Newly released CIA documents expose post-9/11 torture program and 2005 videotape destruction

Declassified FBI interview notes obtained by the New York Times reveal a 2005 attempt by a CIA official to destroy videotapes documenting the post-9/11 interrogation program.

• The released notes show a former CIA facility supervisor sought in 2005 to destroy videotapes documenting interrogations at a secret prison outside the United States.
• The official told the FBI he "didn't want to leave a mess" for his successor, describing the act as settling loose ends.
• Former deputy director Steven Kappes told the FBI that agency leaders wanted the tapes destroyed for "political" reasons.
• The notes are the first batch released under the newspaper's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, with roughly 1,900 pages of FBI interview reports to follow.