Dems: Panetta Admits CIA Lied

A group of Democratic lawmakers says CIA chief Leon Panetta admitted that the agency has misled Congress since 2001 and "concealed significant actions," reports Politico. A letter released by the lawmakers, all members of the House Intelligence panel, offered no specifics on when Panetta made the admission or what actions he was referring to. But it demanded that Panetta correct a public statement he made in May that it's not the "CIA's policy or practice to mislead Congress."

All of this relates to the brouhaha that erupted back then over Nancy Pelosi and what she knew when on the Bush interrogation procedures. (Republicans say she was briefed; she says the CIA lied.) The letter surfaces a day before the House considers a bill that could change how Congress gets briefed on sensitive matters. Pelosi pushed for a change to give congressional leaders the authority to determine when briefings get opened to the full intelligence committees, notes the Post. President Obama threatened a veto if that goes through.
(More Leon Panetta stories.)