Sen. Dianne Feinstein is
furious that the Central Intelligence Agency spied on her committee, searching the panel's computers while the committee was investigating and preparing its report on torture in the CIA's detention and interrogation program during the Bush administration.
In a lengthy speech on the Senate floor, California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein said she has asked for an apology and an acknowledgment that the CIA's actions were wrong and she says she has received neither.
"The CIA just went and searched the committee's computers," Feinstein said. She later called the the matter a "defining moment" for the oversight of the Intelligence Committee.
"I have grave concerns that the CIA’s search may well have violated the separation of powers principles embodied by the United States Constitution, including the speech and debate clause,” she said. "It may have undermined the Constitutional framework essential to effective congressional oversight of intelligence activity or any other government function."
Perhaps now Feinstein knows how the rest of America feels finding out that the NSA has been sucking up all our cellphone data without warrants, without cause, and without informing us it was happening. Maybe now she'll join the club of those of us who are concerned about how our intelligence agencies have violated the Constitution.
Will Feinstein's outrage extend to the rest of us, or just to her committee? Will she now take seriously her job of overseeing that other troublesome intelligence agency, and work to rein in its activities?
8:27 AM PT: CIA Director John Brennan responds.
Brennan on Feinstein's hacking claims: "Nothing could be further from the truth. We wouldn't do that. That's beyond the scope of reason."
— @jeneps
Yeah, sure it is.