Hoekstra says Congress will defy DoJ on CIA tapes

The ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee said Sunday that the panel would defy the Department of Justice (DoJ) and pursue an investigation into the destruction of CIA tapes that show the interrogation of suspected terrorists.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) said the panel would not stand down.

{mosads}“I think we will issue subpoenas,” Hoekstra said on Fox News Sunday. “And once these witness appear in front of the committee, then I think we’ll have to make the decision as to whether we’re going to provide them with immunity or not. But our investigation should move forward.”

The lawmaker added that Congress needs to hold the CIA accountable “because they did not respond and they did not perform the way we expected them to.”

“If they had done what they are supposed to do on the tapes — keep us informed, listen to the kind of recommendations that my colleague [Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)] made to them — we wouldn’t even be having this discussion today.”

Harman, formerly the top Democrat on the Intelligence panel, said that there have been parallel investigations in the past and she also supports a congressionally inquiry.

“It smells like the cover-up of the cover-up,” said Harman, who had urged the CIA not to destroy the tapes.