Justice Department

DOJ: No Charges In CIA Torture Tape Destruction

Ryan J. Reilly | November 9, 2010, 12:37PM

Attorney General Eric Holder

Federal prosecutors will not file criminal charges against anyone for destroying CIA videotapes that depicted the harsh interrogation of terrorism detainees during the Bush administration, the Justice Department confirmed on Tuesday.

A Justice Department spokesman said in a statement that after an "exhaustive investigation into the matter," a federal prosecutor "has concluded that he will not pursue criminal charges for the destruction of the interrogation videotapes."

The news was first reported by NPR's Carrie Johnson. NPR's report cites two sources close to the investigation who said Assistant U.S. Attorney John Durham has concluded there is not enough evidence to bring an indictment.

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CIA Tapes

Docs Show Goss May Have Agreed With Destruction Of Interrogation Tapes

Zachary Roth | April 16, 2010, 10:13AM

Former CIA Director Porter Goss

Porter Goss, then the head of the CIA, said at the time that he agreed, after the fact, with the agency's 2005 decision to destroy videotapes showing brutal interrogations -- and even joked wryly about the issue, new documents released yesterday by the CIA suggest.

Goss told Jose Rodriguez, then the head of the CIA's clandestine service and the official who ordered the destruction of the tapes, that he "agreed" with the move, according to a CIA email message, reports the New York Times. "PG laughed and said that actually, it would be he, PG, who would take the heat."

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