Intel Panel Still Seeks Answers From Rodriguez

Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the ranking Republican on the House intelligence committee, reiterated his desire Wednesday to speak with the CIA official who ordered interrogation tapes to be destroyed.

Jose Rodriguez Jr., the official in question, did not appear at a committee hearing Wednesday with CIA General Counsel John A. Rizzo because he has refused to testify unless lawmakers grant him full immunity. He ordered colleagues to destroy tapes that captured the simulated drowning of two suspected members of al Qaeda.

"We need to talk to Mr. Rodriguez," Hoekstra said afterward.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), who chairs the Select Committee on Intelligence, said the committe still plans to speak wtih Rodriguez, but was less forceful than his Republican counterpart.

"He remains under subpoena," Reyes said afterward. "His counsel has indicated that his client wants to tell his story. However, his counsel has advised him not to answer the committee’s questions. That is his right. But we also have a responsibility to pursue this matter by developing the facts."

In a statement, Reyes also said that there have not been any talks about granting immunity to the former CIA director of clandestine services.