An internal CIA board has found that its officers had done nothing wrong by breaking into the computers of senate staffers who were investigating claims of CIA torture. If you’re surprised by this you haven’t been paying attention. The government has made clear that it reserves the right to spy on anyone for any reason. Notice that there are no terrorists here. The only thing the CIA was trying to keep safe is the CIA.
So now we know. No act, no matter how egregious, will be punished. Lie to Congress, nothing happens to the liar. Break into the computers of a co-equal branch of government, nothing happens. This was not about investigating a crime, which the CIA is not entitled to do in any event, merely about protecting the CIA from an investigation into its activities.
Remember all this the next time the government tells you not to worry; that the CIA and NSA are under strict supervision and will never abuse their capabilities. They have and they will. Sadly, recent events in France and elsewhere make it unlikely that we will ever be able to get these agencies under control. Indeed, the very best outcome we can hope for is that the United States and other countries will refuse to jump on David Cameron’s bandwagon and start outlawing encryption. Of course, that may be too much to ask.