and your other point was that the full committees were not briefed. yes, the full committees were not briefed and that was at presidential direction. i think one of the things that if there was anything i regret, it s that we didn t brief the full committees. we didn t have permission because of the covert action programs. we were directed to brief the intelligence leadership. i can tell you these briefings were detailed. we did not hold anything back here. they were free to ask any questions they wanted to ask and answered in detail. i know that your colleagues have along with you posted something on the wall street journal website which is a long rebutt rebuttal. suggesting that the senate intelligence report on detention and interrogation is a missed opportunity to deliver a study
to press john brennan on whether he has been too free, too forthcoming with information about counterterrorism issues in the past. whether he has talked too openly to the press and to former counterterrorism officials who talked to the press about things going on in the counterterrorism world. do you think there s any situation where it s legal to disclose to the media or the public these tales of covert action programs? i do not think it is ever appropriate to improperly disclose classified information to anybody who does not have legitimate access to it and has the clearances for it. would you provide for the committee any times that you were given the authority to release classified information? i never provided classified information to reporters. did you provide any classified or otherwise sensitive information to reporters or media consultants
he has been too free, too forthcoming with information about counterterrorism issues in the past. whether he has talked too openly to the press and to former counterterrorism officials who talked to the press about things going on in the counterterrorism world. do you think there s any situation where it s legal to disclose to the media or the public these tales of covert action programs? i do not think it is ever appropriate to improperly disclose classified information to anybody who does not have legitimate access to it and has the clearances for it. would you provide for the committee any times that you were given the authority to release classified information? i never provided classified information to reporters. did you provide any classified or otherwise sensitive information to reporters or media consultants about the details of the
about counterterrorism issues in the past. whether he has talked too openly to the press and to former counterterrorism officials who talked to the press about things going on in the counterterrorism world. do you think there s any situation where it s legal to disclose to the media or the public these tales of covert action programs? i do not think it is ever appropriate to improperly disclose classified information to anybody who does not have legitimate access to it and has the clearances for it. would you provide for the committee any times that you were given the authority to release classified information? i never provided classified information to reporters. did you provide any classified or otherwise sensitive information to reporters or media consultants about the details of the abbottabad raid? no, i did not, senator.
public details of covert action programs. i don t think that it s ever appropriate to disclose classified information to anybody who doesn t have legitimate access to it and the clearance for it. let me clarify. i didn t ask for classified information, i specificallily said covert action programs. by definition, those are classified programs. and not release any details to covert action programs. let me poit out that in the committee hearings, you didn t really answer a question that dealt with specific instances, in where you were authorized to disclose classified information to a reporter. so could you provide for the committee any times that you