Fired CIA agent seeks FBI probe of WMD intelligence

Reuters ^ | 8-1-05

[STARWISE]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fired CIA agent, who a newspaper says told superiors in 2001 that Iraq had abandoned part of its nuclear program, is asking the FBI to investigate allegations that the spy agency dismissed him for refusing to falsify intelligence.

A July 11 letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller from the former agent's attorney suggests CIA officials may be guilty of criminal violations involving intelligence he produced on weapons of mass destruction in 2000 that contradicted an official agency position.

The former agent's attorney, Roy Krieger, said his client initially asked the CIA's inspector general to investigate charges that CIA officials had pressured him to alter the intelligence and retaliated when he refused. But the inspector general rebuffed his request.

"If the CIA is telling him to falsify information, that's potentially a crime. This merits an investigation, and if the CIA's not going to do it, the only other place is the FBI," Krieger said.

An FBI spokesman declined to comment.

The letter to Mueller, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Monday, reiterates charges in a lawsuit which the former agent filed last December in Washington federal court.

Identified only by the alias "Doe," the former agent who worked as a Near Eastern specialist on counter-proliferation issues accuses the CIA of improper action on two separate pieces of intelligence.

One was the WMD intelligence the former agent says he was asked to change in 2000. The other was intelligence uncovered in 2001 that the New York Times described on Monday as dealing with Iraq's nuclear program.

[STARWISE]

Does the FBI actually investigate the CIA??

More evidence of the turf war and enmity between the FBI and CIA ....they're so averse to working together to protect our/their own country... staggering.

[STARWISE]

PING!

former agent who worked as a Near Eastern specialist on counter-proliferation issues

Was this Plame's department?

[Enchante]

"One was the WMD intelligence the former agent says he was asked to change in 2000"

It will be interesting to see whether there's anything to this (if the public ever gets to know), but judging from the Wilson/Plame/Larry Johnson/Ray McGovern types who have been on a crusade, it's more likely the agent was one of that crowd and is squeezing more sour grapes. Note that the date of the first issue is 2000, when the Stainmeister was still president, so watch how the presstitutes will write all their stories as though this is something the BUSH administration did to a poor downtrodden whistleblower...... Still, I suspect that a lot of debates within the intel community can be grossly distorted, e.g., any piece of intel that might SEEM to indicate Iraq had abandoned its nuclear or other WMD program might also be seen as disinformation from the Iraqi regime. Let's remember (the media won't) that Saddam and his cronies learned from KGB masters of disinformation, so any CIA analyst who too easily regards as credible a piece of intel which tells a story Saddam wants told may be a dupe......

[dila813]

Thank God he was fired

[STARWISE]

Crazy thought: it's almost like they're giving Sadaam
pointers for his trial!! "See? I didn't have no WMD."

[piasa]

Here we go again...

[okie01]

The CIA counter-proliferation nexus grows.

[Straight Vermonter]

Why? You'd prefer the President continue to get the same lousy info that the CIA has spewed forth for at least 10 years?

[piasa]

Plame worked for Alan Foley who headed WINPAC- aka "Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation, and Arms Control" center.

[stinkerpot65]

Just another bitter Clinton crony looking for a job.

[STARWISE]

If they're in fact two different people, Krieger represents Berntsen in his suit as well:

Former CIA Officer Sues to Publish Book Detailing Osama Bin Laden's Escape

Why don't the unhappy/fired CIA agents just start a class action suit? At the rate these are happening, Mr. Krieger's gonna have a full reception room as Porter Goss sweeps out the bad seeds.

[STARWISE]

Different dept. than Plame?

[Lancey Howard]

Note that the date of the first issue is 2000, when the Stainmeister was still president

Yep. The New York Times will surely never connect those dots for public consumption.

[piasa]

Plame would be in a subdepartment of Foley's- he was the boss of about 500 people. I don't know the name of her department but I think Novak mentioned it in his initial "controversial" article.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I sure am glad that we have Porter Goss in there fumigating the CIA. It appears to have been heavily infested with 'RATS.

[Lancey Howard]

It would be helpful to know if the 2001 incident occurred prior to 9/11. Anyways, I still disagree with the Bill Mahr poistion that when the terrorists actuually nuke New York City, THEN we should go after them.

[maestro]

....paperwork is busy work......making good....'paper dolls'.....take lots of time......

/copy 'machines'.....brought the 'Wall' down.......$$$$$$....???

....too much paperwork.....for me,....good night.

:-(

[Fedora]

Identified only by the alias "Doe," the former agent who worked as a Near Eastern specialist on counter-proliferation issues accuses the CIA of improper action on two separate pieces of intelligence.

I wonder if that means he was in the same Near Eastern office as Baer et al or in the same Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation, and Arms Control Center (Winpac) office as Foley. I'm thinking the latter from the description, but I'm not sure on that.

[bayourod]

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fired CIA agent, who a newspaper says told "

WHOM! Not who. Even in the swamps we know the difference between who and whom.