CIA Director Leon Panetta recently testified to Congress that the agency concealed information and misled lawmakers repeatedly since 2001, according to a letter from seven House Democrats to Panetta made public Wednesday. The letter to Panetta, dated June 26, was published on the Web site of Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-California. "Recently you testified that you have determined that top CIA officials have concealed significant actions from all members of Congress, and misled members for a number of years ...

CIA Director Leon Panetta has carried through on his pledge to prohibit independent contractors from conducting interrogations of terror suspects. In a message to agency employees on Thursday, Panetta said he had notified the congressional oversight committees about the current CIA policy regarding interrogations. Besides discontinuing the use of contractors, the director outlined in the message other steps taken in response to executive orders issued by President Obama in January. The harsh interrogation techniques authorized by the Bush administration will ...