White House Knew Of CIA Snooping on Senate, Report Says

[okaawhatever]

18. You should have read the article. It explains quite clearly Brennan's position and has relevant

information regarding the entire ordeal.

First, Brennan disputes that he said "whatever means necessary", which I tend to believe only because people in his position don't give open-ended orders like that. It's ridiculous. Someone could interpret that to mean kill everyone who stands in your way. But even if he did say something to that effect,most people don't consider that as carte blanche to do something potentially illegal.

From the report:

Brennan, however, staunchly denied to the Inspector General that he had ever ordered such an invasive search. When asked about his alleged order to use "whatever means necessary," Brennan said that he "would never use those words," according to the IG report. The director said that he "only" recalled asking whether the lawyers were sure Senate staff had actually obtained the internal CIA material.

Plus, Brennan was trying to get what he needed (proof that the CIA info had been stolen/removed from their offices) so he could brief Congress and others. Again, from the report:

Additionally, a CIA Accountability Review Board defended Brennan in findings also released on Wednesday, saying the spy chief had not understood the kind of computer search that would be required to determine what he wanted to know.

“A misunderstanding ... arose because [Brennan] did not appreciate what forensic techniques were necessary to answer his questions,” the Accountability Review Board wrote in its report.

Brennan was very interested in briefing the Senate committee, but had been advised by legal counsel that he could not brief them or the White House until he was certain Senate investigators had the documents in their posessions:

Although Brennan apparently told the lawyer he wanted to inform Feinstein and the Senate Intelligence Committee of the computer search as soon as possible, the CIA chief said that conversation couldn’t happen until the agency was sure of how committee staffers had accessed the document.

Brennan hasn't been fired because he hasn't done anything fire-worthy. He was investigating the theft/leak of classified material. Material that was in the process of being declassified, so it's not like the Senate committee wouldn't have seen it in the future. In doing so he asked the investigators on his side to find out if they had it, not understanding what they would have to do computer-wise to answer his questions.

Whether separation of powers was violated is unknown. It is clear there was no intention to do so as Brennan and others sought legal counsel through their entire investigation. Let's not forget that Feinstein's staffers had in their possession material they weren't cleared for. It was also unknown how they got it Did they steal it? Was the CIA supposed to not follow up? They wouldn't have handled the investigation once they knew for certain someone on the Senate committees staff had the documents. Then it would have been turned over to the IG.