Did the CIA spy on the Senate?

[Indofred]

BBC News - CIA investigates allegations of Senate staff monitoring

The Central Intelligence Agency is investigating allegations it improperly monitored members of the US Senate intelligence committee.

A CIA internal watchdog has been tasked with determining if the agency accessed the computers of Senate staff.

The Senate committee was tasked with investigating potential past CIA abuse at the time of the alleged breach.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee called the reports, if true, an "extremely serious matter".

A few things come to mind:
Why is the CIA investigating the CIA?
If they did, will they be in hot water?
If they did, what does that say about the state of the U.S. spy agencies?

Comments?

 

[FA_Q2]

BBC News - CIA investigates allegations of Senate staff monitoring

The Central Intelligence Agency is investigating allegations it improperly monitored members of the US Senate intelligence committee.

A CIA internal watchdog has been tasked with determining if the agency accessed the computers of Senate staff.

The Senate committee was tasked with investigating potential past CIA abuse at the time of the alleged breach.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee called the reports, if true, an "extremely serious matter".

A few things come to mind:
Why is the CIA investigating the CIA?
If they did, will they be in hot water?
If they did, what does that say about the state of the U.S. spy agencies?

Comments?

I am willing to bet that they were. When the senate asked they refused to furnish a solid answer and the CIA is in the middle of a MASSIVE power grab. They are essentially monitoring everything and the sheeple of this nation seems to not care.

I find this particularly hilarious though. The senate threw a shit fit when the possibility that THEY might be watched by the CIA at the very same moment that they are justifying such a breech of rights for the rest of America. if there ever was a case of congress exempting themselves from the law this is a golden example.

The new monitoring programs the CIA have in place are CLEARLY wrong to the core and the revulsion that the lawmakers have of the program affecting them should make that crystal clear. They don't give a shit though - the only thing they are ensuring is that they are not monitored - the rest of us can just get fucked. You certainly would not to have actual recordings of them selling the American public out to the highest bidder and actively working against our interests for their own enrichment. If those recordings are allowed to exist the people just might find that the lies on the campaign trail simply are not enough anymore.

 

[TemplarKormac]

The plain answer is yes. So, I'd wager Congress shoots itself in the foot each time it doesn't limit the powers of the CIA to spy without consequence on unsuspecting Americans, and them to boot.

 

[hatman]

If you are not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about.

I think that's how it goes.

 

[editec]

BBC News - CIA investigates allegations of Senate staff monitoring

The Central Intelligence Agency is investigating allegations it improperly monitored members of the US Senate intelligence committee.

A CIA internal watchdog has been tasked with determining if the agency accessed the computers of Senate staff.

The Senate committee was tasked with investigating potential past CIA abuse at the time of the alleged breach.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee called the reports, if true, an "extremely serious matter".

A few things come to mind:
Why is the CIA investigating the CIA?
If they did, will they be in hot water?
If they did, what does that say about the state of the U.S. spy agencies?

Comments?

WE live in what has become a SECURITY STATE.


BLAME A DEM for kicking that off, BTW.

 

[hatman]

BBC News - CIA investigates allegations of Senate staff monitoring

The Central Intelligence Agency is investigating allegations it improperly monitored members of the US Senate intelligence committee.

A CIA internal watchdog has been tasked with determining if the agency accessed the computers of Senate staff.

The Senate committee was tasked with investigating potential past CIA abuse at the time of the alleged breach.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee called the reports, if true, an "extremely serious matter".

A few things come to mind:
Why is the CIA investigating the CIA?
If they did, will they be in hot water?
If they did, what does that say about the state of the U.S. spy agencies?

Comments?

WE live in what has become a SECURITY STATE.


BLAME A DEM for kicking that off, BTW.

It's been a security state since the war on drugs, maybe even the prohibition.

 

[RandomVariable]

BBC News - CIA investigates allegations of Senate staff monitoring

The Central Intelligence Agency is investigating allegations it improperly monitored members of the US Senate intelligence committee.

A CIA internal watchdog has been tasked with determining if the agency accessed the computers of Senate staff.

The Senate committee was tasked with investigating potential past CIA abuse at the time of the alleged breach.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee called the reports, if true, an "extremely serious matter".

A few things come to mind:
Why is the CIA investigating the CIA?
If they did, will they be in hot water?
If they did, what does that say about the state of the U.S. spy agencies?

Comments?

I am willing to bet that they were. When the senate asked they refused to furnish a solid answer and the CIA is in the middle of a MASSIVE power grab. They are essentially monitoring everything and the sheeple of this nation seems to not care.

I find this particularly hilarious though. The senate threw a shit fit when the possibility that THEY might be watched by the CIA at the very same moment that they are justifying such a breech of rights for the rest of America. if there ever was a case of congress exempting themselves from the law this is a golden example.

The new monitoring programs the CIA have in place are CLEARLY wrong to the core and the revulsion that the lawmakers have of the program affecting them should make that crystal clear. They don't give a shit though - the only thing they are ensuring is that they are not monitored - the rest of us can just get fucked. You certainly would not to have actual recordings of them selling the American public out to the highest bidder and actively working against our interests for their own enrichment. If those recordings are allowed to exist the people just might find that the lies on the campaign trail simply are not enough anymore.

I agree with all but that middle part. Not hilarious. (I know you probably don't mean that you actually find it funny.) I actually have no problem with the NSA filtering massive amounts of data. Their super computers are running algorithms across terabytes of data trying to find threats. Does that give some NSA the chance to read your email? Possibility but then again they are an NSA employee. The database guy at the bank can tell what is in every person's account and exactly what they are spending it on, and I doubt any of them have gone through the background checks NSA personnel have. The CIA is a very different story however. It is a very different kind of agency. If the CIA is gathering information they are doing something with it. If they accessed a Senator's computer they are looking for intelligence to act upon. CIA does not do passive research. They wanted to know something and they wanted to know it for a reason. What that was and why they needed to break into a Senator's computer to do it needs to be answered.

 

[FA_Q2]

BBC News - CIA investigates allegations of Senate staff monitoring

The Central Intelligence Agency is investigating allegations it improperly monitored members of the US Senate intelligence committee.

A CIA internal watchdog has been tasked with determining if the agency accessed the computers of Senate staff.

The Senate committee was tasked with investigating potential past CIA abuse at the time of the alleged breach.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee called the reports, if true, an "extremely serious matter".

A few things come to mind:
Why is the CIA investigating the CIA?
If they did, will they be in hot water?
If they did, what does that say about the state of the U.S. spy agencies?

Comments?

WE live in what has become a SECURITY STATE.


BLAME A DEM for kicking that off, BTW.

?

Which dem would that be and with what measure?

We had been heading that way for a while but I would pin the actual transition on 9/11 and the PA that came along with that. We were not truly a security state until that moment when fear outweighed our love of freedom.

 

[FA_Q2]

BBC News - CIA investigates allegations of Senate staff monitoring



A few things come to mind:
Why is the CIA investigating the CIA?
If they did, will they be in hot water?
If they did, what does that say about the state of the U.S. spy agencies?

Comments?

I am willing to bet that they were. When the senate asked they refused to furnish a solid answer and the CIA is in the middle of a MASSIVE power grab. They are essentially monitoring everything and the sheeple of this nation seems to not care.

I find this particularly hilarious though. The senate threw a shit fit when the possibility that THEY might be watched by the CIA at the very same moment that they are justifying such a breech of rights for the rest of America. if there ever was a case of congress exempting themselves from the law this is a golden example.

The new monitoring programs the CIA have in place are CLEARLY wrong to the core and the revulsion that the lawmakers have of the program affecting them should make that crystal clear. They don't give a shit though - the only thing they are ensuring is that they are not monitored - the rest of us can just get fucked. You certainly would not to have actual recordings of them selling the American public out to the highest bidder and actively working against our interests for their own enrichment. If those recordings are allowed to exist the people just might find that the lies on the campaign trail simply are not enough anymore.

I agree with all but that middle part. Not hilarious. (I know you probably don't mean that you actually find it funny.) I actually have no problem with the NSA filtering massive amounts of data. Their super computers are running algorithms across terabytes of data trying to find threats. Does that give some NSA the chance to read your email? Possibility but then again they are an NSA employee. The database guy at the bank can tell what is in every person's account and exactly what they are spending it on, and I doubt any of them have gone through the background checks NSA personnel have. The CIA is a very different story however. It is a very different kind of agency. If the CIA is gathering information they are doing something with it. If they accessed a Senator's computer they are looking for intelligence to act upon. CIA does not do passive research. They wanted to know something and they wanted to know it for a reason. What that was and why they needed to break into a Senator's computer to do it needs to be answered.

Ironic would have been a better word to use there.

I don't make a distinction from the NSA to the CIA as far as surveillance goes. the government is crossing over our rights in the name of fear and that is outright wrong even if they don't use it as actionable. Besides, information is power and quite frankly I don't think for a single second that the NSA is going to sit idle and not use the massive power base that they are creating. in 10 years from now I would not be the least bit surprised to see even more integrated 'searches' for connections far beyond terrorist threats. It WILL be used domestically for whatever purpose the government sees fit - it is just a matter of time until the population forgets about it and the government can makes its move.

You don't honestly think that the CIA's actions here are separate from the NSA's new found abilities do you? Its the general climate within government at the moment - the idea that they need to monitor and track everything for whatever reason that they want and no amount of law or rights are going to stand in the way. The programs might not be connected but the general sentiments in government right now certainly tie the actions of the two agencies together.

 

[Pete7469]

I wonder if the CIA found a video of Justice Roberts banging a sheep.

Only that could explain his obozocare ruling.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

If anyone needs to be spied on its Congress.

 

[RandomVariable]

I am willing to bet that they were. When the senate asked they refused to furnish a solid answer and the CIA is in the middle of a MASSIVE power grab. They are essentially monitoring everything and the sheeple of this nation seems to not care.

I find this particularly hilarious though. The senate threw a shit fit when the possibility that THEY might be watched by the CIA at the very same moment that they are justifying such a breech of rights for the rest of America. if there ever was a case of congress exempting themselves from the law this is a golden example.

The new monitoring programs the CIA have in place are CLEARLY wrong to the core and the revulsion that the lawmakers have of the program affecting them should make that crystal clear. They don't give a shit though - the only thing they are ensuring is that they are not monitored - the rest of us can just get fucked. You certainly would not to have actual recordings of them selling the American public out to the highest bidder and actively working against our interests for their own enrichment. If those recordings are allowed to exist the people just might find that the lies on the campaign trail simply are not enough anymore.

I agree with all but that middle part. Not hilarious. (I know you probably don't mean that you actually find it funny.) I actually have no problem with the NSA filtering massive amounts of data. Their super computers are running algorithms across terabytes of data trying to find threats. Does that give some NSA the chance to read your email? Possibility but then again they are an NSA employee. The database guy at the bank can tell what is in every person's account and exactly what they are spending it on, and I doubt any of them have gone through the background checks NSA personnel have. The CIA is a very different story however. It is a very different kind of agency. If the CIA is gathering information they are doing something with it. If they accessed a Senator's computer they are looking for intelligence to act upon. CIA does not do passive research. They wanted to know something and they wanted to know it for a reason. What that was and why they needed to break into a Senator's computer to do it needs to be answered.

Ironic would have been a better word to use there.

I don't make a distinction from the NSA to the CIA as far as surveillance goes. the government is crossing over our rights in the name of fear and that is outright wrong even if they don't use it as actionable. Besides, information is power and quite frankly I don't think for a single second that the NSA is going to sit idle and not use the massive power base that they are creating. in 10 years from now I would not be the least bit surprised to see even more integrated 'searches' for connections far beyond terrorist threats. It WILL be used domestically for whatever purpose the government sees fit - it is just a matter of time until the population forgets about it and the government can makes its move.

You don't honestly think that the CIA's actions here are separate from the NSA's new found abilities do you? Its the general climate within government at the moment - the idea that they need to monitor and track everything for whatever reason that they want and no amount of law or rights are going to stand in the way. The programs might not be connected but the general sentiments in government right now certainly tie the actions of the two agencies together.

I very much think that the CIA and NSA are not sharing intelligence, especially in anything of this nature. There is a fundamental difference between the NSA filtering and the CIA cracking. Having read up a bit on the intelligence community recently, so to speak, I will give an elaboration of the IC's agencies. It will take me probably a couple hours before I get to it and post it.

 

[FA_Q2]

I agree with all but that middle part. Not hilarious. (I know you probably don't mean that you actually find it funny.) I actually have no problem with the NSA filtering massive amounts of data. Their super computers are running algorithms across terabytes of data trying to find threats. Does that give some NSA the chance to read your email? Possibility but then again they are an NSA employee. The database guy at the bank can tell what is in every person's account and exactly what they are spending it on, and I doubt any of them have gone through the background checks NSA personnel have. The CIA is a very different story however. It is a very different kind of agency. If the CIA is gathering information they are doing something with it. If they accessed a Senator's computer they are looking for intelligence to act upon. CIA does not do passive research. They wanted to know something and they wanted to know it for a reason. What that was and why they needed to break into a Senator's computer to do it needs to be answered.

Ironic would have been a better word to use there.

I don't make a distinction from the NSA to the CIA as far as surveillance goes. the government is crossing over our rights in the name of fear and that is outright wrong even if they don't use it as actionable. Besides, information is power and quite frankly I don't think for a single second that the NSA is going to sit idle and not use the massive power base that they are creating. in 10 years from now I would not be the least bit surprised to see even more integrated 'searches' for connections far beyond terrorist threats. It WILL be used domestically for whatever purpose the government sees fit - it is just a matter of time until the population forgets about it and the government can makes its move.

You don't honestly think that the CIA's actions here are separate from the NSA's new found abilities do you? Its the general climate within government at the moment - the idea that they need to monitor and track everything for whatever reason that they want and no amount of law or rights are going to stand in the way. The programs might not be connected but the general sentiments in government right now certainly tie the actions of the two agencies together.

I very much think that the CIA and NSA are not sharing intelligence, especially in anything of this nature. There is a fundamental difference between the NSA filtering and the CIA cracking. Having read up a bit on the intelligence community recently, so to speak, I will give an elaboration of the IC's agencies. It will take me probably a couple hours before I get to it and post it.

You misunderstand my point. I am not making the allegation that they share anything right now. I am making the connection that the programs and actions of the two agencies are born out of the same governmental climate. they exist in their current form because the government has deemed it is necessary and right for them to monitor whatever they please for whatever reasons that they deem fit.

One, by necessity, leads to the other. The CIA is not going to continue to hold back their intelligence gathering abilities out of respect for law and rights when other agencies are clearly doing as they please. The sentiment is only getting worse as well. the NSA feels justified in the actions that they are taking in blanket monitoring of everyone in the entire nation. the fact that program exists is going to tell other agencies that they not only can ramp up their programs but that they should.

 

[RandomVariable]

This is going to be a bit messy. Anything unclear I can see if I can elaborate. With so many movies about spies and reports about events which involve intelligence agencies I figure this is worth the effort. The order is kind of top down although some pieces are easier explained how they fit rather than exactly where they fit. I will also stray every now and then but hopefully not to far. I don't have any inside information so this is all just stuff off the Internet. First I will start with the President. He is the Commander in Chief, the main war planner if you will. Before I start with the present let me go back to 2004. Seems intelligence was little lacking and two planes flew into the sides of a couple building, among other things that happened that day. Some of the heat came down on the CIA in particular. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 placed the CIA under the DNI, Director of National Intelligence, which brings us up to date. So not back to the POTUS. What the chart shows and what I explain don't exactly match up but we are basically saying the same thing. Directly under the President is the DNI and the DoD/Secretary of Defense. The CIA is under the DNI and the NAS is under the DoD so not only are they different agencies they are different branches of the IC, intelligence community. I will explain each branch so one can get an idea of function and I will also bring in some of the other relevant agencies.

DNI/CIA
When one sees a spy move or hears about espionage it is most often referring to CIA activities. As can be seen in the chart they address issues with crime and narcotics, terrorism/counter terrorism, policy support, intelligence analysis, and such. They are also the agency which is on the front line of national interests. In their Support division are activities such as corporate businesses, global infrastructure, global services, security, and such. The State Department is a separate agency which is directly under the POTUS but works with the CIA in kind of a joint mission kind of thing. That is how it came to be both State and CIA personal were killed in Benghazi.

DoD/NSA
If one see an action packed movie of someone in suit and tie karate chopping someone else over a Glock it is probably not the DoD. While they may not get all the glamor of the CIA side of intelligence the Department of Defense has its far share of the stuff. There is the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all that J2 stuff. There is an intelligence department in each of the Services, Army, Air Force, Navy, and, um, er, oh ya, Marines, and Coast Guard. Intelligence performed by the agencies under the DoD is of four types HUMINT, GEOINT, MASINT, SIGINT, and OSINT. To go through each of these in a single breath: HUMINT, the backbone of intelligence, is people talking to people. If you see a picture of a dusty U.S. soldier standing next to a local and chatting that's HUMINT, small pieces of candy are sometimes given to children in particularly intense situations. GEOINT is satellite data. “We checked the satellite data and we can definitely say they are not on the roof.” MASINT, Measurement and Signature Intelligence, is information given off by stuff. It is basically begin able to hear and see beyond what is humanly possible. SIGINT, signals intelligence, and here we are, NSA. Signals intelligence is if there is something floating through the air grab it and check it out. Until satellites and the U2 SIGINT was the only way we knew anything about what was going on inside the Soviet Union. OSINT, open source intelligence, i.e. the Internet. Handy stuff that is. Many of the technological advances over the last 60 years has come from research for these areas of intelligence. The DoD also works with other agencies. Perhaps the most significant partnership is with the FBI. Traditional if someone was a threat to the U.S. and they left the country it would get handed off to someone in the DoD and if someone was coming into the country who the DoD thought to be a threat it would be handed to the FBI. As can be seen by the chart the Justice Department is in the same block as the FBI so that includes the DEA and others. The Department of Homeland Security's Fusion Centers has probably gone further to increase domestic coordination than any other effort. Roles have been shifting around some as the FBI now has branch in several locations around the world. They had a presence in Libya which is why they were the ones trying to get access to the Benghazi compound directly after the attack, they did not get access well after the usefulness of the evidence was lost. And while the FBI has moved out the NSA have moved in. This is why the NSA were the ones doing SIGINT domestically.

Anyway, I hope that explains everything. Any questions I will be happy to try and answer.

 

[RandomVariable]

BBC News - CIA investigates allegations of Senate staff monitoring

The Central Intelligence Agency is investigating allegations it improperly monitored members of the US Senate intelligence committee.

A CIA internal watchdog has been tasked with determining if the agency accessed the computers of Senate staff.

The Senate committee was tasked with investigating potential past CIA abuse at the time of the alleged breach.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee called the reports, if true, an "extremely serious matter".

A few things come to mind:
Why is the CIA investigating the CIA?
If they did, will they be in hot water?
If they did, what does that say about the state of the U.S. spy agencies?

Comments?

Here is something very telling from that article:

CIA director John Brennan reacted swiftly to the Senate allegations on Wednesday.

"I am deeply dismayed that some members of the Senate have decided to make spurious allegations about CIA actions that are wholly unsupported by the facts," he said. "I am very confident that the appropriate authorities reviewing this matter will determine where wrongdoing, if any, occurred in either the Executive Branch or Legislative Branch."

He responded swiftly to "wholly unsupported" claims of wrong doing in either the "Executive Branch or Legislative Branch." Did anyone say anything about the Executive Branch? I missed that. Maybe I can find something somewhere else. I must say anyone who reacts so quickly with such a confident reply knows the answer. Whether or not it is the answer he is stating is a different story.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Does a bear shit in the woods?





Oh'yess they did They spy on everyone as they have collected tens of millions of pieces of data they're keeping a eye on.

 

[g5000]

BBC News - CIA investigates allegations of Senate staff monitoring

The Central Intelligence Agency is investigating allegations it improperly monitored members of the US Senate intelligence committee.

A CIA internal watchdog has been tasked with determining if the agency accessed the computers of Senate staff.

The Senate committee was tasked with investigating potential past CIA abuse at the time of the alleged breach.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee called the reports, if true, an "extremely serious matter".

A few things come to mind:
Why is the CIA investigating the CIA?
If they did, will they be in hot water?
If they did, what does that say about the state of the U.S. spy agencies?

Comments?

I think it would be awesome if it were true. Especially if the CIA spied on those Senators who have been defending the NSA for spying on all of us peasants' computers and phones.

And for that reason, I so hope it is true. But I am not going to believe it until some facts are provided.

 

[Londoner]

I think Kennedy announced a plan to dismantle the CIA or subject it to greater judicial oversight. He cited a libertarian argument about how concentrated power and secrecy is too easily abused by flawed humans.

 

[BlindBoo]

"The origins of the current dispute date back more than a year, when the committee completed its work on a 6,000-page report about the Bush administration’s detention and interrogation program. People who have read the study said it is a withering indictment of the program and details many instances when C.I.A. officials misled Congress, the White House and the public about the value of the agency’s brutal interrogation methods, including waterboarding."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/u...-clashes-over-interrogation-program.html?_r=1

"The Senate’s investigation into the C.I.A. program took four years to complete and cost more than $40 million, in part because the C.I.A. insisted that committee staff members be allowed to review classified cables only at a secure facility in Northern Virginia. And only after a group of outside contractors had reviewed the documents first."


I'm pretty sure the spying story is that committee staff were allowed to review the above classified cables on CIA computers. The CIA then gleaned who looked at what from those computers.

Sneaky bastards.

 

[bitterlyclingin]

Tempest in a tea pot time again, another attempt by the Left to distract public attention from the disasters going on around and in this administration, Vlad's Sudetenland style excursion into the Crimea and the Lerner c@nt's taking the Fifth Amenmdment again when she explicitly stated she did nothing wrong last May. All we wanna know Lois is who else knew what you were up to and why they didn't suggest you stop doing what you were doing because it was just plain bad. But the Obama complicit media will unhesitatingly take the male appendages of whomever is investigating this CIA/Senate Intel Committee story into their mouths and joyfully run with them shades of Aaron Klein's 2008 journolist, a 400 member listserv then of authors, writers, and editors that proclaimed themselves the "Unofficial Campaign To Elect Barack Hussein Obama"