Senate approves Church Committee 82-to-4 to investigate FBI and CIA domestic surveillance abuses

The Senate voted 82-to-4 to create the Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, chaired by Sen. Frank Church (D-ID). The committee was created after New York Times reporter Seymour Hersh revealed the CIA had conducted illegal domestic surveillance of American citizens. Over 16 months, the committee interviewed 800 witnesses, held 126 meetings, and produced a final report in six volumes documenting COINTELPRO, CIA assassination plots, NSA mass surveillance, and IRS political targeting.