| | Intel committee member 'doesn't buy' CIA incompetence 
CIA chief Michael Hayden testified Tuesday before a closed-door hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee about the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes.
Committee member Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) told CNN after Hayden's appearance that "the Bush administration has long played fast and loose with the interrogation rules, and the consequences are now coming home to roost." He expects Congress to quickly pass legislation making these secret interrogation techniques illegal.
Wyden explained that because so much of Hayden's testimony was classified he couldn't get into the details of what was said, but "we certainly don't have a complete answer" on who ordered the destruction of the tapes or under what authority.
Wyden also expressed concern at Hayden's claim "that it was necessary to destroy the tapes in order to protect people at the CIA." He stated, "That argument just doesn't wash with me. I think there are many competent people at the CIA. It's their job to protect their agents, their job to protect the records. I think they can do it competently and General Hayden's argument for destroying the tapes suggests that they're not competent over there, and I don't buy it."
"It makes you wonder who was trying to avoid accountability," Wyden concluded.
Gen. Hayden told reporters that he's "committed" George Tenet and Porter Goss to answer the Intelligence Committee's questions. Tenet was head of the CIA when the tapes were made and Goss when they were destroyed. Wyden said he could not comment on who would be appearing but promised, "We're going to stay at it ... We're going to talk to all of the relevent officials."
This video is from CNN's American Morning, broadcast on December 12, 2007.
RUSH TRANSCRIPT (via closed captions)
:: cia chief michael hayden goes back to capitol hill today facing questions from the house intelligence committee over destroyed cia interrogation tapes. Hayden was called yesterday to appear in a closed door session of the senate intelligence committee.
:: i'm very delighted to come on down and lay out the facts as we know them and we'll be very happy to get let the facts take us where they are.
:: ron widen is a member of the intelligence committee. He joins us now. Did you get the answers to the questions you were looking for yesterday) I think we got a start and clearly we can't get into classified material, john. I will tell you, in my view, the bush administration has long played fast and loose with the interrogation rules and the conseq coming home to roost.
:: what are the questions that rockefeller wanted answer is who authorized theose tapes. Did you get the answer to that question?
:: I think again we got some information but we don't have acomplete answer. I also want to know, in particular, under what authority were these tapes ds, you said it was a classified hearing, within those bounds, what can you tell us about what was said?
:: you really cannot get into the details. I certainly wish I could and it's particularly relevant right nour. I think that the house and the senate very shortly on a bipartisan basis will improve an intelligence authorization bill that will say the secret interrogation techniques are illegal. We believe we ought to be used the army sealed manual and we think that is both effective and humane and certainly that is going to be voted on by the congress very quickly.
:: if you can't tell us really what happened and what you heard during the hearing, I understand all of that. Let's look forward here. After the hearing, cia chief hayden reminded people that, hey, he wasn't at the helm of the cia when the tapes were destroyed. Here is what he said following the hearing.
:: the taping was done under director tenet and destroyed under director goss which was before my time. There are other people in the agency who know about this far better than I and i've committed them to come on down and answer all of the questions the committee might have.
:: will you be hearing from former directors tenet and goss and with all of the myriad of players involved here, do you expect that you're ever going to get a clear accounting for what happened with those tapes?
:: we're going to stay at it until we do. I can't comment on who will be appearing soon but we're going to talk to all of the relevant officials. General hayden did say something public that troubles me. He said it was necessary to destroy the tapes in order to protect people at the cia. That argument just doesn't wash with me, john. I think there are many competent people at the krachlted. It's their job to protect their agents and their job to protect the records. I think they can do it confidently and general hayden's argument for destroying the tapes suggest they're not competent over there and I don't buy it.
:: we talked yesterday with john kirkiakou who was involved in the capture but not the enhanced interrogation of abu zubaydah. Here is what he said yesterday about destroying those tapes.
:: I don't see the reason to destroy them. There's a possibility that they could be used in a criminal investigation and, frankly, for the historical record, I think it's important to have things like that maintained.
:: he also told us that he was not aware the tapes were actually being made, it was a surprise to him, yet he thought they should not have been destroyed. Do you agree with him?
:: I certainly agree these tapes should not have been destroyed and it makes you wonder who was trying to avoid accountability. The reason that you have these kinds of materials is to make sure that you can document what somebody did and I think there may be an effort to duck accountability here.
:: one quick question to you. Your colleague, senator biden, although no on the intelligence committee, believes an independent counsel should be appointed to look into this and taken out of the hands of the cia and the department of justice. Do you agree with him?
:: I want to have the intels committee go first. I do not rule out that down the road.
:: senator, thanks for joining us.
:: thank you.
:: and thanks for being as candid as you could given the fact it was a closed hearing.
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