Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
NPR News

Fallout Grows from Destroyed CIA Tapes

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

Listen 0:00

The CIA says it destroyed videotapes in 2005 of interrogations of terrorism suspects. The ACLU says the tapes were covered by a federal judge's order that such material be turned over in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. A contempt of court proceeding in that case would be only one part of the legal fallout.

Another aspect is further damage to the credibility of the Justice Department. When the department was prosecuting Zacarias Moussaoui on terrorism charges, and his lawyers asked for transcripts or recordings of the interrogations of certain terrorism suspects, the existence of the tapes was not revealed. The judge in that case has said the incident reduced her trust in the Justice Department's word.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right