Biden briefs senators on Syria

The meeting with Biden was then expanded to the full committee to discuss the conflict in Syria, according to aides.

When Biden left the Intelligence briefing, he went to the
Senate floor to preside over the vote on the immigration bill. Biden and Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin
(D-Mich.) had a lengthy conversation after leaving the committee’s briefing
room, then walked out of the Hart Senate Office Building together.

Asked about the immigration vote, Biden said, “I look forward to presiding over its passage.”

{mosads}Committee members, including Feinstein and Chambliss, were
tight-lipped as they left the briefing, declining to say anything on Syria or
even confirm that the conflict was discussed.

The Obama administration has said that it would begin
providing military support to the Syrian opposition after it determined that
Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime had used chemical weapons.

There were reports this week that said weapons would be
coming to rebels within the next couple of weeks, citing unnamed U.S. officials
and Gen. Salim Idris, commander of the Free Syrian Army. The U.S. also left troops and Patriot missiles in Jordan last
week following training exercises.

Some lawmakers have been pressing for the Obama
administration to take more action in the two-year conflict, including
establishing a no-fly zone.

Thursday’s briefing with Brennan was arranged to discuss a
CIA report that pushes back against last year’s Intelligence Committee’s probe that
concluded the agency’s interrogation techniques were ineffective. Both the CIA’s report and the committee’s report remain classified. 

Feinstein said after the briefing that she had not yet had a chance to look through the CIA report.