Attorney General Eric Holder is leaning toward launching a probe into the Bush administration's torture policies, it was reported Saturday.

Sources told Newsweek that Holder, after months of careful consideration, appears likely to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate whether top Bush lawyers twisted the law in authorizing torture techniques.

The official decision could come in a matter of weeks. If Holder opts to investigate, it will almost certainly increase tensions in a White House that has insisted it wants to focus on the future.

"I hope that whatever decision I make would not have a negative impact on the President's agenda," Holder told Newsweek. "But that can't be a part of my decision."
The development comes three months after it was revealed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times in March 2003. After Holder read through the reports, he reportedly told a colleague it "turned my stomach."

Daily News