Flashback: Issa Called CIA Spying on Senate 'Treason'

Dianne Feinstein, Chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, had no comment for Breitbart News about CIA Chief John Brennan’s admission that the agency spied on Senate computers or the announcement from two Democratic colleagues on the Committee that Brennan should resign.

Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Darrell Issa first told Breitbart News in March that the act of spying on the Senate Intelligence Committee, when the news first came to light, was an act of “treason.”

“I think Senator Feinstein is as outraged as anyone and I share her outrage. I think the violation of the Constitutional separation of powers should be an offense of the highest level–virtually treason,” he said at the time.

Feinstein, though, only released a statement on the matter, stoppiing short of calling for any punishment against any CIA official: “The investigation confirmed what I said on the Senate floor in March — CIA personnel inappropriately searched Senate Intelligence Committee computers in violation of an agreement we had reached, and I believe in violation of the constitutional separation of powers.”

According to the statement, Brennan apologized to Feinstein after Obama administration officials told Senate Intel Committee members on Thursday about an inspector general report showing that CIA personnel inappropriately accessed computers used by Senate personnel to research documents relating to Bush-era terrorist interrogation methods. A declassified report, Feinstein said, “will be made available to the public shortly.”

“I have no choice but to call for the resignation of CIA Director John Brennan. The CIA unconstitutionally spied on Congress by hacking into Senate Intelligence Committee computers. This grave misconduct not only is illegal, but it violates the U.S. Constitution’s requirement of separation of powers,” Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) said. “There must be consequences.”

Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) agreed, telling the Associated Press, “I just don’t have a lot of confidence in his leadership.”

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told Breitbart News on Thursday that Brennan “should listen” to Democrats calling for his resignation and step down from his post.

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