A House judiciary subcommittee voted Tuesday to compel Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, David Addington, to testify about the aide’s role in forming administration policies supporting harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists.
The move authorized House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) to issue a subpoena ordering Addington to answer questions about methods that critics say violate international and U.S. prohibitions against torture.
Conyers said he remained hopeful that Addington, who has so far refused to appear before the committee, would change his mind. If not, said Conyers, he would employ “more prodding through the legislative, coercive process — non-violent, of course.”
A spokeswoman for Cheney’s office said that Addington stands by his refusal.
“As of right now, we have not received a subpoena,” said Megan Mitchell. “If we do we’ll certainly review it and respond accordingly.”
Separately, former Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and John Yoo, a former Justice Department lawyer, have agreed to testify before the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
Yoo wrote a 2002 memo — later repudiated as the result of a Supreme Court ruling — that gave legal cover to U.S. officials employing harsh interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists.
No date has been set for their testimony.
The subcommittee is also talking with George Tenet, the former CIA director, about his knowledge of how the interrogation policies were crafted, said Shin Inouye, spokesman for the subcommittee chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.).