House Panel Delays Rodriguez Testimony (Destroyed CIA Tapes; Has Requested Immunity)

[Hissyspit]

Source: New York Times

House Panel Delays Rodriguez Testimony
By Paul Kiel - January 15, 2008, 11:21AM

The House intelligence committee had a choice: Hear what the CIA official who actually ordered the destruction of the torture tapes has to say -- inevitably compromising the ongoing criminal investigation? Or kick the can down the road.

The House intelligence committee will deal with this later:

Jose A. Rodriguez Jr., the former Central Intelligence Agency official who ordered the destruction of interrogation videotapes in 2005, will not be required to appear on Wednesday at a closed Congressional hearing on the matter but may be called to testify later, an official briefed on the inquiry said Monday.

The House's probe goes on, though, even without its star witness. The CIA's general counsel John Rizzo will testify tomorrow, the Times reports.

Read more: http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/005074.php

[frog92969]

1. Come on...Roll over boy, Roll over!

I think we know what he's sitting on.

[Javaman]

2. More Kabuki theater. nt

[Deny and Shred]

3. Doubt we'll ever hear from him

He will not be made to testify for some reason or another, with pardon as a resort as well. There is always the 'two bullets to the back of the head, obvious suicide' reason for not testifying which has a remarkable history of recurrence when investigations get too close to government impropriety.

Then again, he may just take the fall for the whole thing - 'It was all my idea' - sure it was.

[frylock]

4. they'll pick up the investigation after the 2008 elections

[dmosh42]

5. They know he'll only take the fifth, if he has no immunity.

I guess he might be the only 'voluntary' information they would get, but they don't know what they might give up in return for an immunity. We know they can't force anybody, with Congress's track record on enforcing subpoenas. So they'll have to beg!

[hisownpetard]

6. They should get his testimony on the record, before something happens to him,

even if they have to tape it, under oath, in secrecy.