The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called on Eric Holder, Obama's attorney general, not to be "swayed by political considerations" when deciding whether to prosecute officials who signed off on controversial interrogation tactics.

Holder's office is expected to soon publish a report detailing how waterboarding and other methods -- deemed torture by Obama -- came to be used by the US government.

"Regardless of the findings from the Department of Justice ethics division, the ball is in Attorney General Holder's court," the ACLU said.

"The logical next step is to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate those who authorized the torture program, those who legally sanctioned it and those who implemented it."

It is expected that Holder will not recommend criminal charges of three Bush-era officials who authored documents that provided the legal case for "enhanced interrogation" methods.

Preempting that announcement, the ACLU said that could help foster a culture of impunity.

"It would be a dangerous precedent to conclude that lawyers who played a critical role in an illegal program are immune from criminal investigations. No one is above the law," the ACLU said in a statement.

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