Mukasey: I need to see the documents

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The nominee for U.S. attorney general told a Senate committee Wednesday he cannot make a decision on so-called torture memos until he has read them.

Michael Mukasey, a retired federal judge, said that one document, the "Bybee Memo," was both wrong and unnecessary. But he said that he does not have enough information to answer questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee on interrogation techniques.

The Bybee Memo came from the Justice Department in 2002, and appeared to broaden the amount of pain that could be used during interrogations.

"I'm not -- I have not been -- read in on I think is the Washington expression -- any classified program or information, including the classified information that relates to interrogation methods or the memoranda that relate to interrogation methods," he said. "And so I can't say that there's something that's out of line with the law in those programs until I see the programs and see the memos and see whether they are in alignment or not."

Mukasey pointed out that the Bybee Memo was withdrawn.

While the hearing has generally been friendly, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., had problems with Mukasey's testimony, The Chicago Tribune reported.

"I find your equivocation troubling," Feingold said.