Leahy: Subpoenas for documents possible

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The incoming U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee chairman said he'd consider subpoenas to get White House documents and testimony on its anti-terrorism tactics.

The remarks by U.S. Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., are among the most specific statements directed to the White House on the investigative agenda the Democratic leaders poised to undertake in January when they assume congressional leadership, The Los Angeles Times said Thursday.

"I expect to get the answers. If I don't ... then I really think we should subpoena," Leahy said. "If the president wants to claim executive authority, then let him do so, and then we can determine where we go from there."

Leahy said he is particularly interested in two administration documents worrisome for human rights and civil liberties groups. One is a presidential order authorizing the CIA to establish secret prisons outside the United States to house terrorism suspects. The other is a 2002 Justice Department memorandum outlining "aggressive interrogation techniques" that could be when questioning terrorism suspects.

Leahy last month asked U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for the presidential order and Justice Department memo. A Justice Department spokesman said that the request was being reviewed.