DOJ Launches Criminal Probe of CIA

The Justice Department has opened a criminal probe into the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes. Career prosecutor John Durham will head up the investigation. From the Washington Post:

The decision opens the door to fresh scrutiny of the CIA's activities by the FBI, which clashed repeatedly with CIA field officers over the use of the harsh interrogation techniques and ultimately withdrew its own agents from interrogations to avoid entanglement in activities that senior FBI officials considered improper.

The CIA has said the tapes were destroyed to protect the identities of interrogators. CIA officials have since said the action was taken to destroy evidence that could be used in criminal prosecutions. (WaPo)