AG Holder May Appoint Prosecutor for CIA Torture Inquiry
Attorney General Eric Holder may appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate whether terrorism suspects were tortured during CIA interrogations.
Three sources told the Washington Post that Holder has reviewed a secret CIA inspection report that details several instances that could be likened to torture. He could decide whether to proceed within weeks.
Newsweek was the first to report the news of a possible investigation, basing its report on four sources. “Such a decision would roil the country, would likely plunge Washington into a new round of partisan warfare, and could even imperil Obama’s domestic priorities, including health care and energy reform,” the Newsweek story says.
Any prosecution would be limited to interrogations that went beyond conduct authorized in Justice Department memos, the Post says. Techniques reportedly used involved waterboarding for longer periods that permitted, and the shackling and beating of suspects.
