Did the CIA hack into senate computers?
On March 11, 2014, Senator Diane Feinstein accused the CIA of hacking into and searching the Senate Intelligence Committee computers. Senator Feinstein believes this alleged law breaking action was an effort to undermine the panel's multi-year investigation of a controversial interrogation program. On the same day, CIA Director John Brennan addressed the allegations with NBC's Andrea Mitchell at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Ms. Mitchell: "Her (Senator Feinstein) claim in this scathing speech, frankly, was that the CIA has hacked into the Senate Intelligence Committee staff computers to thwart an investigation by the committee into those past practices. She also alleges that the Panetta-era report was very similar to the Senate's conclusions about those past practices, but that you were involved in that era in the program itself and that CIA currently was trying to thwart the full review of the harshness of the detention and interrogation practices. Can you respond to that?"
Director Brennan: "Yes. Well, first of all, we are not in any way, shape or form trying to thwart this report's progression, release... As far as the allegations of, you know, CIA hacking into, you know, Senate computers, nothing could be further from the truth. I mean we wouldn't do that. I mean that's just beyond the, you know, the scope of reason in terms of what we would do."
When a person gives a denial, we are looking to see if the person denied the act. When a person says, "I wouldn't do that" he is denying the conclusion that other people think he did it. When a person says, "I didn't do it" he is denying the act itself. Ms. Mitchell told Director Brennan that Senator Feinstein's had alleged that "the CIA has hacked into the Senate Intelligence Committee staff computers." She then asked the Director to respond to that. In his denial, Director Brennan never states, "We did not hack into the Senate Intelligence Committee staff computers." If a person does not deny an action, we cannot believe he did not commit the act.
Director Brennan said that "nothing could be further from the truth." "We wouldn't do that." "That's just beyond the, you know, the scope of reason in terms of what we would do." This is not the same thing as saying, "We did not hack into the senate computers."
Twice he used the phrase, "I mean." People often use the phrase "I mean" to add more information to what was just said. For example, a person may say, "I love him. I mean, as a friend." By using the phrase "I mean" the person is clarifying his statement. We now know what type of love he is talking about. When Director Brennan uses the phrase "I mean" he does not add much clarification; "We wouldn't do that. I mean that's just beyond the, you know, scope of reason in terms of what we would do."
People sometimes use the phrase "I mean" to correct what they said; "I like apples I mean pears." In this case, what comes before the phase "I mean" is not a truthful statement. If Director Brennan is using this definition of the phrase "I mean," then we cannot believe "nothing could be further from the truth" and "We wouldn't do that." Based on this concept all he is saying is, "That's just beyond the, you know, the scope of reason in terms of what we would do."
In his weak denial, three times Director Brennan used the phrase "you know." People sometimes use this phrase because they want us to take for granted what they are saying is the truth. However, we take nothing for granted. We don't know. We only believe what people tell us. "I am telling you the truth" is a much better statement than saying, "You know, I am telling the truth."
People sometimes use the phrase "You know" as a linguistic filler. It creates a brief pause giving them time to think about what they are going to say. If a statement is coming from memory and the person is willing to share everything he knows, the person should not have to pause and think about his statement.
We also have to remember that some people have a habit of saying, "You know." They may have a full understanding of the topic they are talking about. They may not need to pause but this phrase has become part of their vernacular. They do not realize they are constantly using this phrase. That may be the case with Director Brennan because he used the phrase "You know" 147 times!
What we do know for certain is that Director Brennan never said the CIA did not hack into Senate computers. He only alluded to the idea they would not do that.