Cia, Interrogation Inquiry | featured news

The White House on Monday fired back after former Vice President Dick Cheney called the Obama administration's decision to open a probe into alleged CIA abuses an "outrageous political act." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs broadly dismissed Cheney's comments on "FOX News Sunday" as typical and unfounded.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney says politics are driving the Justice Department's decision to investigate whether CIA interrogators abused terror suspects detained after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Sleep deprivation, "insult slaps," water dousing and "walling," or slamming a detainee's head against a wall, were techniques used by CIA interrogators to break high-value detainees, according to an agency memo.

Attorney general's decision to probe alleged abuses of terrorist detainees draws sharp criticism, as leading Democrats largely applaud the action.

Senate Democratic leaders said they would resist efforts to create a special panel to investigate harsh interrogation methods.