White House Open to Independent Panel on Interrogations
The White House on Tuesday suggested that any entity set up to investigate interrogation techniques employed during the Bush administration should be an independent committee along the lines of the panel that investigated the 9/11 attacks. The 9/11 Commission did not include sitting Members of Congress.White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama would not “preclude— including of Members of Congress on the panel, but he indicated that the president’s preference was for individuals who would add as little partisanship as possible to the proceedings.Obama earlier Tuesday said that he would be open to the creation of a committee to examine the Bush administration interrogation policies but said neither side should try to gain political advantage from the investigation.