Pelosi says she wasn't briefed by Panetta

WASHINGTON, July 9 (UPI) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she was not briefed by CIA Director Leon Panetta about the agency misleading U.S. lawmakers routinely.

"I have not had that briefing from Director Panetta," the California Democrat said during her weekly news conference.

Her comments came as seven House Democrats wrote a letter to Panetta saying he had testified the spy agency routinely provided misinformation to Congress since 2001, CNN reported.

In addition, the chairman of the House intelligence committee accused the CIA of lying to the panel in a classified matter, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, in a letter to House leadership, said CIA officials "affirmatively lied" to the committee when notifying it about a classified matter in June. In his letter Tuesday, Reyes wrote it was one of several recent instances in which the CIA did not fully inform the committee.

The letter to Panetta, dated June 26, was published on the Web site of Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif.

In May, Pelosi accused the CIA of misleading Congress in a classified briefing she received in 2002. The CIA said Pelosi was told about the harsh techniques, including waterboarding, at the briefing.

CIA spokesman George Little said Panetta "stands by his May 15 statement" when he said the CIA did not mislead Congress during the briefing cited by Pelosi.

Pelosi told reporters Thursday she has seen the letters and "obviously they have concern" but didn't have any more information.