Reporting from Washington — Democratic lawmakers today criticized former Vice President Dick Cheney for allegedly ordering a CIA counter-terrorism program be kept secret from congressional leaders, as a top senator called for an investigation.
Although Republican senators were far more circumspect, some GOP lawmakers acknowledged the White House should have briefed Congress on the secret program.
At least two Democratic senators said they believe the Bush administration's failure to inform Congress about the intelligence program violated the law. Although it is unclear how wide an investigation lawmakers would like to see, the latest controversy could add fuel to calls for a broader look into the CIA's relationship with Congress during the Bush administration.
There have been increasing criticisms by congressional Democrats -- in particular House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) -- that the CIA misinformed Congress about key elements of its now-canceled harsh interrogation program.
Republicans, who have attacked Democrats for criticizing the CIA, probably will be dead set against any such probe.
Today, Republicans uniformly criticized Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. for reportedly considering the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into accusations that CIA interrogators exceeded the rules laid out by the Bush administration's Justice Department when using abusive techniques against terrorism suspects.
While Democrats expressed support for Holder, some lawmakers continued to push their own alternative plans to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by the Bush administration.
But Democrats were united in condemning Cheney for allegedly ordering the CIA not to reveal details of a still-secret intelligence program.
CIA Director Leon E. Panetta ordered the program halted shortly after learning about it, then immediately called special sessions with lawmakers to discuss the terminated initiative.
Sources have refused to provide any details about what the program involved or what it was meant to achieve. It was put in place in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, but never became fully operational.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Panetta had told congressional leaders that Cheney had ordered the agency to withhold details of the program from Capitol Hill.
