Posted on 02/07/2006 6:34:17 AM PST by digger48
Director Launches Investigation Into Who Gave Sensitive Information To The Media.
Feb 7, 2006 — The director of the CIA has launched a major internal probe into media leaks about covert operations. In an agencywide e-mail, Porter Goss blamed "a very small number of people" for leaks about secret CIA operations that, in his words, "do damage to the credibility of the agency."
According to people familiar with the Goss e-mail, sent in late January and classified secret, the CIA director warned that any CIA officer deemed suspect by the agency's Office of Security and its Counter Intelligence Center (which handles internal affairs) could be subjected to an unscheduled lie detector test. CIA personnel are subjected to polygraphs at regular intervals in their careers, but one former intelligence officer called the new warning a "witch hunt." Others said Goss' e-mail was narrowly focused and did not suggest agencywide, random lie detector tests.
"It would make no sense at all to give everyone here a lie detector test," said one person who knew about the e-mail.
Goss told CIA employees there were ways other than talking to the news media to resolve any issues they had with classified CIA operations.
The memo informs its recipients that the CIA has asked the Justice Department to prosecute any leakers within its ranks. This comes in connection with recent news reports that detailed the CIA's operation of secret prisons in Europe and its far-flung flights of suspected terrorists to foreign prisons.
Crime reports from the CIA are sent to the FBI and the Department of Justice, and constitute a statement that the CIA believes a crime has been committed.
Current and former employees say there have been only a handful of such agencywide memos in recent years. One dealt with sexual harassment in the workplace and another with the embezzlement of agency money.
Goss confirmed the general outline of the leak probe in his appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Feb. 2.
"We also have an investigation of finding out what leakage, if any, is coming out of that building," he said, referring to CIA headquarters. "And I'm afraid there is some coming out. I also believe that there has been an erosion of the culture of secrecy. And we're trying to reinstill that."
CIA officers are given lie detector tests when they formally become candidates, upon completion of their probation, and then at five-year intervals throughout their careers.
CIA officers also agree to undergo "aperiodic" lie detector tests if requested.
Goss told the Intelligence Committee that "on the external side, I've called in the FBI, the Department of Justice. It is my aim, and it is my hope, that we will witness a grand jury investigation with reporters present being asked to reveal who is leaking this information."
It might be a witch hunt, due mainly to the existence of some malicious witches...
Correct ... could be one, the other, or both Johnson and McGovern.
That's the phrase that also caught my eye. It says more than the 'ABC' idiots intended. The story is out because of another obvious leak and ABC is the recipient. Now they're going to be under the microscope.
You wonder whether anyone at ABC asked the obvious question: "Do we really want to subject ourselves to a leak investigation by the CIA/DOJ"? Nah, not those dunderheads!
Going after the Plame leaker is a "witch hunt." Otherwise, Dimmycraps wouldn't support it. Bringing down who exposed the monitoring program is another issue. That was a national security problem.
My money is on Rockefeller considering the "plan" he had outlined in a memo to get the GOP and the NSA memo addressing this issue that he "conveniently" had in his safe when this broke.
The NSA leak is not as likely to come out of CIA, as are leaks of CIA programs.
This comes in connection with recent news reports that detailed the CIA's operation of secret prisons in Europe and its far-flung flights of suspected terrorists to foreign prisons.Short leak catalog:
The only way to keep prisons and rendition programs secret is to dispose of people caught up in them.
Wonder if a search will find anything on line linking "Witch hunt" and Plame in the same sentence?
FWIW, that might be useful information too. After all, only terrorists would curtail their cell phone usage in response to that story. Find out who had the "now quiet" lines, and you have some terrorists.
I missed that. Seriously, are YOU serious or are you being sarcastic?
If this is true, I think it is WAY overdue -- i.e. ABOUT TIME.
Nice .. Brian Ross immediately parrots the comments of a potential traitor.
Which of either the VIPS (Larry Johnson) or those amid the packs of disgruntled, removed and arrogant old operatives is leaking still?
and the Libby pursuit is not a witchunt at all. noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Well, they've already trotted out the "witch hunt" meme. Next thing you know, we'll have the traitors hailed as "whistleblowers" - another favorite of the Leftmedia.
Limbaugh mentioning this now.
When there are real witches, lets hunt them down.
I am dead serious. A Washington insider (I can't remember his name) was on the John Batchelor Show on WABC Radio a few nights ago discussing this very subject. The investigation has turned to Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). Democrats Levin, Reid and Leahy have all been known to leak occasionally as well.
Witch hunt, no more so than the Plame leak.
Radio not accessible ... if you can, what did Rush mention about this ... the old retired partisan rogues, etc?
What phony headline. Instead of making the headline the fact: "Director Launches Internal Investigation Into Who Gave Sensitive Information to the Media", they put their own editorial comment as the title, and use the fact only as a secondary title. And they wonder why people don't trust the MSM.
Last real witch hunt ended with burning them alive, in this case one could only hope.
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