Having Been Absolved by DOJ, CIA Now Admits They Illegally Spied on SSCI

When Ron Wyden first asked John Brennan whether CIA had to comply with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Brennan suggested they didn’t have to if they were conducting investigations.

The statute does apply. The Act, however, expressly “does not prohibit any lawfully authorized investigative, protective, or intelligence activity … of an intelligence agency of the United States.” 18 U.S.C. § 1030(f).

Then in March, after Senator Feinstein accused the CIA of improperly spying on her committee, Brennan claimed it was outside the realm of possibility.

As far as the allegations of, you know, CIA hacking into, you know, Senate computers, nothing could be further from the truth. I mean, we wouldn’t do that. I mean, that’s — that’s just beyond the — you know, the scope of reason in terms of what we would do.

Now that DOJ has decided not to investigate CIA’s illegal domestic spying, we learn it was well within the realm of possibility.

CIA employees improperly accessed computers used by the Senate Intelligence Committee to compile a report on the agency’s now defunct detention and interrogation program, an internal CIA investigation has determined.

Findings of the investigation by the CIA Inspector General’s Office “include a judgment that some CIA employees acted in a manner inconsistent with the common understanding reached between SSCI (Senate Select Committee on Intelligence) and the CIA in 2009,” CIA spokesman Dean Boyd said in a statement.

Brennan’s solution is to have corrupt hack Evan Bayh conduct an accountability review of the spying.

Mark Udall and Ron Wyden are furious. DiFi is less so. The Republicans on the Committee have been silent; apparently they’re okay with CIA breaching separation of powers.

And yet again, the CIA proves it refuses to subsist within democratic structures.

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14 replies
    • wallace says:

      PJ Evans said:

      quote” Now can we get them to take legal action against these agencies?”unquote

      Well… Wyden HAS demanded action…

      quote“What’s needed now is a public apology from Director Brennan to staff and the committee, …”unquote

      See?

      Unfortunately, LEGAL isn’t in the OOD handbook.

  1. jo6pac says:

    Once again no goes to Jail and as far as two Senators being furious, so why aren’t they calling for the heads di-fi and her clubhouse friends over cia. I’m not sure how anyone watching this unfold that the cia runs the govt. for their puppets masters and all other so-called elected officials just have their parts in the cast. Pure theater nothing else.

    It’s been a long slide to here but we made and it’s not pretty is it?

    • wallace says:

      quote:”I’m not sure how anyone watching this unfold that the cia runs the govt.”unquote

      Wow. Another proponent of Jim Garrisons assessment. Do I hear any more votes?

  2. edge says:

    “The department carefully reviewed the matters referred to us and did not find sufficient evidence to warrant a criminal investigation,” said Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr.

    I would imagine that IG report has enough evidence to warrant a criminal investigation now. Can we get a copy forwarded to the DOJ?

    • wallace says:

      quote”I would imagine that IG report has enough evidence to warrant a criminal investigation now”unquote

      ummm, unless I misunderstand the word..absolved, I believe the OOD already redefined
      “criminal investigation” to mean…apology. At least in Wydens OOD handbook.

      Meanwhile, Brennen’s “nothing could be further from the truth” gets added to the annuls of Great Moments in Least Untruthful.

      quote:”I’m not sure the point of the accountability board. It appears that it will be doing the same thing that the IG just did (including reporting to the same person). “unquote

      Me either. Brennen’s ” I mean, that’s just beyond the scope of reason” comes to mind.

      At least Evan Bayh is already familiar with Intelligence committee oversight SOP. He’ll fit right in. I’m confident he’ll abide by OOD’s accountability playbook. Just like he did when he was on the Senate committee.

  3. Pete says:

    How about publishing there Senate report UNREDACTED?! I don’t think I have missed that event.

  4. edge says:

    I’m not sure the point of the accountability board. It appears that it will be doing the same thing that the IG just did (including reporting to the same person).

    Maybe if Brennan refers this to a long enough chain of committees than he can wait this out till BO issues his pardons on Jan 20, 2017?

  5. Don Bacon says:

    ..the CIA proves it refuses to subsist within democratic structures.
    .
    Therefore it fits right in with the rest of the government. And since the CIA operates under executive orders, the CIA like the president lies about what it does.
    .
    As for the Congress, unlike other agencies it’s been totally corrupted by outside money so who cares about them.

  6. P J Evans says:

    How nice. The CIA has apologized for spying on the senate’s computers.
    IMO, that’s nowhere near what’s needed.

    • Simplify says:

      That’s all Sen. Feinstein asked for, though, when she made her big stink about it.

      Glad your fee-fees aren’t hurt anymore, Sen. Feinstein! Too bad about the lying and the continuing illegal abuses of power.

  7. Don Bacon says:

    General Dunford, the next Marine Commandant, has apologized several time for killing youngsters in Afghanistan but his forces continue to do it anyhow. What’s on TV tonight?

  8. RUKidding says:

    Great comments. Made me laugh. What else can I do, other than tear my hair out by the roots, pound my head into a brick wall, etc?

    Watching this Kabuki Show – where I knew the outcome beforehand – I suppose has some mild entertainment value. Now we, the US taxpayer, get to pay(off) Evan Bayh to do something something that’ll result in something something and then something something else will happen.

    And the beat(down) will go on. Amirite?

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