Senate Intelligence Committee news stories on Newser

Conclusion of 3-Year Probe: Torture Didn't Work

Kevin Spak — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:41:35 CDT

Senate Intelligence Committee Democrats are about to wrap-up a three-year investigation into the "enhanced interrogation techniques" the CIA used during the Bush administration, and sources tell Reuters that they've found "no evidence" that the tactics played "any significant role" in Osama bin Laden's death, and precious little that they produced...

Lawmakers Describe 'Gruesome' Osama Photos

Rob Quinn — Thu, 12 May 2011 07:58:09 CDT

The first lawmakers invited to see photos of Osama bin Laden's corpse say the gruesome photos are definite proof that the terrorist is dead. "That was him," Sen. Jim Inhofe, told CNN . "He is gone. He's history." The Republican says he saw 15 photos of bin Laden, including a dozen...

Senators to View bin Laden Death Photos

Rob Quinn — Wed, 11 May 2011 04:40:43 CDT

The CIA has invited selected senators to view the photos of Osama bin Laden's death that the White House has decided not to release to the public. Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Senate Armed Services committee have been told that they can make an appointment with the intelligence...

US Intel Spending Breaks $80B

Matt Cantor — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 08:36:35 CDT

American intelligence spending hit $80.1 billion, or some 12% of defense spending, for the just-ended fiscal year—more than what was spent on either the Department of Homeland Security ($53 billion) or the Justice Department ($30 billion). It's triple the $26.7 billion that was budgeted in 1998, the...

Secret Intel-Gathering Effort Behind New CIA Flap

Rob Quinn — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:44:01 CDT

So what's this secret program behind the latest feud between CIA and Congress? It's apparently an "on-again, off-again" effort created after 9/11 to collect intelligence about suspected terrorists, the Washington Post reports. It doesn't involve interrogation, but beyond that, details are murky. CIA chief Leon Panetta learned of it himself...

Condi Was First to OK Waterboarding

Rob Quinn — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:39:53 CDT

Condoleezza Rice played a greater role than she has acknowledged in the CIA's harsh interrogation program, and approved the use of waterboarding, according to a newly released report from the Senate Intelligence Committee. The report finds that Rice, as national security adviser, verbally approved the CIA's request to waterboard a...

Senate Will Probe NSA in Wiretapping 'Overcollection'

Harry Kimball — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:31:33 CDT

The Senate Intelligence Committee is planning an inquiry into the National Security Agency after reports the spy group has been engaged in “overcollection” of information domestically, the New York Times reports. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the committee, said a hearing would be held within the month. The Justice...

Senate to Probe Bush-Era CIA

Rob Quinn — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:22:50 CST

The Senate Intelligence Committee plans a sweeping investigation into the CIA's actions under President Bush, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials say the probe is a fact-finding mission rather than an investigation into whether laws were broken, but the inquiry is certain to put the spotlight back on the agency's...

Controversial US Drones Based in Pakistan: Feinstein

Harry Kimball — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:59:01 CST

Dianne Feinstein said today that Predator drones used to carry out attacks in Pakistan originate there, not in Afghanistan as had been widely assumed, the Los Angeles Times reports. The revelation, which is likely to cause trouble for the Pakistani government, came during testimony by spy chief Dennis Blair. A...