Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have voted to authorize issuing a subpoena to David Addington, the top aide to Dick Cheney:

David Addington had refused to testify without a subpoena. He’s one of several lawyers believed to have played a role in crafting the administration’s interrogation policies shortly after the September 11th attacks. Some say those policies amount to torture.

House investigators may also get to learn more about interrogations from John Yoo, the former Justice Department attorney who wrote a 2003 memo justifying harsh tactics against al-Qaida and Taliban detainees overseas. The memo said such practices were legal as long as they did not specifically intend torture.

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft and former Under Secretary of Defense Douglas Feith (fyth) are also set to testify at a future hearing. Former CIA Director George Tenet is apparently still negotiating with the panel.

Addington took the place of Cheney’s former top staffer, Scooter Libby, after Libby was convicted of perjury last year.