Probe of intelligence notification lapses includes Pelosi's briefings

Probe of intelligence notification lapses includes Pelosi's briefings


The House Intelligence Committee is investigating at least five cases to determine if U.S. intelligence officials failed to properly notify Congress about intelligence activities, including whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was misled by the CIA in September 2002 about the use of waterboarding on terrorism suspects.

Intelligence Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairwoman Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., who is spearheading the investigation, said she would not rule out making referrals to the Justice Department for criminal prosecutions if evidence surfaces that intelligence officials broke the law.

But for now, her subcommittee is collecting and examining documents and preparing to call witnesses for testimony, she said.

As part of a larger committee effort, Intelligence Community Management Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., is leading an effort to determine if changes need to be made to the 1947 National Security Act, which governs how and when lawmakers are notified about intelligence activities.

Schakowsky and Eshoo outlined their investigative efforts to a small group of reporters Tuesday. "I think that we are in a current era of breakdowns," Eshoo said.

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