Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein. Source: AP

Senate Intelligence Committee chair Dianne Feinstein’s staff repeatedly used the hashtag #ReadTheReport on the senator’s Twitter feed during Mr Brennan’s rare press conference broadcast live from CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

Mr Brennan said it was “unknowable” whether key information from suspects subjected to so-called enhanced interrogation techniques, which critics have equated to torture, could have been obtained through other methods.

But Senator Feinstein’s staff responded: “Study shows it IS knowable: CIA had info before torture. #ReadTheReport.”

Senator Feinstein said that the 500-page executive summary made public so far was only a small part of a 6700-page report and denied senators had cherry picked damning material. “500-page exec summary is small part of 6700-page report. No cherry picking. Everything is documented by 38,000 footnotes. #ReadTheReport,” she said.

“CIA, FBI, NSA, DIA, DOD, NGA, State Dept, DHS and many other agencies help keep us safe. Torture does not. #ReadTheReport.”

Mr Brennan insisted the CIA had not lied to the public or congress. But Senator Feinstein said: “Full Senate Intel Committee not briefed until four years after program began, hours before it was made public. #ReadTheReport.”

The Democrat senator also argued with Mr Brennan’s claims that the interrogation program had helped US intelligence in the operation that led to the assassination of Osama bin Laden.

“Study definitively proves EITs did not lead to bin Laden. Page 378,” a tweet from her office said.

The two dozen tweets from the senator, who had previously made only moderate use of Twitter, show how the fight over the CIA’s legacy on interrogation is also being fought on social media.

AFP