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August 25, 2009

Holder Appoints Prosecutor to Probe CIA Torture
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Attorney General Eric Holder has opened an inquiry into CIA torture. On
Monday, Holder appointed veteran federal prosecutor John Durham to look
into whether CIA interrogators and contractors should be charged for the
torture and abuse of foreign prisoners. Durham is already heading a
separate probe into whether CIA officials broke the law in destroying
videotapes documenting prisoner interrogations. The White House has
opposed calls for a torture investigation but says the decision has been
Holder’s to make. On Monday, deputy press secretary Bill Burton said
President Obama will respect Holder’s conclusions.

Bill Burton: “Well, as the President has said repeatedly, he thinks that
we should be looking forward, not backward. He does agree with the
Attorney General that anyone who conducted actions that had been
sanctioned should not be prosecuted. But ultimately, the decisions on
who is investigated and who is prosecuted are up to the Attorney
General.”