WASHINGTON — Attorneys for Jose Rodriguez told Congress the former CIA official won’t testify about the destruction of CIA videotapes without a promise of immunity, two people close to the inquiry said Wednesday.
Rodriguez, the former head of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, ordered that the tapes, which showed harsh CIA interrogation of two al-Qaida suspects, be destroyed in 2005. Rodriguez is scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Jan. 16.
Defense attorney Robert Bennett told lawmakers, however, that he would not let Rodriguez testify because of the criminal investigation into the case. Without a promise of immunity, anything Rodriguez said at the hearing could be used against him in court.
The discussions were described to The Associated Press by two people close to the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were to be private.
The CIA has acknowledged that it destroyed the videos, and the Bush administration has urged Congress and the courts to stay out of the inquiry while the Justice Department investigates.
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