WASHINGTON  Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey has firmly rejected Congressional demands that he provide information about the Justice Department’s investigation into the Central Intelligence Agency’s destruction of videotapes showing interrogations, a stance that inflamed a feud between Capitol Hill and the administration this afternoon.

“The department has a long-standing policy of declining to provide nonpublic information about pending matters,” Mr. Mukasey wrote, in letters to Senate and House committee leaders, in which he noted that the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the C.I.A.’s inspector general’s office have already opened an inquiry into the episode.

Taking a position that annoyed a prominent Republican as well as Democrats, the attorney general wrote, “This policy is based in part on our interest in avoiding any perception that our law enforcement decisions are subject to political influence.” He also rejected suggestions that he appoint a special prosecutor to look into the matter, declaring that he was “aware of no facts at present” that would make such a step necessary.

The recent disclosure that the videotapes showing the questioning of Al Qaeda suspects were destroyed within the C.I.A. is the latest flare-up in the long-running controversy over what methods have been used in interrogations, and in particular whether any should be considered torture.