> Just because the CIA lies 95% of the time does not mean that other people cannot lie and fake documents. What material difference does this make? You're just

> Just because the CIA lies 95% of the time does not mean that other people cannot lie and fake documents. What material difference does this make? You're just muddying the waters. I presented a case for what kind of default stance is reasonable to take based on the available evidence. Not that one should believe everything anyone says about the CIA. Say that the CIA provably (documented) killed 20 particular innocent people (hypothetically). Then there are five people who each claim that the CIA killed whoever (their cousin, their wife) innocent people based on no evidence. The takeaway from that is that the CIA has killed innocent people (and by extension: can do it again), not that you should believe your uncle when he says that the CIA killed his dog.