The US Justice Department has decided against pursuing a criminal investigation of the CIA over accusations that it spied on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Earlier this year, Senator Dianne Feinstein sharply criticized the CIA for monitoring computers used by the committee as lawmakers worked to complete a classified report on the agency's interrogation program under President George W. Bush. The report is said to be a damning look at the program and torturous interrogation methods like waterboarding. It also reportedly criticizes the CIA for misleading the Bush administration and Congress during 9/11's aftermath.

Feinstein said the intrusion "violated the separation of powers principles embodied in the United States Constitution." In response to a series of complaints, the CIA asked the Justice Department to look into the claims. But the agency came up with some accusations of its own, firing back that the committee had improperly removed classified documents from a secure facility while drafting the report.

Now the DOJ has announced that it won't be investigating either side. "The department carefully reviewed the matters referred to us and did not find sufficient evidence to warrant a criminal investigation," spokesperson Peter Carr told the McClatchy news agency. The incident was in many ways an unprecedented public showdown between the CIA and Senate Intelligence Committee, which is tasked with overseeing the agency. But after an initial uproar, tempers have largely calmed in the months since. The Justice Department's choice not to move any further with the case effectively puts the feud to rest.