House Subpoenas Top Ex-Spy

The former head of the CIA's clandestine service has been subpoenaed to testify about the destruction of  videotapes of the harsh interrogations of two al-Qaeda suspects. The subpoena for Jose Rodriguez was issued after the House Intelligence Committee staff studied documents on the interrogations that the CIA had surrendered to the panel. Rodriguez may seek immunity in exchange for his testimony.

President Bush was questioned yesterday about the tapes and appeared to acknowledge that disclosures about controversial interrogations could damage America's reputation. “I don’t want people to get the wrong impression of our country, but I’m not surprised we get criticized on a variety of fronts,” he said. The president stressed, however, that he only learned recently that the tapes had been destroyed. (More CIA stories.)