CIA Investigates Itself for Spying on Senate

By Agence France-Presse

07 March 14

The CIA's internal watchdog is investigating allegations that the agency improperly spied on Senate staffers probing secret details of a now-defunct interrogation program.

Senator Dianne Feinstein acknowledged Wednesday the existence of the probe, which highlights a rare public clash between lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee she chairs and the US espionage community it oversees.

"The IG is taking a look at the situation," Feinstein told reporters, referring to the Central Intelligence Agency's inspector general, after a New York Times report exposed Capitol Hill anger at CIA staffers' behavior.

According to the Times, the probe began when members of Congress complained that agency employees were inappropriately monitoring intelligence committee staffers.

The paper cited an official, who insisted on anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, as saying CIA officers managed to gain access to computer networks used by committee staffers probing the agency's detention and interrogation program.