The HIG was created by PresidentBarack Obama in August 2009
with its charter written in April 2010.[9][10] It was established to question terrorism suspects soon after their arrests, to quickly obtain information about accomplices and terrorism threats.[10]
The group was to be responsible for interrogations overseas.[11] In January 2010, the Director of National IntelligenceDennis Blair said that the group would begin interrogating people in the U.S. as well.[11] The HIG claims to use authorized, lawful, non-coercive techniques and conducts research on the effectiveness of interrogation techniques and provides training for their interrogators, other U.S. Intelligence Community and law enforcement partners and allies abroad.[7]
The HIG is administered by the FBI.[6] The Director of the HIG is an FBI representative with two deputies, one from the DoD and the other from the CIA.[6] The HIG is subject to oversight by the National Security Council, the Department of Justice, and by Congress.[6][10]
The group's creation stopped a bureaucratic war between the CIA and the FBI over who had responsibility for interrogations.[9][12]
