A CIA Agent Accussed Of War Crimes Wants The Agency To Complete It's INvestigation

Undercover CIA Agent Sues Agency Over Stalled Probe Of Alleged War Crimes -- The Guardian

Undercover officer accused of war crimes by the CIA says agency halted an investigation that could have exonerated him.

A senior undercover CIA officer, accused by the spy agency of "war crimes", has alleged that it halted an internal investigation that could have exonerated him and placed him under surveillance instead.

The lawsuit, which comes as US intelligence is reeling from controversy over its surveillance of Americans' communications records, is expected to be filed Friday in a Washington federal court by longtime intelligence attorney Mark Zaid.

It does not name the operative. Nor does it list the crimes that the officer, who is said to still be a serving official, is alleged to have committed. The officer wants the CIA's inspector general to finish investigating – if only to be exonerated.

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My Comment: What war crimes were committed? Where? Who is the agent? Who are his accomplices? A lot of questions .... no answers.

New CIA Deputy Director Is A Lawyer With No Intelligence Experience

New CIA #2 Pick Used to Read Anne Rice Aloud at Her Bookstore’s Erotica Night -- Ben Jacobs and Avi Zenilman, Daily Beast

In her 20s, Avril Haines held erotica readings at the Baltimore bookstore and restaurant she co-owned at the time. Ben Jacobs and Avi Zenilman report.

The former host of “Erotica Night” at a Baltimore bookstore will be the first-ever female No. 2 official at the CIA.

On Wednesday, Barack Obama nominated Avril Danica Haines to be the deputy director of the CIA, replacing Michael Morell, who twice served as acting director of the agency but took much of the blame for editing the highly controversial talking points around the 2012 attack on the consulate in Benghazi. As a lawyer in the White House Counsel’s office, Haines oversaw the approval process for the CIA's covert actions, acting as a vital link between the CIA and the president.

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President Obama meets with National Security staff in the Oval Office, March 8, 2012. Clockwise from the President are: Jeff Eggers, Director for Afghanistan and Central Region; David Holmes, Director for Afghanistan; Avril Haines, Deputy Counsel to the President; Dennis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; and Lt. Gen. Doug Lute, Senior Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

More News On The Appointment Of A New CIA Deputy Director

New CIA Deputy Director Hosted 'Erotica Nights' At Bookstore -- RT
Obama's pick to be CIA #2 used to run 'Erotica Nights' readings after dropping out of grad school -- New York Post
Obama names Avril Haines as deputy CIA director after Morell retires -- Reuters
CIA’s deputy director to be replaced with White House lawyer -- Washington Post
CIA deputy director Michael Morell steps down. Who is the new CIA No. 2? -- Christian Science Montior
C.I.A. to Get First Woman in No. 2 Job -- New York Times
Avril Haines: Obama's Nominee For #2 CIA Job is a Former Erotica Reader -- Policymic
Avril Haines, the Right Woman to Clean Up the CIA -- Tim Weiner, Bloomberg
Why Obama chose woman with no CIA experience for No. 2 CIA job -- Jennifer Skalka Tulumello, Christian Science Monitor

CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell Has Resigned

CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell Retires -- NPR

The deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Michael Morell, has resigned.

"As much as I would selfishly like to keep Michael right where he is for as long as possible, he has decided to retire to spend more time with his family and to pursue other professional opportunities," CIA Director John Brennan said in a statement.

Michael Morell served 33 years in the agency and was the acting head of the CIA, before John Brennan was confirmed for the post.

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My Comment: He is stating that after 33 years of service he is retiring because of personal reasons .... OK ....

Update: Obama names Avril Haines as deputy CIA director after Morell retires -- Reuters

The CIA Invests In 'Narrative Science'

Narrative Science: The CIA is Investing in Artificial Intelligence That Actually Works -- Policymic

As part of the Central Intelligence Agency's growing trend of partnering with the private sector, the CIA announced Wednesday that it would be investing in Narrative Science, a Chicago-based startup that uses computers to make sense of data and present it in prose. Once a leader of technology innovation, the CIA recognized it could not compete for IT innovation and talent with private profit-driven firms. In one of the more impressive government adjustment to economic pressures, the CIA has changed the way the government creates IT innovation.

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More News On The CIA And 'Narrative Science'

The CIA Invests in Robot Writers -- Mashable
The CIA takes an interest in Narrative Science’s quick summaries of big data -- Gigaom
The CIA Invests in Narrative Science and Its Automated Writers -- All Things D
CIA invests in robot journalism -- Poynter
Narrative Science goes beyond ‘robot journalism’ with CIA investment -- Venture Beat
Local AI startup gets CIA-linked funding -- Chicago Tribune
Chicago's Narrative Science lands deal with the CIA -- Chicago Business

Life As A Female CIA Spy

Former CIA agent Lindsay Moran

The CIA, Zero Dark Thirty And Me: A Female Agent On Life Under Cover -- The Telegraph

Lindsay Moran worked as a CIA agent for six years, recruiting informants and observing the increasing acceptance of torture during the Bush administration. She talks to Jennifer O'Mahony about life as a female spy.

It is hard to think of a film that courted more controversy this year than Zero Dark Thirty.

The story of the real-life female CIA agent who spends a decade hunting down Osama Bin Laden was boycotted by a member of the Oscars judging panel, and its director Kathryn Bigelow accused of "normalising" torture.

The film also made in excess of $100 million, and was praised by critics worldwide for its ability to weave the exhausting 10 year search into a watchable whole, with the redheaded Maya (Jessica Chastain) pale and coolly focused at its centre.

For Lindsay Moran, former spy and vocal critic of the Bush-era CIA, a six-year career at the agency began in 1998, three years before Zero Dark Thirty begins.

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My Comment: A women's perspective of her stint in the CIA.

How The CIA Persuades Someone To Be A Traitor

The Spy Who Turned Me -- Wall Street Journal

A Former CIA Case Officer On The Most Effective Levers For Persuading Someone To Become A Traitor. -- Jason Matthews, Wall Street Journal

During my thirty-plus years working abroad for the CIA, the unspoken truth among case officers like me was that you'd have to be nuts, as the citizen of another country, to be a spy for a foreign intelligence service. In recruiting an agent or "asset," we were asking him to ignore the instinct of self-preservation, to break the laws of his own country—to become a traitor. And we were asking him to trust that no leak or mole would ever expose him.

Today, there are still secrets that need stealing, and the consequences of detection remain dangerous. Moscow's recent expulsion of an alleged CIA officer was dramatic, but such moves are among the lesser costs of espionage gone awry.

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My Comment: I am surprised that the CIA gave permission to this former CIA case officer to publish this article. It`s short .... but it summarizes how the CIA goes about getting it`s "intelligence assets".

CIA Benghazi Chief Honored In Secret Ceremony

Exclusive: CIA Honored Benghazi Chief in Secret Ceremony -- Eli Lake, Daily Beast

Part of why the State Department has taken the brunt of the political blame for the Benghazi attack, writes Eli Lake, is that clandestine services by definition have very little public oversight.

At a secret February ceremony at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., the chief of the CIA’s base in Benghazi the night of the 9/11 anniversary attacks there was awarded one of the agency’s highest intelligence medals, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials.

The honor given behind closed doors to “Bob,” the officer who was in charge of the Benghazi intelligence annex and CIA base that was attacked in the early morning of September 12, 2012 and then abandoned for nearly three weeks, illustrates the murky lines of command that preceded the attack, and helped make it a politically volatile issue. While the State Department was responsible for elements of the security for the diplomatic mission at Benghazi, the mission itself was used primarily for intelligence activities and most the U.S. officials there and at the nearby annex were CIA officers who used State Department cover.

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My Comment: Unlike everyone else in Washington .... this unknown CIA section chief and his colleagues jumped into action right away. Hence the recognition and award.

Former CIA Spies Are Puzzled By Russia's Unprecedented Treatment Of The CIA Moscow Chief

Accused American spy Ryan Fogle, following his detention in Moscow. © Photo Russian Federal Security Service

‘Unprecedented’ CIA Moscow Chief Leak Puzzles Ex-Spies -- RIA Novosti

WASHINGTON, May 17 (By Carl Schreck for RIA Novosti) – Russia’s decision to publicly identify a purported top US spy in the country is an “unprecedented” move in relations between Moscow and Washington with no clear indication of how the United States will react, former US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers and security experts told RIA Novosti on Friday.

“Certainly throughout the Cold War, and even after that, there was a practice of not naming the head of the [spy agencies] in the respective countries,” said Peter Earnest, who operated intelligence collection and covert operations in Europe and the Middle East during a 35-year career with the CIA.

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My Comment: What is there to be puzzled about .... the Russians are sending a message to the U.S. because they know that the U.S. is not going to retaliate. In short .... they are going out of their way to humiliate the U.S., and they are making a point of advertising what they are doing to the rest of the world.

CIA Spy Arrested In Moscow Outed As The CIA Station Chief In Russia

 

Russia Reveals Identity Of CIA Moscow Chief Following Ryan Fogle's Expulsion -- The Guardian  

Federal Security Service spokesman breaches protocol as he accuses US agency of crossing 'red line' in its recruitment efforts. The Federal Security Service in Russia has revealed the identity of the CIA's station chief in Moscow in a breach of protocol. The revelation, made by an FSB spokesman who accused the US agency of crossing a "red line" in its attempt to recruit turncoats among Russian spy agencies, will up the ante in the unfolding spy scandal that emerged earlier this week when Russia detained and expelled an alleged CIA agent working undercover as third secretary at the US embassy in Moscow. Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy advisor, have taken pains to say they believe the scandal will blow over quickly.   Read more ....

More News On Russia Revealing Who Is The CIA Station Chief In Moscow  

Russian secret service publicly reveals identity of the ‘CIA station chief’ in Moscow following capture of US ‘spy’ -- Daily Mail Russia Outs Alleged Moscow CIA Station Chief -- RIA Novosti Russian secret service publicly reveals identity of the ‘CIA station chief’ in Moscow following capture of US ‘spy’ -- Daily Mail Russia's FSB reveals identity of CIA Moscow station chief -- The Telegraph FSB: CIA crossed ‘red line’ with agent Fogle -- RT The Spy Scandal In Moscow: Nothing To See Here -- Mark Adomanis, Forbes Russian spies still seek to humiliate the West -- Ben Macintyre, The Australian/The Times

CIA Chief John Brennan On Surprise Visit To Israel (Updated)

U.S. President Barack Obama (C) announces his nominees for new U.S. Secretary of Defense former Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (L) and new CIA director White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan (R) at the White House in Washington January 7, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

CIA Chief John Brennan Makes Surprise Israel Visit For Syria Talks -- The Guardian

Unannounced meeting with PM Netanyahu and senior Israeli figures comes amid concerns over Syrian weapons.

The CIA chief has made an unexpected visit to Israel to meet senior political and military figures to discuss the deteriorating security situation in neighbouring Syria.

John Brennan, who took up his post two months ago, met the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, defence minister, Moshe Ya'alon, military chief of staff, Benny Gantz, and Mossad chief, Tamir Pardo, according to reports in Israel media.

The unannounced meetings followed two Israeli air strikes on weapons stores near Damascus a fortnight ago. Israel has repeatedly warned it will take action to prevent advanced or chemical weapons being transferred to the Syrian regime's Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, or falling into the hands of jihadist groups fighting alongside the Syrian opposition.

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More News On CIA Chief John Brennan In Israel

CIA chief John Brennan in Israel on mystery stop -- Washington Times
CIA chief 'in surprise Israel trip over Syria' -- Asia One/AFP
John Brennan, CIA Chief, Makes Unannounced Israel Visit -- AP
CIA chief pays surprise visit to Israel -- Times of Israel
CIA Chief Brennan Makes Unannounced Israel Visit -- Newsmax
CIA chief in Israel to discuss situation in Syria -- Global Times/Xinhua
CIA chief John Brennan visits Israel to discuss Syria -- Press TV (Iran)

Russia Surprised By 'Crude And Clumsy' CIA Spy Efforts

Russia Surprised By 'Crude, Clumsy' US Spying -- The Telegraph

The Kremlin is surprised by the "crude and clumsy" espionage activities of the United States in Russia, after a suspected CIA operative was caught trying to recruit a Russian agent, a senior advisor to President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

"To say the least, we are surprised by the extremely crude and clumsy recruitment" that came after pledges by both sides to improve cooperation, said Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, quoted by ITAR-TASS.

He added Russian national security chief Nikolai Patrushev would travel to the United States from May 20-21, possibly carrying a message from Putin to President Barack Obama.

It was also reported on Wednesday that the alleged CIA spy caught red-handed by Russia was likely interested in obtaining information about the Boston bombing suspects, whose origins were in the Russian Caucasus.

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My Comment: I cover Russian media (I speak Russian) .... and universally .... most Russian commentators are surprised by how clumsy the CIA was in this spy case. I agree .... from the outside looking in .... it does look like amateur hour in the CIA.

Update #1: 5 signs there’s something fishy about the alleged CIA spy arrested in Moscow -- Max Fisher, Washington Post
Update #2: Russia spy case: Was US diplomat set up? -- Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor

Russia's CIA Spy Bust 'Was Linked To Boston Bombing'

Russia's CIA Spy Bust 'Was Linked To Boston Bombing': U.S Diplomat Was Trying To Recruit Dagestan Expert Who Travelled To Terrorist’s Home Town When He Was Arrested -- Daily Mail

* U.S. diplomat named as Ryan Christopher Fogle was arrested on Monday
* Russia claim he was attempting to recruit a Russian secret services official
* Letter allegedly found on him offers agents $1million per year to defect
* U.S. ambassador summoned to Russian foreign ministry to explain today

The arrest of a US diplomat accused of being a CIA spy was linked to the Boston bombing, sources revealed today.

Russian security officials reported on Tuesday that they had briefly detained Ryan Fogle in Moscow for allegedly trying to recruit a Russian intelligence officer.

Today sources revealed the man Mr Fogle was trying to ‘recruit’ was an FSB agent who specialised in Islamic extremism in Russia and may even have travelled to the region where the bombing suspects came from.

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More News And Analysis On The Russian CIA Spy Bust Being Linked To The Boston Bombing

Wig-wearing 'CIA spy' in Russia 'was investigating Boston bombings' -- The Telegraph
‘Wigged CIA spy’ Ryan C. Fogle was reportedly seeking information on Boston bombings -- The Raw Story/AFP
Was US diplomat Ryan Fogle seeking info on Boston suspects? -- Zee News
'CIA agent' in Russia sought Boston info: report -- iol News
Russia calls 'spy' case provocation, but Boston fallout could be factor -- CNN

My Comment: If these reports are true, it reveals a lack of trust between the U.S. and Russia in sharing intel on suspected terrorists and terror organizations.

Do CIA Agents Use Gmail?

Russia Busts CIA ‘Spy’ And His Gmail -- Danger Room

Officially, Ryan Christopher Fogle worked as a junior diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. According to Moscow, he’s a spy working for the CIA. If so, he screwed up in the worst possible way.

Fogle was detained overnight by Russia’s Federal Security Service (or FSB), the present-day successor to the KGB, and is accused of attempting to recruit a Russian agent to spy for Washington. Photographs quickly circulated of Fogle in custody, along with a disguise and gear — including two wigs, sunglasses, a knife and cell phone, a map of Moscow, a microphone, and an aluminum RFID shield. He was also apparently carrying stacks of €500 bank notes.

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My Comment: GMail is not that secure .... as this former CIA Director quickly learned.

Update: While researching this story I found the following interesting story about email and how spies use it.

The CIA's New National Clandestine Service Chief Outed On Twitter

Did a Professor's Tweet Reveal the Identity of CIA's New Chief Spy? -- Mashable

On Tuesday, the CIA announced the new head of its National Clandestine Service, one of the agency's most important branches, responsible for sending spies abroad and managing its drone program. And in classic spy fashion, the announcement didn't include the agency head's name, saying the agent "remains undercover."

The statement by CIA spokesperson Jennifer Youngblood did mention that the agent had been a CIA veteran for 30 years and that he had "rich substantive and operational experiences worldwide." And even though the name of the new chief spy, as well as the name of the agent who was first picked to lead the clandestine service but was then passed over, "are widely known in the intelligence community," as the Washington Post put it, the CIA "requested that they not be identified because they are undercover."

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Update: CIA's New Chief Spy Outed on Twitter -- Gawker

My Comment: You cannot keep anything secret anymore .... certainly not in this 24/7 web-connected universe.

CIA Has Selected A New Clandestine Service Chief (Whose Name Will Remain Secret)

CIA's New Clandestine Service Chief Remains Undercover -- The Cable/Foreign Policy

In a statement to The Cable, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency announced the selection of the next head of the National Clandestine Service, a crucial branch of the agency responsible for sending spies overseas and running the CIA's controversial drone program. The male officer, who "remains under cover," has 30 years' experience within the agency and has had "rich substantive and operational experiences worldwide," according to the statement by CIA spokesperson Jennifer Youngblood.

"This officer is known for his collaborative and inclusive leadership style, and has demonstrated strong interest in leading junior officers to positions of greater responsibility," reads the statement. "He will be a great leader for the NCS and for the Agency's senior leadership team."

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Update: CIA selects new head of clandestine service, passing over female officer -- Washington Post/AP

My Comment: Apparently running a secret prison will disqualify you for this job.

Meet The CIA Analysts Who Hunted Down Bin Laden

CIA Women Who Hunted Bin Laden In The Spotlight; TV Documentary Reveals Inside Story -- Washington Times

The look at those who hunted Osama bin Laden begins with the sisterhood — a collection of female CIA analysts who became somewhat obsessed with al Qaeda and its leader.

They now are talking on camera for the HBO documentary “Manhunt,” which debuted Wednesday night, two years after the terrorist mastermind was killed and weeks after another jihadist attack on America at the Boston Marathon.

The film, which HBO is showing throughout May, is not about the raid that killed bin Laden but the inside story of the CIA’s bin Laden hunters — their frustrations, guilt, joy and, for one, a violent death.

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Update: Who was who in the hunt for bin Laden -- The Week

My Comment: I have yet to see the film, but there is a very good discussion here.

Will Future CIA Promotions Be Denied To Those Who Were Associated With The CIA's Rendition, Detention And Interrogation (RDI) Program.

Betraying One Of The CIA’s ‘Band Of Sisters’? -- Marc Thiessen, Washington Post

Former CIA director Mike Hayden credits “an incredible band of sisters” for the success of the operation that found and brought down Osama bin Laden. Now one of those sisters has been appointed acting chief of the CIA’s National Clandestine service. It is a major milestone for women at the CIA, the first time in the agency’s history that a female officer has headed the clandestine service.

But The Post reports that CIA Director John Brennan is “hesitating” at giving her the position on a permanent basis, because of her past association with the CIA’s rendition, detention and interrogation (RDI) program.

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My Comment: Talk about sending a chill into the ranks. This is definitely not going to help morale.

No More Drones For The CIA

Exclusive: No More Drones For CIA -- Daniel Klaidman, Daily Beast

Three senior officials tell Daniel Klaidman that the Obama administration is poised to shift the CIA’s drone program to the Pentagon.

At a time when controversy over the Obama administration’s drone program seems to be cresting, the CIA is close to taking a major step toward getting out of the targeted killing business. Three senior U.S. officials tell The Daily Beast that the White House is poised to sign off on a plan to shift the CIA’s lethal targeting program to the Defense Department.

The move could potentially toughen the criteria for drone strikes, strengthen the program’s accountability, and increase transparency. Currently, the government maintains parallel drone programs, one housed in the CIA and the other run by the Department of Defense. The proposed plan would unify the command and control structure of targeted killings and create a uniform set of rules and procedures. The CIA would maintain a role, but the military would have operational control over targeting. Lethal missions would take place under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which governs military operations, rather than Title 50, which sets out the legal authorities for intelligence activities and covert operations. “This is a big deal,” says one senior administration official who has been briefed on the plan. “It would be a pretty strong statement.”

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More News On The CIA Giving Up It's Drones

U.S. to Shift Drone Command -- Wall Street Journal
White House to move drone operations out of CIA, centralize at Pentagon -- FOX News
Pentagon Taking Over Drones Magnifies The CIA's Free Rein -- Business Insider
The CIA Is Losing Its Drone Privileges -- Joe Coscarelli, New York Mag
White House set to move drone program away from CIA: report -- New York Post
Obama mulls stripping CIA of drones -- RT
Report: CIA Losing Armed Drones Program To Pentagon -- Think Progress
Human rights groups: Getting CIA out of drone business is only first step -- Susan Crabtree, The Washington Times
Feinstein is worried about the CIA losing the drone program -- Passport/Foreign Policy
Going Clear: Drone critics wanted greater transparency. Careful what you wish for. -- Matthew Waxman, National Security/Foreign Policy
Does Transferring Drone Program from CIA to Pentagon Change Anything? -- Opposing View
Does it matter who runs US drone program? Pentagon could supplant CIA. -- Anna Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor

CIA 'Beefing' Up Surveillance Of Jihadists In Syria (Updated)

Drone Strikes In Syria? CIA ‘Boosting’ Intelligence Force To ‘Size Up’ Syrian Extremists -- RT

The CIA may be preparing for lethal drone strikes in Syria, as it is extending its intelligence-gathering on Islamic radicals in the country, US media has reported. At the same time, US officials are pressing for the supplying arms to rebels.

“The CIA has stepped up secret contingency planning to protect the United States and its allies as the turmoil expands in Syria, including collecting intelligence on Islamic extremists for the first time for possible lethal drone strikes,” according to current and former US officials, reported in the LA Times.

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Previous Post: Is the CIA Getting Ready To Launch Drone Strikes In Syria?

More News On The CIA 'Beefing' Up Surveillance Of Jihadists In Syria For Possible Drone Strikes

CIA monitoring Syrian extremists for drone strikes -- France 24
CIA ‘monitoring extremists in Syria for possible drone strikes’ -- Times of Israel
CIA looking into possible threats in Syria -- UPI
CIA monitors potential terrorists in Syria -- YNet News
CIA may conduct drone missile strikes in Syria -- The Hindu
CIA is collecting intelligence on Syrian rebels -- Jerusalem Post
CIA sizing up Syrian extremists for possible drone strikes: report -- Al Arabiya

Sex And The CIA

CIA Agents Sleep Around All The Time, Says Ex-Spook -- Business Insider

Your boss is caught in the act of "going at it" with a junior colleague, and it's perfectly acceptable.

That's the espionage division of the CIA, according to former clandestine operations officer Reuel Marc Gerecht, who wrote a piece for The New Republic. For Gerecht, espionage is a loose culture, populated by "bottom feeders," and is better left alone if America wants good intelligence.

From the piece:

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Previous Post: Inside The Randy Culture Of The CIA


My Comment: I am glad to see Gerecht's piece in The New Republic creating the buzz that it deserves.