Poll: Public believes Pelosi over CIA, barely

A bare plurality of Americans believe that the CIA may have misled Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the use of waterboarding on detainees, according to a new Rasmussen poll.

43% of respondents said it was either “very” (20%) or “somewhat” (23%) likely that the “CIA misled Pelosi about the use of waterboarding when interrogating prisoners[.]”

41% said it was either “not very” (19%) or “not at all” (22%) likely. 16% were not sure.

Other findings in the poll:

-63% of Americans have either a very (25%) or somewhat (38%) favorable opinion of the CIA.

-65% of Americans have been following the Pelosi/CIA story either very (38%) or somewhat (27%) closely.

-59% of Americans believe it is either very (40%) or somewhat (19%) likely that “waterboarding and other harsh techniques helped secure valuable intelligence information.”

Pelosi has said the CIA briefed her that enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding were legal, but she insists they was never informed that waterboarding was being used.

The three other members of Congress who received similar briefings are split along party lines in their recollection. Former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) said he was not informed of waterboarding or any other enhanced interrogation techinques, while Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and former Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.) said they were.