Letter to John O. Brennan, Director of Central Intelligence Agency and Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence - Congressional Notifications Should be Unclassified to Allow Public Debate

Letter

The Honorable John O. Brennan
Director
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D.C. 20505

Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper
Director of National Intelligence
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Washington, D.C. 20511

Dear Director Brennan and Director Clapper:

Recently, the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community sent two Congressional Notifications (CNs) to Capitol Hill. The first, sent on March 28, 2014, had the unclassified subject line "Whistleblower Communications." The second, sent March 31, 2014, had the unclassified subject line "Whistleblower Communications -- Clarification." Both documents were classified Secret/NOFORN.

Please provide copies of all documents referenced in the CNs to the Committee, including both Chairman and Ranking Member, no later than Monday, April 21, 2014. To the extent that such documents are classified, please deliver them to the Office of Senate Security. In addition, please make available for a briefing the appropriate agency staff familiar with the facts and circumstances described in the CN no later than Wednesday, April 23, 2014.

Given that the CNs themselves do not appear to contain any information about sources or methods, and given that there would be a strong public interest in their content, I respectfully request that they be declassified as soon as possible so that the serious policy implications and potential Constitutional issues that they raise can be debated publicly. If you choose not to declassify these two documents, please provide the Committee with a detailed written explanation as to why not no later than Wednesday, April 23, 2014.

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