Little-known CIA lawyer at center of computer snooping clash between senator, spy agency
WASHINGTON — The top CIA lawyer accused by the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee of trying to intimidate the panel over its investigation into secret prisons and brutal interrogations of terrorism suspects was himself involved in the controversial programs, cited more than 1,600 times in the Senate’s unpublished investigative report, according to the panel’s chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
On Wednesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney confirmed that CIA acting general counsel Robert Eatinger also was one of two senior spy agency officials who informed administration lawyers earlier this year about plans to file a criminal complaint against Senate Intelligence Committee staffers. The CIA suspects the aides improperly gained access to a classified CIA report on the George W. Bush-era secret prisons and harsh interrogations overseen by the spy agency. Carney said CIA Director John Brennan also notified the White House about the decision.
Until Feinstein’s extraordinary Senate speech Tuesday in which she said the CIA was possibly trying to intimidate committee staff, Eatinger was little known outside a small cadre of highly specialized national security lawyers. He has maintained a low profile in a legal career that has spanned two decades at the CIA and in the Navy. But Feinstein’s remarkable accusations instantly made Eatinger famous — or infamous — over a simmering constitutional dispute that threatens to engulf two branches of the government.
Eatinger’s criminal complaint to Justice boomeranged when Feinstein rose in the Senate chamber Tuesday to lambaste the CIA for what she described as quietly removing documents the agency had earlier provided to Senate investigators, monitoring committee staffers and undermining congressional authority. Feinstein lashed out at Eatinger personally — though not by name — in accusing the CIA lawyer of “a potential effort to intimidate” committee aides and of providing “inaccurate information” to the Justice Department.
Eatinger did not return telephone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment Tuesday, and the CIA did not respond to questions about the counsel.
Pistorius trial: Bullet-holed toilet door, cricket bat brought in for court re-enactment
PRETORIA, South Africa — A South African police officer swung a cricket bat at Oscar Pistorius’ bullet-marked bathroom door during his murder trial on Wednesday, using two key pieces of evidence to re-enact the night he killed his girlfriend.
Police Col. J.G. Vermeulen faced tough questioning from Pistorius’ defense lawyer, who tried to discredit the police investigation of the shooting and alleged that Vermeulen, a forensic expert, made glaring missteps in his analysis.
Pistorius’ lawyers secured bail for him last year after contending that police contaminated or tampered with evidence from the home where he fatally shot Reeva Steenkamp, firing through the bathroom door as she cowered inside during the pre-dawn hours of Valentine’s Day 2013.
Pistorius says the killing was a mistake; the prosecution alleges the 27-year-old double-amputee intentionally shot Steenkamp after an argument.
NJ honor student who sued parents for financial support returns home
ROSELAND, N.J. — The New Jersey honor student who sued to get her parents to support her after she moved out of their home has reunited with them, and the family is now asking for privacy.
Rachel Canning’s return does not involve any financial or other considerations, the lawyer for the 18-year-old’s parents said Wednesday. Angelo Sarno said that the dispute had been settled “amicably,” but refused to comment further on the litigation.
By wire sources