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>> who is deciding what is classified and what isn't in terms of what's released to this committee? >> we are following the existing guidelines. >> who is deciding? >> we are following the existing guidelines. >> who is we? >> i have chosen to follow the guidelines that exist. >> you are making the classification decisions about what materials should be released to this committee? >> i am electing not to make an exception for myself but i am adhering to existing rdi guidelines. if i may just -- >> that's fine. i just wanted to understand that. with regard to the cable, mr. rodriguez said that ...

Hold ourselves to. >> will you please answer the question? >> senator, i think i've answered the question. >> you've not. do you believe the previous techniques now armed with hindsight, do you believe they were immoral? yes or no? >> senator, i believe that we should hold ourselves to the moral standard outlined in the army field manual. >> okay. so i understand that you have not answered the question, but i'm going to move on. so i understand that you from previous answers are serving as the authority over whether or not cia information concerning you will be classified or not. given an obvi...

Didn't change his view. he was wrong and issued a correction. >> who is deciding what's classified and what isn't in terms of what's released to the committee? >> senator, we're following the existing guidelines. >> who is deciding? >> we are following the existing -- >> who is we? >> well, i have chosen to follow the guidelines that exist -- >> you are making the classification decisions about what materials should be released to the committee? >> i'm electing not to make an exception for myself, but i am adhering to existing guidelines. >> that's fine. i just wanted to understand that. with ...

Guidelines that exist at cia, and there is another declassification authority. it's called the iro. i have not interfered -- >> you believe you have the authority to recuse yourself? >> i'll take that for the record. i may have the authority to recuse myself. i'm not a lawyer. i'm not sure about that. >> assuming you do, and i believe you do? will you agree to recuse yourself from the responsibility and the authority of making decisions about what cia information about you and your record will be classified or declassified? >> senator, if i had agreed with the proposals that have come up becau...

>> no, senator, i explained that mr. rodriguez wanted to get resolution on the issue and that he was planning to have a conversation with the director about it. and he needed to have revalidation of those two points. >> you drafted the cable. is that correct? >> yes. at his request. >> is it common practice when a cable is drafted it's copied to various parts of the legal establishment within the cia and was that done in this case? was that cable copied to mr. rizzo or other lawyers within the agency? >> senator, there was robust coordination with the lawyers at cia -- >> were they copied on t...