August 01, 2014 09:18 AM UTC

Udall Calls for Resignation of CIA Director After Spying on Congress Revealed

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• by: Colorado Pols

Following reports that Central Intelligence Agency employees improperly accessed computers used by U.S. Senate staff to investigate the agency, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) on Thursday called for the resignation of John Brennan as CIA director.

"After being briefed on the CIA Inspector General report today, I have no choice but to call for the resignation of CIA Director John Brennan," Udall said in a statement. "The CIA unconstitutionally spied on Congress by hacking into Senate Intelligence Committee computers. This grave misconduct not only is illegal, but it violates the U.S. Constitution’s requirement of separation of powers. These offenses, along with other errors in judgment by some at the CIA, demonstrate a tremendous failure of leadership, and there must be consequences."

According to a CIA Inspector General’s Office report first obtained by McClatchy, agency employees in 2009 hacked Senate computers being used to compile a report on the agency’s infamous detention and interrogation program — a move that some critics have characterized as a significant breach of the separation of powers. Brennan has apologized to Senate intelligence committee leaders, including Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who took the floor earlier this year to excoriate the agency for skirting the law and attempting to intimidate Congress.

As a member of the powerful Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, Udall has been a leading national voice on both the CIA allegations and the more well-publicized NSA spying scandal. From a purely political perspective, Udall's outspoken beliefs on this issue line up well with the interests of Colorado voters, and should help him craft a strong narrative with the barrage of TV ads making their way to your living rooms.