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Closed hearing later today. so the questions i'm about to ask you, i ask that you answer based on open source information available to the general understanding and your understanding of the law of war as a graduate of west point and your services as an officer in the u.s. army. first, your understanding as an officer of the u.s. army, is military targeting of civilians a violation of the law of war? >> senator, intentional targeting the civilians is absolutely a violation of the law of war. >> based on open sources and information available to the general public, in the conflict in aleppo, sy...

>> yes, ma'am, i can assure you that we talked about the fact that i have lived that life a bit as well. and i understand it is not only come of that interest is so broad. we spoke and you mentioned it here, this is a unique space where we operate in places where the american public doesn't always get a chance to see everything, and so the willingness to make sure that we share this information to policymakers who we trust will keep this information safe and secure and handle this information appropriately is absolutely critical. you have my assurance, i will do everything to make sure that th...

Saying there is a more politicized intelligence environment. what do you mean by it? is there a sense of that, do you agree with general flannery do you not? >> so i have had us chance as an overseer to observe the central intelligence agencies, and when i have a chance to sit with them have watch watched them fight h fire to get the real facts. i have seen, however, i have seen political actors from all stripes attempt to try and shape that, and i don't mean and hard ways, there is no demand, but i'm -- >> i'm not talking about outside actors, this allegation is at the agency itself has becom...

Interest in that. in my right in that you see a different privacy standard if someone is trying to maintain their privacy as opposed to someone who's putting information out there that anyone can see? >> i may not have added there that the primary responsibility for that in the united states is not the cia, it would be other agencies inside the federal government, so in the first instance, the focus of the central intelligence agency's foreign intelligence collection, make no mistake about that. but yes, i was referring to things that were in the public space. that the u.s. government ought to...

To begin by saying today in most instances what you referred today, that would be unlawful under current law. and so as a director of the cia you have my assurance we will not engage in unlawful activity. but i think this committee, the american people, demand that if there is publicly available information, someone has out there on a public, available site, i think we have an obligation to use that information to keep americans safe. if someone is out there on their facebook page talking about an attack or plotting an attack against america, i think you would find the director of the cia of t...