FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Bush doesn't want Congress and the courts investigating those destroyed CIA videotapes of detainee interrogations. What a surprise.
Nonetheless, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee is pledging to move forward with his panel's probe. Congressman Peter Hoekstra says it's important to hold the CIA accountable, adding, "You've got a community that's incompetent. They are arrogant. And they are political."
On Friday, the CIA asked the Intelligence Committee to halt its investigation, saying that inquiry would interfere with an ongoing probe by the Justice Department in collaboration with the CIA.
This after Attorney General Michael Mukasey rejected demands from Congress for information about the Justice Department's inquiry. He said turning over the information might be seen as bowing to "political influence."
Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harman agrees with Hoekstra that congressional inquiries should continue. She says parallel investigations have happened many times, adding, "It smells like the cover-up of the cover-up."
And, it's not just about Congress. The Justice Department is also telling a federal judge not to start his own inquiry. U.S District Judge Henry Kennedy had ordered the administration back in June 2005 to preserve evidence regarding detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. But the administration insists the CIA tapes weren't covered by that order because the detainees weren't being held at Gitmo. They were being held at a secret CIA prison overseas.
Here’s my question to you: Why would the Bush administration ask the courts and Congress to stay out of investigating those destroyed CIA tapes?
Interested to know which ones made it on air:
Michael from Wisconsin writes:
Of course Bush doesn't want anyone other than his Justice Department looking into the CIA tapes. He said he didn't recall being briefed about these tapes. He did not say he wasn't briefed. If someone else looks into these tapes, he might have to remember that he was involved.
Diane from Intervale, New Hampshire writes:
The White House follows in the proud tradition of the Rosemary Woods School of Jurisprudence: if the evidence is incriminating, simply destroy it and then stonewall any investigation until January 2009.
Donna writes:
We have covert operations/intelligence going on. That means the stuff is secret. Get over it.
Darren from Leavenworth, Kansas writes:
Bush doesn't want us to know the extent of torture that this administration was involved in. He claims that the U.S. doesn't use torture, but if that were true, the administration would be open to investigations and come clean about what they were doing.
Doug from Melbourne, Floridawrites:
Remember Watergate? It's called a "cover up", America, pure and simple. Bush has something to hide. It's not rocket science, it's corruption! Two bits he'll get away with it, too.