[JURIST] CIA Director Michael Hayden [official profile] appeared before the US Senate Intelligence Committee [official website] in a closed session Tuesday to testify about the CIA's destruction of videotapes [JURIST news archive] allegedly showing the harsh interrogation of "high value" terror suspects. Panel members noted that major questions still remained following Hayden's testimony, including who actually authorized the tapes' destruction [JURIST report] and why Congress was not informed of the decision. Hayden told reporters afterwards that he spoke on why the tapes were destroyed and how that decision was made. Hayden is scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. AP has more.

Hayden acknowledged [statement text] last week that the CIA had videotaped the interrogation [JURIST report] of two terror suspects in 2002, but said that the tapes had been destroyed in 2005 amid concerns that they could be leaked to the public and compromise the identities of the interrogators. Several probes into the tapes' destruction have been launched, including a joint DOJ-CIA preliminary investigation [DOJ letter; JURIST report] and multiple congressional inquiries.