Washington, March 7 (RHC)-- More details have emerged in the unfolding dispute over the CIA’s alleged spying on a U.S. Senate panel probing the agency’s torture and rendition program.

Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee say CIA officials illegally monitored their staffers’ work as they compiled the panel’s exhaustive report on CIA torture. The report has yet to be released but reportedly documents extensive abuses and a cover-up by CIA officials to Congress.

Senators and their aides say they believe the CIA monitored computers they used while conducting research at CIA headquarters. The spying apparently came to light after the CIA complained Senate staffers had taken a classified internal review that showed CIA officials had misled lawmakers in disputing allegations of torture.

In a statement, CIA director John Brennan said lawmakers are making "spurious allegations about CIA actions that are wholly unsupported by the facts." The dispute is expected to further complicate efforts to have the Senate report released.

In an irony noted by critics, several members of the Senate Intelligence Committee now complaining about being spied on have been among the staunchest defenders of the National Security Agency, which they also oversee.