Video taped interrogations of CIA prisoners were destroyed by the agency, despite a federal judge's request to acquire the recordings as potential evidence in a criminal trial. The suspect timing of the tapes' destruction has lead to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation and a Congressional inquiry.

CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden claimed that the tapes were destroyed in order to protect the identity of the undercover agents who performed the interrogation.The new York Times: C.I.A. Destroyed 2 Tapes Showing Interrogations (December 7, 2007) The agents are believed to have employed interrogation techniques that could expose them to legal risks if the videos ever became public.

• Google News: CIA Destroyed Tapes
• New York Times: Account of C.I.A. Tapes Is Challenged (January 17, 2008)
• ABC News: Judge Won't Inquire Into CIA Tapes Case (January 9, 2008)
• Reuters: Bush "strongly" supports CIA tapes probe (January 3, 2008)
  • Bush: "I strongly support it. And we will participate."
• ABC News: Criminal Probe Opened Over CIA Tapes (January 2, 2007)
  • Attorney General Michael Mukasey: "The Department's National Security Division has recommended, and I have concluded, that there is a basis for initiating a criminal investigation of this matter, and I have taken steps to begin that investigation."
• The New York Times: "Tapes by C.I.A. Lived and Died to Save Image" (December 30, 2007)
• TimesOnline.com: "CIA chief to drag White House into torture cover-up storm" (December 23, 2007)
• The New York Times: "Bush Deflects Questions on C.I.A. Tapes" (December 20, 2007)
  • In a press conference on December 20, President Bush said that he will withhold comment on the CIA tape controversy until investigation is complete. He also refused to answer whether or not the destroying videotapes of interrogation was "the responsible thing to do."
• AFP: White House assails NYTimes over CIA video report (Dec. 19, 2007)
• New York Times: Bush Lawyers Discussed Fate of C.I.A.Tapes (December 19, 2007)
• CNN.com: Judge orders hearing on destroyed CIA videotapes (December 18, 2007)
• Los Angeles Times: House vows to pursue CIA inquiry (December 17, 2007)
• The New York Times: Top Democrat Blasts C.I.A. Over Destroyed Video (December 11, 2007)
  • Harry Reid said, in a speech on the Senate floor, that the destruction of the tapes damaged America's moral authority. "The possibility of obstruction of justice is very real. The American people deserve a full accounting for what took place."
• WTOP News: Hayden Says CIA Videotapes Destroyed (December 6, 2007)
• New York Times: C.I.A. Destroyed Tapes of Interrogations (December 6, 2007)
  • The tapes, which showed operatives subjecting suspects to "severe interrogation techniques", were destroyed because of concerns that they would "expose agency officials to greater risk of legal jeopardy". The recordings were withheld from a federal court hearing the Zacarias Moussaoui case and from the 9/11 Comission
• The New York Times: C.I.A. Was Urged to Keep Interrogation Videotapes - New York Times (December 8, 2007)
• CNN: CIA videos interrogations in '02, destroys tapes in '05 (December 6, 2007)
• Washington Post: CIA Destroyed Tapes of Harsh Interrogations (December 6, 2007)
• FOX News: CIA Director: Agency Taped 2002 Interrogations, Destroyed Tapes in 2005 (December 6, 2007)
• The New York Times: Congress Looks Into C.I.A. Obstruction As Calls for Justice Inquiry Rise (December 8, 2007)
• CNN: Bush: 'No recollection' of tapes (December 8, 2007)
  • "Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, said that was 'stretching credulity.'"
• BBC News: Democrats call for CIA tape probe (December 8, 2007)
  • "Leading Democrats in the US have called for a criminal investigation into the CIA's destruction of two tapes showing the interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects."
• FOX News: Senate Intelligence Committee Begins Review of Destroyed CIA Tape Trail (December 8, 2007)
• The New York Times: Destruction of C.I.A. Tapes Could Alter Prosecutions (December 9, 2007)
  • "Officials acknowledged on Friday that the destruction of evidence like videotaped investigations could raise questions about whether the Central Intelligence Agency was seeking to hide evidence of coercion."
• FOX News: CIA, Justice Department Launch Inquiry Into Videotape Destruction (December 8, 2007)

• Google Blog Search: CIA Destroyed Tapes

• Daily Kos: CIA destroyed tapes of "harsh interrogations" (December 6, 2007)

• Think Progress: CIA destroyed tapes of 'harsh interrogations.' (December 6, 2007)

• Huffington Post: CIA Destroyed Interrogation Tapes Of Terror Suspects (December 6, 2007)

• The Carpetbagger Report: CIA ignored warnings about interrogation videos

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