Washington, March 12 (RHC)-- The spat between the CIA and its U.S. Senate overseers has intensified with open sparring in public. On Tuesday, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein took to the Senate floor to directly accuse the CIA of spying on staffers and their computers in an effort to undermine the panel’s exhaustive report on the agency’s torture and rendition program.

The report has yet to be released but reportedly documents extensive abuses and a cover-up by CIA officials. In her remarks, Feinstein said the CIA’s spying broke federal laws and violated the Constitution. She said she's asked for an apology and a recognition that this CIA search of computers used by its oversight committee was inappropriate.

According to Feinstein, the CIA may also have violated the 4th Amendment, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and an executive order barring it from domestic surveillance. Feinstein also says the CIA tried to spur a Justice Department investigation to thwart the panel’s report.