Obama reversed photo position out of concern for troops, Gibbs says

President Obama reversed his previous decision to release photos showing possible detainee abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan after growing concerned that the pictures would endanger American troops, press secretary Robert Gibbs said today.

The administration had previously announced they would release the photos, believing they would inevitably lose a lawsuit filed by the ACLU seeking to make the pictures public.

Today, Gibbs said that the President had not seen the photos in April when he made the original decision. Now he has.

“The president believes that the existence of the photos themselves doesn’t actually add to the understanding that detainee abuse happened,” Gibbs said, adding that the Pentagon is already reviewing interrogation practices for wrongdoing.

The photos would merely highlight “the sensationalistic portion of that investigation,” Gibbs said.

In response to a question, Gibbs said Obama had not seen the photos when he made the original determination.