CIA destroys $10,000 watches agents receive as gifts from foreign officials

FOX Business ^ | 2/27/2023 | Thomas Phippen

[Right Wing Vegan]

The CIA put four bottles of "vintage wine" and a basket containing wine and cognac given by undisclosed foreign parties to "official use," while destroying other items like wristwatches given as gifts to agency employees.

Because the CIA is a clandestine intelligence service, many of the details about gifts given to CIA employees from foreign dignitaries and sources are kept secret. But a foreign gift disclosure document released by the State Department Thursday shows gifts many CIA employees received were destroyed, including watches ranging in value from $500 to $10,000.

Gift-giving is a major part of foreign relations, a sign of respect and friendship between nations. The White House, State Department, embassies and various other government offices display gifts from foreign heads of state, and there are vast government storerooms housing other items.

But the U.S. government has strict rules about what officials can do with the gifts to avoid apparent or actual bribery from foreign governments. Federal employees are not allowed to accept gifts over a certain value unless "refusal of the gift would cause offense or embarrassment or would otherwise adversely affect the foreign relations of the United States," according to U.S. law. Such a gift, assuming it is "tangible," may be accepted and must be handed over to become property of the U.S. government.

Those accepted gifts must be disclosed, and the State Department released a list of gifts from foreign officials earlier this week.

[dfwgator]

[Pajamajan]

But “10% for the big guy” no problem. 🙄

[scrabblehack]

Oh, I agree. I’m not sure whose decision it was to publish the names of the donors - Congress, or some official at DoD or State or CIA? I don’t know, but it strikes me as a poor decision.

It’s good that the recipient is anonymized somewhat (the President for instance is not) but I would think if you’re close to the situation you’d know who the recipient actually was.

[Right Wing Vegan]

Lolz