”I have grave concerns that the CIA’s search may well have violated the separation-of-powers principles embodied in the U.S. Constitution” and undermined Congress’ ability to effectively oversee the administration, Ms. Feinstein said in a long and detailed speech on the Senate floor Tuesday.
Breaking her recent silence on an expanding dispute, Ms. Feinstein said the CIA, without any prior notification, had searched Senate committee computers in a secure location in northern Virginia that aides were using to securely review CIA documents on its post-Sept. 11 interrogation program. The CIA also searched a separate network drive containing the Senate staffers’ work and internal messages, she said.