After much brouhaha, post an internal inquiry, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has finally acknowledged that some of its employees had "improperly accessed" computers that were in use by the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee.
Reuters managed to lay its hands on an "unclassified summary of the inspector general's report" and the document reveals that the inspector general (IG) discovered that two lawyers, five employees and three IT staff had accessed sensitive information pertaining to the Senate's investigation via their computers in an improper manner.
The CIA's office of Security reportedly analyzed how the Senate's team of investigators gained access to data networks. The CIA employees also carried out a "keyword search of all and review of some" of the emails that the investigators from the Senate sent out via the network.
On Thursday, July 31, Dean Boyd, CIA spokesperson, revealed that the organization's IG had found that "some CIA employees acted in a manner inconsistent." Boyd also added that CIA director John Brennan was in the process of commissioning an accountability board specifically to review the findings of the IG. The review by the board could result in disciplinary action being taken he let on.
Boyd also revealed that Brennan had apologized to Senator Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, as well as informed her about the findings.
"The investigation confirmed what I said on the Senate floor in March - CIA personnel inappropriately searched Senate Intelligence Committee computers in violation of an agreement we had reached, and I believe in violation of the constitutional separation of powers," said Feinstein in a statement. "Director Brennan apologized for these actions and submitted the IG report to an accountability board. These are positive first steps. This IG report corrects the record and it is my understanding that a declassified report will be made available to the public shortly."
So what made the CIA snoop into the Senate's computers? The Committee has been examining the inhumanities committed by CIA officers during interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects post the 9/11 attacks. Apparently, the detention and interrogation report undertaken by the Committee delves into the severe interrogation methods deployed by the CIA, which includes methods like simulated drowning and waterboarding. The CIA act may possibly have been an attempt to gain insight into the Committee's findings.
By the end of this week, the White House is anticipated to produce a declassified summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report, as well as the responses of the CIA and Republicans to the Congress.
