Geen Immuniteit, Geen Verklaring voor de Ambtenaar van de CIA

Door Scott Shane    Washington - Jose A. Jr. van Rodriguez, de vroegere Centrale ambtenaar van het Agentschap van de Intelligentie die tot de vernietiging van ondervragingsvideobanden in 2005 opdracht gaf, zal niet op Woensdag bij een gesloten Congreshoorzitting moeten verschijnen over de kwestie maar kan worden geroepen om later te getuigen, een ambtenaar die op de onderzoek bovengenoemde Maandag wordt geïnformeerdi.

    M. Rodriguez, dat de heimelijke dienst van het agentschap in 2005 en onlangs teruggetrokken leidde, heeft immuniteit geëisto alvorens hij om voor het Comité van de Intelligentie van het Huis zal overeenkomen te getuigen. The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into the destruction of the videotapes, which recorded harsh interrogations of two suspected Qaeda figures.

    The committee has made no decision on a possible grant of immunity, so it postponed Mr. Rodriguez’s appearance. He remains under subpoena, however, and the committee may call him later.

    The only C.I.A. witness currently scheduled to appear Wednesday at the closed hearing is John A. Rizzo, the agency’s acting general counsel, who held that job when the tapes were destroyed.

    Committee members want to ask Mr. Rizzo what guidance lawyers inside and outside the agency gave on the possible destruction of the tapes. They also want to question him about why the House and Senate Intelligence Committees were not officially informed of the destruction when it happened, and whether agency officials deliberately concealed the existence of the tapes from the Sept. 11 Commission, as the commission’s leaders have said.

    Mr. Rodriguez has told colleagues he consulted two agency lawyers, who told him that he had the authority to destroy the tapes and that it would not be illegal.

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