President Obama said Tuesday that he was open to an investigation of controversial interrogation techniques possibly condoned or directed from the Bush White House. The president's reversal follows days of White House assurances that Obama's Department of Justice would not investigate or prosecute those who ordered or administered the interrogations.

Obama told reporters he was open to a "fuller accounting of what took place" by Congress in a "bipartisan fashion, outside of the typical hearing process."

Obama's comments appear to undercut his attempt to strike a balance on the torture issue. Last week Obama released previously classified memoranda detailing CIA interrogation techniques but pledged to withhold prosecution of those who led or administered the interrogations. Critics have derided the interrogations, which include repeated waterboarding, as torture.

The president's statement seems to indicate a bow to outside pressure, both domestic and abroad. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-MI, has pushed for a bipartisan commission to investigate the alleged torture. Conyers said in a statement Friday he did "not understand" Obama's reticence to investigate the "legality" of past interrogation techniques.

The top UN official on torture, Manfred Nowak, has reportedly said that the United States is legally committed to investigate credible accusations of torture. The United States is a party to the International Convention against Torture. Another report on interrogation techniques is due from the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Obama administration had already not ruled out the possibility of investigating Bush administration lawyers for offering guidelines for the "enhanced interrogation" of detainees. Several past attorneys representing the Bush White House are already the subjects of a DOJ ethics probe, related to the torture issue.

Obama's statement though looks to have expanded his support for possible investigations. The president's comment is assured to inflame the already heated debate over the efficacy of torture and the decision to release the once classified details of the harsh interrogations.