CIA director Gina Haspel has managed to avoid alienating President Trump, even as he turns his wrath on former director John Brennan and the still-anonymous CIA whistleblower who called attention to Trump’s Ukraine deals. But Haspel crossed Trump during his bid to enlist the Ukaine government in his 2020 reelection campaign, the Daily Beast reports....
Category: United States
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Lament of a CIA Whistleblower
Background to the story of the CIA whistleblower who jump-started the impeachment of President Trump. Patrick Eddington, a former CIA imagery analyst turned Cato Institute pundit, writes about the ill-named Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act. He says it actually harms people inside the CIA and other intelligence agencies who want to expose, waste fraud, or...
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Whistleblowers, Good and Bad
An open letter from more than 100 former national security officials applauds the “responsible whistleblower” who came forward with information about President Trump’s Ukraine dealings. While the identity of the whistleblower is unknown, “we do know that he or she is an employee of the U.S. Government,” the signatories say. “As such, he or she...
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Trump Relationship with CIA Sinks to New Low
The Washington Examiner is generally pro-Trump in its coverage but this report from White House correspondent Rob Crilly conveys the dismay widely felt in the intelligence service about the president’s recent actions. Kevin Carroll, a former CIA case officer, said, “It’s a very troubled relationship. Trump got it off to a terrible start with comments...
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The Dangers of a Trump Loyalist as Director of National Intelligence
Last week’s appearance of Joseph Maguire, the acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI), highlighted the importance of an obscure position. Maguire deferred to the Trump Justice Department’s tortured argument for withholding a whistleblower’s complaint from Congress but insisted he was following the law, not covering up. Democrats were unconvinced. Trump ousted the previous DNI, Dan...