U.S. Congress, CIA in talks on video probe -aide
(Updates with Congress to review documents, in talks on testimony)
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional committee expects to begin reviewing this week CIA documents regarding the destruction of videotapes depicting harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects, a panel aide said on Wednesday.
Just days after the U.S. Justice Department asked lawmakers to delay their investigation of the tapes and drew protests from members of both political parties, the pace of the congressional probe picked up and the White House defended its handling of the issue.
The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee was working with the CIA to review the documents it requested and was also in talks over the appearance on Jan. 16 of two top agency officials to answer questions about the tapes, the committee aide said.
The officials are the former head of the CIA's clandestine branch, Jose Rodriguez, who is reported to have ordered the tapes' destruction, and John Rizzo, the agency's top lawyer, the aide said.
He said the committee had drawn up subpoenas and would issue them if needed to compel cooperation.
The CIA earlier this month disclosed that it had destroyed in 2005 hundreds of hours of tapes from the interrogations of two al Qaeda suspects, prompting an outcry from congressional Democrats and human rights activists.
The interrogations in 2002 were believed to have included a form of simulated drowning known as waterboarding, which has been condemned internationally as torture.
Asked about the congressional aide's comments, the CIA said it would cooperate with Congress, citing earlier remarks by the agency's director, Gen. Michael Hayden. "As Dr. Hayden has said in the past, we intend to fully cooperate with the committees," an agency spokesperson said.
COVER-UP CHARGE
The Justice Department told the House committee last week that it would be "problematic" for the CIA to cooperate in the probe, which led Democratic lawmakers to charge cover-up.
The department issued a statement late on Wednesday saying "we have no desire to block any congressional investigation" and would work cooperatively with Congress, but that it also did not want to jeopardize its own joint inquiry with the CIA.
The New York Times reported that at least four White House lawyers participated in discussions with the CIA between 2003 and 2005 about whether the tapes should be destroyed.
The Times said this showed White House officials were more involved than the Bush administration has acknowledged.
The White House refused to discuss whether a number of top advisers to President George W. Bush were aware of the tapes. But it attacked the newspaper on the narrower point of whether the White House had tried to minimize the role its officials played.
"We have not described -- neither to highlight, nor to minimize -- the role or deliberations of White House officials in this matter," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a written statement.
Bush, who has said the United States does not engage in torture, said the first time he learned of the tapes was when Hayden briefed him this month.
The Times reported that White House participants in the tape discussions had included Alberto Gonzales and Harriet Miers, both former White House counsels; John Bellinger, then a lawyer at the National Security Council; and David Addington, a senior adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney.
The CIA said it destroyed the tapes lawfully and did so out of concern for the safety of agents involved if the recordings were ever made public.
However, over the objections of the Bush administration, a U.S. judge has ordered a hearing for Friday to learn whether the CIA violated a court order by destroying the tapes.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, accused the administration of "stonewalling." (Additional reporting by Caren Bohan and Thomas Ferraro; editing by Eric Beech)
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional committee expects to begin reviewing this week CIA documents regarding the destruction of videotapes depicting harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects, a panel aide said on Wednesday.
Just days after the U.S. Justice Department asked lawmakers to delay their investigation of the tapes and drew protests from members of both political parties, the pace of the congressional probe picked up and the White House defended its handling of the issue.
The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee was working with the CIA to review the documents it requested and was also in talks over the appearance on Jan. 16 of two top agency officials to answer questions about the tapes, the committee aide said.
The officials are the former head of the CIA's clandestine branch, Jose Rodriguez, who is reported to have ordered the tapes' destruction, and John Rizzo, the agency's top lawyer, the aide said.
He said the committee had drawn up subpoenas and would issue them if needed to compel cooperation.
The CIA earlier this month disclosed that it had destroyed in 2005 hundreds of hours of tapes from the interrogations of two al Qaeda suspects, prompting an outcry from congressional Democrats and human rights activists.
The interrogations in 2002 were believed to have included a form of simulated drowning known as waterboarding, which has been condemned internationally as torture.
Asked about the congressional aide's comments, the CIA said it would cooperate with Congress, citing earlier remarks by the agency's director, Gen. Michael Hayden. "As Dr. Hayden has said in the past, we intend to fully cooperate with the committees," an agency spokesperson said.
COVER-UP CHARGE
The Justice Department told the House committee last week that it would be "problematic" for the CIA to cooperate in the probe, which led Democratic lawmakers to charge cover-up.
The department issued a statement late on Wednesday saying "we have no desire to block any congressional investigation" and would work cooperatively with Congress, but that it also did not want to jeopardize its own joint inquiry with the CIA.
The New York Times reported that at least four White House lawyers participated in discussions with the CIA between 2003 and 2005 about whether the tapes should be destroyed.
The Times said this showed White House officials were more involved than the Bush administration has acknowledged.
The White House refused to discuss whether a number of top advisers to President George W. Bush were aware of the tapes. But it attacked the newspaper on the narrower point of whether the White House had tried to minimize the role its officials played.
"We have not described -- neither to highlight, nor to minimize -- the role or deliberations of White House officials in this matter," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a written statement.
Bush, who has said the United States does not engage in torture, said the first time he learned of the tapes was when Hayden briefed him this month.
The Times reported that White House participants in the tape discussions had included Alberto Gonzales and Harriet Miers, both former White House counsels; John Bellinger, then a lawyer at the National Security Council; and David Addington, a senior adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney.
The CIA said it destroyed the tapes lawfully and did so out of concern for the safety of agents involved if the recordings were ever made public.
However, over the objections of the Bush administration, a U.S. judge has ordered a hearing for Friday to learn whether the CIA violated a court order by destroying the tapes.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, accused the administration of "stonewalling." (Additional reporting by Caren Bohan and Thomas Ferraro; editing by Eric Beech)
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