Cheney: US gained information from interrogations

Former Vice President Dick Cheney says the U.S. government gained valuable intelligence from its aggressive interrogations of high-value detainees after the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

The government's methods are described in documents newly released by the Obama administration and have drawn scrutiny over what might be appropriate treatment - or what might be construed as torture.

Many of the old interrogation methods - including so-called waterboarding - have been banned. Waterboarding involves placing a person on his back and pouring water on a wet towel over his face to simulate drowning. Other tactics entail stripping a detainee naked, depriving him of sleep, physically striking him and putting a hood over his head.

But in an interview with Fox News Channel, Cheney said Monday that what hasn't been revealed publicly is what the U.S. gained as a result of these actions.

"I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw, that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country," Cheney said.

Cheney said he has formally asked the CIA to declassify the memos.

However, a senior intelligence official said Tuesday the CIA has received no such requests from the former vice president. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose it publicly.