Edwards Statement On Destruction Of Tapes By CIA

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Today, Senator John Edwards released the following statement on the CIA's destruction of interrogation tapes:

"I was disturbed to learn that the CIA deliberately destroyed video recordings of interrogations it conducted using extreme techniques. These tapes were destroyed during the ongoing 9-11 Commission investigation, raising deeply troubling questions about whether their destruction was intended to prevent the American people from learning the truth about the harsh interrogation techniques sanctioned by the Bush-Cheney Administration. Particularly with an issue so critical to our moral authority in the world, the American people deserve the truth, not suspicious excuses and evasions.

"Torture is morally wrong, it is illegal, it is ineffective, it endangers our own troops and citizens, and it plays into the hands of our enemies. My administration will uphold and protect the law rather than trampling over it."