WASHINGTON AP – Anecdotes, news reports and even the many times “24″ agent Jack Bauer has saved the country on TV aren’t enough to convince the Senate Intelligence Committee that the CIA’s harsh interrogation methods actually work.

Lawmakers are investigating the interrogation program begun during the Bush administration in an attempt to inject fact into the public debate over those methods, Senate officials said Thursday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of the committee’s discussions.