Former CIA Operative Would Call Gonzales, Tenet as Witnesses in Federal Trial

A former CIA operative accused of beating an Afghan prisoner who died in custody wants to subpoena the U.S. attorney general and the former head of the CIA to prove he acted under government authority, according to documents unsealed Tuesday.
...Passaro, 38, is charged with four counts of assault. He is accused of beating Abdul Wali with his hands, feet and a large flashlight while he was interrogated for two days at a U.S. base in Afghanistan in June 2003. Wali had turned himself in to U.S. forces, who sought him as a suspect in rocket attacks on the base. He later died in custody.
Passaro is the first civilian prosecuted on charges of mistreating a military detainee in the U.S. war on terrorism.
In the documents supplied to the media Tuesday, Passaro indicates he intends to use a "public authority" defense, arguing he acted under the authority of President Bush and the CIA - specifically then-Director George Tenet.
Tenet and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, formerly Bush's counsel, are among those Passaro wants to call as witnesses.