Posted on 12/21/2009 8:48:46 AM PST by mnehring
A newly publicized portion of former Central Intelligence Agency agent and Republican primary candidate Chuck Wilson’s résumé reads like, well, a spy novel.
Wilson, who now works as a residential developer and is one of six Republicans hoping to unseat U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, put out a news release through his campaign office Wednesday afternoon disclosing his role in the 1994 takedown of alleged terrorist mastermind Carlos the Jackal.
The release, which was vetted by the CIA’s Publications Review Board, states that Wilson was a CIA deputy station chief in Africa, where Carlos, born Ilich Sanchez Ramirez in Venezuela, was caught with the help of American intelligence.
The statement also notes Wilson’s unit received the Presidential Unit Citation and Human Intelligence Collector of the Year award in 1994 for its role in Ramirez’s capture.
“Part of the qualification for the clandestine service is that you’re supposed to serve silently,” Wilson said in a phone interview. “It was a hard thing for me to do, to say, ‘People need to know this about me, and it’s relevant to the campaign.’ ”
Wilson said he couldn’t elaborate beyond what was in his campaign’s release, the upshot of which is that he led the CIA unit involved in the capture.
Ramirez gained notoriety after abducting 11 oil ministers at a December 1975 Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries conference in Vienna, Austria.
The 60-year-old is serving a life sentence in Paris’ La Sante Prison for killing two French police officers. He also has been implicated in terrorist attacks across Europe, including several deadly bombings in France.
While in prison, Ramirez converted to Islam, and in 2003 he published a book that praised Osama bin Laden and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Last week, Ramirez became a hot topic again when leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez defended him as a revolutionary.
Wilson said he first crossed paths with Ramirez during a chance encounter before his office started keeping tabs on him or Wilson even knew what Ramirez looked like.
“I actually met him on a dance floor at a Christmas Eve party about 90 days before we found him,” Wilson said. “He was dancing with a Sudanese woman that someone wanted me to meet.”
“When I saw the picture of him later, I went, ‘Holy moley, I met this guy.’ ”
Ramirez was captured in a hospital room in Khartoum, Sudan, in 1994 by French agents who were tipped off by the CIA to his whereabouts, according to news accounts of the seizure. Sudan’s government had agreed to hand him over to France, which secreted him off into a jet wearing a burlap sack and flew him to Paris.
Wilson left the CIA in 1994, the year of Ramirez’s capture, after he was selected to be the deputy branch chief in the Counter-Terrorism Center in Washington, according to the campaign’s release. Wilson moved to Waco, his childhood home, where he ran Lake Air Interiors for a decade before getting into residential development. Since last year, Wilson also has worked as a salesman for NutriSource Pet Foods.
Wilson said the danger of revealing his involvement in the capture of Ramirez is that the dramatic story could drown out his campaign’s economic positions.
Wilson said that in a few instances when he’s recounted at private events his role in nabbing the infamous alleged terrorist, listeners’ jaws have dropped, which he said is unfortunate.
“It gets in the way of talking about more important things, and what’s really more important is the taxing and the spending and the assault on freedom in all this legislation that’s pending in Congress,” he said.
“National security’s important, but it’ll be a little bit of a struggle for me to get heard on the economic issues, and that’s where I really have just as much experience and knowledge, and that’s going to be more important to the election going forward,” Wilson said.
later read...sounds great...
any relation to Charlie Wilson?
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Chuck Wilson (R)TX-17 & Charlie Wilson (D)TX-2
These Texas Congressmen seem to cut their teeth on fighting Russkies and terrorists.
I like it.
ping
Interesting. Marxist turned Mulim. The other way around from The One.
Wilson said that in a few instances when he’s recounted at private events his role in nabbing the infamous alleged terrorist, listeners’ jaws have dropped, which he said is unfortunate.
“It gets in the way of talking about more important things, and what’s really more important is the taxing and the spending and the assault on freedom in all this legislation that’s pending in Congress,” he said.
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Uh...then why’d you mention it to begin with? Sorry, this is a self-serving statement designed to make him look like he’s worried about capitalizing on the notoriety while capitalizing on the notoriety.
It’s called “the silent service” for a reason.
Colonel, USAFR
We don’t know the circumstances behind the ‘private events’ and the conversations so it is hard to judge. It may have been with fellow officers who then leaked, it may have been an event specifically around this (reunion, award ceremony, etc).
My statement was pointed more toward the fact that it appears his campaign released a statement confirming his role, yet he’s saying he’s worried it’ll overshadow his other views. I’ve heard lots of impressive things that were never designed to be released to the public. We talk to each other, but classified information is not to be used for public gain.
Colonel, USAFR
I would vote for anyone who uses the words Holy Molie. Sounds like a good Conservative—we need more to run for office.
Good point. I know Chuck and he isn’t a self serving type of guy so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. It is something, especially as the CIA did release the information with his name, and such a high profile character, that it would be doubtful it wouldn’t come up in conversation.
Well, ya got me there...and I agree: I’d rather see people who’ve seen the Beast firsthand in charge of protecting the Republic.
Colonel, USAFR
As I mentioned to FTLB, I like his credentials - I’d rather see people who’ve seen the Beast firsthand in charge of protecting the Republic. And there’s always the possibility that (gasp) the story’s not entirely accurate as to where the information came from.
Colonel, USAFR
We must run War Heroes or at least Vets for office. People who have proven themselves in the heat of combat. We should find people to run from the ranks of Fighter Pilots, Naval Captains, Marines, not just Lawyers.
Chet needs to go. Looks like maybe this guy could take him out.
Chet Edwards (TX) gets a challenger.
Wilson appears to be the most interesting challenger running right now. Also running is the small businessman who did well in 2008.
The rest appear to be third tier.
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