In a statement posted on the CIA's website, Director John Brennan acknowledged that the CIA's Detention and Interrogation program "had shortcomings and that the Agency made mistakes."

Brennan admitted that the agency was unprepared and lacked the necessary competencies to tackle the "unprecedented, worldwide program of detaining and interrogating suspected al-Qa'ida and affiliated terrorists."

While Brennan insisted that the agency has learned from its mistakes, he also noted that the Intelligence Committee's characterization of the detention and interrogation program as essentially useless is incorrect.

"Our review indicates that interrogations of detainees on whom EITs were used did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans, capture terrorists, and save lives," Brennan wrote.