Justice Department Wants Courts, Congress to Stay Out of Probe Into CIA Interrogation Tapes
CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden stops to speak to the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007, upon his arrival for a closed-door hearing of the House Select Intelligence Oversight Panel. The controversy over destroyed CIA interrogation tapes is shaping up as a turf battle involving the courts, Congress and the White House, with the Bush administration telling its constitutional coequals to stay out of the investigation.
The Justice Department says it needs time and the freedom to probe the destruction of hundreds of hours of recordings of two suspected terrorists. After Attorney General Michael Mukasey refused congressional demands for information Friday, the Justice Department filed late-night court documents urging a federal judge not to begin his own inquiry.
The documents represent the first time the government has addressed the issue in court. In the papers, acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey S. Bucholtz said Kennedy lacked jurisdiction and he expressed concern that the judge might order CIA officials to testify.
rest of the article @ the link:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4005598