Obama rejects request to drop CIA abuse probe

U.S. President Barack Obama, in a series of interviews aired on Sunday, said he would not grant a request by former CIA directors to quash the Justice Department's investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Seven former CIA chiefs sent a letter to Obama on Friday saying the Justice Department's investigation would “create an atmosphere of continuous jeopardy” and warning of "endless criminal investigations."

The president, in an interview with CBS's show "Face the Nation", noted that although he had the "utmost" respect for the CIA, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder would have to make "judgment in terms of what has occurred."

I appreciate the former CIA directors wanting to look after an institution that they helped to build

President Barack Obama

"Nobody is above the law"

"I appreciate the former CIA directors wanting to look after an institution that they helped to build," Obama said.

"But I continue to believe that nobody's above the law. And I want to make sure that, as president of the United States, that I'm not asserting in some way that my decisions overrule the decisions of prosecutors who are there to uphold the law," he added.

"My understanding is it's not a criminal investigation at this point. They are simply investigating what took place," he said. "I don't want witch hunts taking place. I've also said, though, that the attorney general has a job to uphold the law."

The letter to Obama was signed by three CIA directors under President George W. Bush, Michael Hayden, Porter Goss and George Tenet, as well as by John Deutch, James Woolsey, William Webster and James Schlesinger, from the Nixon administration.

I continue to believe that nobody's above the law. And I want to make sure that, as president of the United States, that I'm not asserting in some way that my decisions overrule the decisions of prosecutors who are there to uphold the law

Obama

Afghanistan

Obama also discussed Afghanistan deadlines in his round of interviews but was hesitant to say whether he would send more troops to the war-torn country.

"I have to exercise skepticism anytime I send a single young man or woman in uniform into harm's way. Because I'm the one who's answerable to their parents if they don't come home," the president said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press."

"I don't have a deadline for withdrawal. But I'm certainly not somebody who believes in indefinite occupations of other countries."

The President did however say that the strategy had become “somewhat adrift” and that Americans needed to be reminded that the war was necessary in the fight against terrorism.

“We’re there because al-Qaeda killed 3,000 Americans and we cannot allow extremists who want to do violence to the United States to be able to operate with impunity,” Obama said in a separate interview with Univision.

I have to exercise skepticism anytime I send a single young man or woman in uniform into harm's way. Because I'm the one who's answerable to their parents if they don't come home

Obama