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Quotable

I felt very strongly the importance that they be protected and against all different kinds of possible prosecutions."
— Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, explaining his concern for CIA officers as he agreed to release of torture memos

Obama Rebuffs Truth Panel » President Obama appeared to back away from an earlier suggestion that he could support an independent commission on detainee treatment, telling congressional leaders that he wants to look forward instead of litigating the past. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also rejected calls for an independent panel, saying he preferred to await the findings of an ongoing investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee. — Washington Post, Wall Street Journal ($)

Beyond Abu Ghraib » The Obama administration agreed late Thursday to release dozens of photographs depicting alleged abuses at U.S. prisons other than Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, drawing concerns from Defense Department officials that the images could incite another backlash in the Middle East. — Los Angeles Times

Threats Ushered BofA Deal » Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and former Treasury secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. threatened to remove the management and board of Bank of America if it backed out of its deal to acquire Merrill Lynch late last year, according to documents released yesterday by New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo. Meanwhile, Bank of America CEO Kenneth D. Lewis may face SEC scrutiny for failing to disclose mounting losses at Merrill Lynch ahead of the merger. — Washington Post, Bloomberg

Gonzales Reportedly Intervened in Wiretap » The CIA concluded in late 2005 that a conversation picked up on a government wiretap warranted notifying Congressional leaders that Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) could become enmeshed in an investigation into Israeli influence in Washington, but Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales told the agency's director, Porter J. Goss, to hold off. — New York Times

After the jump...

BEST OF THE REST
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