Dems call for special counsel in tapes scandal

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), along with 18 members of the panel, sent a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Tuesday calling on him to appoint a special counsel to investigate the CIA’s destruction of videotaped terrorist interrogations and related reports of misconduct.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) recently opened a criminal investigation into the destruction of the tapes, but House Democrats argue more needs to be done to get to the bottom of the matter.

{mosads}“Such an appointment is crucial in order to ensure that the American people can have confidence that a truly vigorous and independent investigation takes place concerning serious alleged misconduct reportedly involving high administration officials — including lawyers at the White House and the department itself,” wrote all but four Democratic members of the House panel.

Quoting from DoJ regulations governing the appointment of special counsels, Conyers argued that the current controversy meets all three criteria set out in the law. First, he wrote, such an appointment is required when a “criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted,” when there are conflicts of interest with the DoJ or a U.S. attorney conducting the probe, or when it would serve the public interest.

The Democrats also requested a briefing on procedures concerning Assistant U.S. Attorney John Durham’s investigation because, they argued, he was not appointed “pursuant” to DoJ special counsel regulations. The DoJ tapped Durham, who had worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Connecticut for 25 years and who is known as a relentless prosecutor, in early January when it announced a full investigation into the tapes’ destruction.