WASHINGTON – Seven former CIA directors who served both Republican and Democratic presidents have asked President Barack Obama to end the Justice Department's criminal probe into the harsh interrogations of terror suspects during the Bush administration.

Three of the men who made the request in a letter Friday to the White House worked under President George W. Bush.

Attorney General Eric Holder said last month he was appointing an independent counsel to investigate possible incidents of abuse by CIA personnel during interrogations that went beyond guidelines imposed by the Bush administration.