WASHINGTON, May 22 (UPI) -- Two schools of thought about interrogation were highlighted in a U.S. Justice Department audit on abusive treatment of detainees at U.S. installations.
The split was pointed up in the report's account of discussions about interrogation tactics that FBI agents believed were abusive but still employed by military and CIA interrogators, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The divergence reflected cultural differences between the FBI, which seeks information to prosecute terrorism crimes, and the military and CIA officials wanting information quickly about al-Qaida.
The 370-page report said even after then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller expressed concerns to White House officials, the tactics did not change. The report concluded tactics agents considered ineffective and possibly illegal remained in use, despite misgivings voiced by FBI agents.
Concerns among FBI agents first were aired in memos released to the American Civil Liberty Union in which the bureau withdrew its agents from interrogation rooms in protest. The depth of dissent was unknown until the release of this week's audit, which outlined the protests and the chilly reception they received from the White House, the Post said.