An Ad hoc group of Congress members held, Thursday 27 June 2013, a special closed session on Syria with CIA Director John Brennan (pictured), in the presence of Vice President Joe Biden and Deputy Secretary of State William Burns.

The meeting, originally scheduled for only members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was to focus on authorized interrogation techniques. But its agenda and the list of participants, including members of the Foreign Affairs Committees of both chambers, were altered at the last minute.

Although the details of the discussions are unknown, it nevertheless transpired that congressmen voted down the CIA plan the supply weapons to the "rebels" in Syria. They deemed there were no grounds to consider the possible victory of the "rebels" as a solution to the current problem.

This sudden and unexpected change of position leaves Washington without a policy for Syria.