Leahy praises AG Holder for appointing terror interrogation prosecutor

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Monday praised Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to name a special prosecutor who will determine whether or not to launch a full-scale criminal investigation of the CIA’s terror interrogation tactics.

“I am grateful that the Justice Department is finally being led by an independent Attorney General who is willing to begin investigating this dark chapter in our country’s history,” Leahy said in a release. “I had no doubt that he would put the interests of the law ahead of politics, and he has demonstrated that.”

The sixth-term senator added he still hopes for a full “nonpartisan, independent review” to examine the interrogations.

“This investigation will also bring a measure of accountability to the American people in holding responsible those whose decisions may have undermined our values and our laws,” he said of the special prosecutor’s probe.

The Washington Post reported this afternoon that Holder will appoint career Justice Department prosecutor John Durham to examine several incidents in which CIA personnel may have violated anti-torture laws while interrogating suspected terrorists.