David Buckley: standing down. Photograph: UPI
The CIA announced on Monday that its inspector general, who investigated a dispute between the agency and Congress regarding the handling of records of the CIA’s detention and interrogation activities, is resigning effective January 31.
The agency said in a statement that David Buckley, who had served as the agency’s internal watchdog for more than four years, was leaving the agency to “pursue an opportunity in the private sector.”
Officials said his departure was unrelated to politics or anything he had investigated.
Buckley’s office last July issued a report on a dispute between the agency and the Senate Intelligence Committee. The report found that some agency employees had “acted in a manner inconsistent” with an understanding between the CIA and the committee regarding access to a special computer network set up to share documents about the agency’s involvement in harsh treatment of detained militants.
Buckley’s office sent a report on its investigation to the Justice Department, which declined to open a full criminal investigation into the matter.