CIA Destroyed More Tapes Than Admitted: Feds

By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 2, 2009 12:57 PM CST
CIA Destroyed More Tapes Than Admitted: Feds
New CIA Director Leon Panetta speaks with reporters, at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., Feb. 25, 2009.    (AP Photo)

The CIA destroyed 92 tapes of terror interrogations, far more than has previously been acknowledged, according to new documents. The revelation came in a letter filed today by government lawyers in New York, where the ACLU has filed a lawsuit seeking more details of terror interrogation programs.

The tapes became a contentious issue in the trial of Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, after prosecutors initially claimed no such recordings existed, then acknowledged two videotapes and one audiotape had been made. The letter says the CIA is now gathering more details for the lawsuit, including a list of the destroyed records, any secondary accounts that describe the destroyed contents, and the identities of those who may have viewed or possessed the recordings before they were destroyed. (More CIA stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X