Those Who Followed DOJ Policy Won't Be Prosecuted, Says CIA Chief Nominee
Those in the CIA who followed legal directives of the U.S. Department of Justice won’t be prosecuted under official White House policy, even if they crossed the line into what some see as torture in their harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects, says Leon Panetta, the nominee for the agency’s top post.
But he will leave to others to decide whether the Obama administration will pursue possible legal action against those who authorized or wrote the legal opinions under which such interrogations were performed, reports the Associated Press.
Its article is based on an interview with Panetta today, after his second day of confirmation hearings before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
”We just can’t operate,” Panetta says, if people feel they could be prosecuted “even if they are following the legal opinions of the Justice Department,” the news agency reports.
Related coverage:
PBS: “CIA Nominee Panetta May Face Overhaul of Counterterrorism Measures”
ABC News: “Panetta: CIA Should Fire Official Accused of Rape”
ABAJournal.com: “Former CIA Chief in Algeria Investigated in Claimed Rapes There”
