suggestion that the men and women of the CIA who put their lives on the line after 9/11 lied to the Senate , lied to the President and used bogus intelligence for some nefarious reason that 's unknown , '' he said . `` People gave their lives to protect the American people . And the last thing the Democrats want to do as they leave office is to smear their memory . It 's despicable . '' The comments reflect the political divide over combating terrorism that is resurfacing after the Senate 's report was released on Tuesday . The CIA -- and many Republicans -- are defending harsh interrogation tactics as vital to preventing terrorist attacks while most Democrats argue the programs violated American values . Mitchell said the report has a `` hindsight bias . '' At the time , CIA officials `` were in a running gun battle with a group that they knew very little about and they did the best they could given the information that was available . '' He seemed to defend interrogation techniques such as waterboarding and sleep deprivation . `` Nothing was done to those detainees that are n't done to our servicemen and women , and women , by our own training programs , '' he said . `` I think it 's a national discussion . The administration and the people of the United States really have to ask themselves if whether in a situation like immediately after 9/11 they think it 's a good idea to let them lawyer up . ''
Reported 'architect ' of CIA interrogation techniques slams torture report . James Mitchell says CIA agents gave their lives for the American people .