The CIA says it destroyed videotapes in 2005 of interrogations of terrorism suspects. The ACLU says the tapes were covered by a federal judge's order that such material be turned over in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. A contempt of court proceeding in that case would be only one part of the legal fallout.
Another aspect is further damage to the credibility of the Justice Department. When the department was prosecuting Zacarias Moussaoui on terrorism charges, and his lawyers asked for transcripts or recordings of the interrogations of certain terrorism suspects, the existence of the tapes was not revealed. The judge in that case has said the incident reduced her trust in the Justice Department's word.
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