Watchdog who found CIA snooped on Senate is stepping down

The inspector general who determined that the CIA snooped on the Senate is stepping down at the end of the month, the agency said on Monday.

David Buckley is leaving his post on Jan. 31 “to pursue an opportunity in the private sector,” the CIA said in a statement to The Hill, without elaborating further.

{mosads}His departure caps a more than four-year term as the spy agency’s chief internal watchdog, after being nominated by President Obama in 2010.  

Buckley’s exit also comes less than a month after the Senate Intelligence Committee released a scathing report on the CIA’s use of waterboarding, “stress positions” and other “enhanced interrogation” techniques during the George W. Bush administration.

Senate Democrats clashed frequently with CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., over the investigation, with the tensions exploding last year amid allegations of spying from both sides.

Last summer, Buckley’s office determined that a handful of CIA staffers gained unauthorized access to portions of Senate staffers’ computers while trying to track an internal analysis of the techniques that still remain secret.

The full inspector general’s report remains classified, though a one-page summary released to the public asserts that five employees “improperly accesses or caused access” to Senate files.

The Justice Department has declined to file criminal charges against the CIA staffers who took part in the activity.

CIA Director John Brennan praised Buckley for demonstrating “independence, integrity, and sound judgment in promoting efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability at CIA.”

“For his distinguished public service and for his unwavering dedication to CIA’s mission, we all owe David a debt of gratitude,” Brennan added in a message to agency staffers.

The agency’s deputy inspector general, Christopher Sharpley, will serve as acting inspector general after Buckley leaves office.

Buckley’s resignation was first reported by Reuters.