Former CIA agents tell RNC to shut up

[Perlstein]

AN OPEN STATEMENT TO THE LEADERS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE.

The Honorable Dennis Hastert, Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Dr. William Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate

The Honorable Harry Reid, Minority Leader of the Senate

We, the undersigned former U.S. intelligence officers are concerned with the tone and substance of the public debate over the ongoing Department of Justice investigation into who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, wife of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak and other members of the media, which exposed her status as an undercover CIA officer. The disclosure of Ms. Plame?s name was a shameful event in American history and, in our professional judgment, may have damaged U.S. national security and poses a threat to the ability of U.S. intelligence gathering using human sources. Any breach of the code of confidentiality and cover weakens the overall fabric of intelligence, and, directly or indirectly, jeopardizes the work and safety of intelligence workers and their sources.

The Republican National Committee has circulated talking points to supporters to use as part of a coordinated strategy to discredit Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife. As part of this campaign a common theme is the idea that Ambassador Wilson?s wife, Valerie Plame was not undercover and deserved no protection. The following are four recent examples of this ?talking point?:

Michael Medved stated on Larry King Live on July 12, 2005, ?And let's be honest about this. Mrs. Plame, Mrs. Wilson, had a desk job at Langley. She went back and forth every single day.?

Victoria Toensing stated on a Fox News program with John Gibson on July 12, 2005 that, ?Well, they weren't taking affirmative measures to protect that identity. They gave her a desk job in Langley. You don't really have somebody deep undercover going back and forth to Langley, where people can see them.?

Ed Rodgers, Washington Lobbyist and former Republican official, said on July 13, 2005 on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, ?And also I think it is now a matter of established fact that Mrs. Plame was not a protected covert agent, and I don't think there's any meaningful investigation about that.?

House majority whip Roy Blunt (R, Mo), on Face the Nation, July 17, 2005, ?It certainly wouldn't be the first time that the CIA might have been overzealous in sort of maintaining the kind of top-secret definition on things longer than they needed to. You know, this was a job that the ambassador's wife had that she went to every day. It was a desk job. I think many people in Washington understood that her employment was at the CIA, and she went to that office every day.?

These comments reveal an astonishing ignorance of the intelligence community and the role of cover. The fact is that there are thousands of U.S. intelligence officers who ?work at a desk? in the Washington, D.C. area every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and some have non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be protected.

While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused himself, we believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a deeply discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to work undercover for their nation?s security.

We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act. However, we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover status and that our nation?s leaders, regardless of political party, have a duty to protect all intelligence officers. We believe it is appropriate for the President to move proactively to dismiss from office or administratively punish any official who participated in any way in revealing Valerie Plame's status. Such an act by the President would send an unambiguous message that leaks of this nature will not be tolerated and would be consistent with his duties as the Commander-in-Chief.

We also believe it is important that Congress speak with one non-partisan voice on this issue. Intelligence officers should not be used as political footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor. We stand in her stead and ask that Republicans and Democrats honor her service to her country and stop the campaign of disparagement and innuendo aimed at discrediting Mrs. Wilson and her husband.

Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the intelligence, which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist attacks against Americans at home and abroad. They sometimes face great personal risk and must spend long hours away from family and friends.

They serve because they love this country and are committed to protecting it from threats from abroad and to defending the principles of liberty and freedom. They do not expect public acknowledgement for their work, but they do expect and deserve their government?s protection of their covert status.

For the good of our country, we ask you to please stand up for every man and woman who works for the U.S. intelligence community and help protect their ability to live their cover.

Larry Johnson

JOINED BY:

Mr. Brent Cavan, former Analyst, CIA

Mr. Vince Cannistraro, former Case Officer, CIA

Mr. Michael Grimaldi, former Analyst, CIA

Mr. Mel Goodman, former senior Analyst, CIA

Col. W. Patrick Lang (US Army retired), former Director, Defense Humint Services, DIA

Mr. David MacMichael, former senior estimates officer, National Intelligence Council, CIA

Mr. James Marcinkowski, former Case Officer, CIA

Mr. Ray McGovern, former senior Analyst and PDB Briefer, CIA

Mr. Jim Smith, former Case Officer, CIA

Mr. William C. Wagner, former Case Officer, CIA

Note, the undersigned are from both the CIA's Directorate of Operations and Directorate of Intelligence.

[Alia]

Thank you for posting this article.

As for the failed CIA spooks who are now living in fear of losing their perks, one can only imagine the steam blowing from their ears, as the day of reckoning draws closer.

Yep. 'Bout time, too.

[Dilbert56]

When the Plame controversy first hit Larry Johnson said he'd worked with her for three decades. She was 42 at the time. He may have meant in three different decades but he couldn't help exaggerating to the point of lying.

[Labyrinthos]

Nothing to see here. Move along.

I think you mean, "MoveOn."

[Alia]

This thread, and then this post #70.

[Not A Snowbird]

I'm glad none of my CIA friends are on that list. Oops, I can't say I have CIA friends. Well, I guess I can if I just refer to them as "You-Know-Who-1" and "You-Know-Who-2", right?

[popdonnelly]

This is an excellent article which points out an important aspect of the Plame-Rove story: that there are CIA employees who have a reason to fear/hate President Bush. Required reading.

[NathanBookman]

"formers"...also known as disgruntled ex-employees. Funny thing is, one Fax last weekend they interviewed Jack Welch about the Rove situation. Welch said he would not fire Rove. There is no proof of any wrong doing and to wait until the investigation is ongoing. Welch said while he headed up GE, there were many claims by disgruntled employees...99% of which turned out to be false. Unlike the libs, Welch seems to believe in innocent until proven guilty.

[Sam Hill]

CANNISTRARO, VINCENT MR.
DOVER, MA 02030
JC CANNISTRARO INC./VICE-PRESIDEN

BRADLEY, BILL     VIA BILL BRADLEY FOR PRESIDENT INC
	12/04/1999	500.00	20990030277

[Sam Hill]

"Mr. Ray McGovern, former senior Analyst and PDB Briefer, CIA"

BTW, Google Ray McGovern. He is practically a commie. And a round-heeled media whore.

Google Search: Ray McGovern
http://tinyurl.com/b2ua7

[Matchett-PI]

You're welcome.

[Matchett-PI]

You're welcome. Bush is just a "dumb cowboy". Hahahaha

[TASMANIANRED]

I suspect all of them worked on the secret diversity quilt.

[Alia]

hahahaha! back atcha! The "ego party" (Lib-Dems) are so invested in their egos, I guess they just never understood the Zen saying of: Never laugh at a dancing monkey. lol

[Matchett-PI]

"This is an excellent article which points out an important aspect of the Plame-Rove story: that there are CIA employees who have a reason to fear/hate President Bush. Required reading."

Yes it is required reading. I've sent it out to everyone I know and asked them to pass it on. It is what is "really going on" behind the scenes.

The DemocRATS are cornered and they know it. And since a RAT is a RAT --- just like SNAKES are SNAKES --- we shouldn't be surprised to see them acting acording to their nature. They're QUITE predictible.

[Semper Paratus]

Boy howdy, these folks did a fine job warning us about 9-11

Not to mention the viability of the Soviet Union and the Shah of Iran.

[savedbygrace]

I'm adjusting my opinion slightly about this whole thing. Before, I said that someone at State leaked the info. Now I see that originally someone at CIA leaked to a comrade at State who then leaked to Miller and Novak.

And I don't use the word comrade loosely.

[wildbill]

If revealing oneself as a former covert agent is dangerous, either to 'methods and practices' or to prior underconver contacts, then these former agents are doing exactly what they accuse Rove of doing.

If their next response to that is: "We used cover names so we can't be identified by that", then no doubt Valerie Plame didn't use her real name either.

[wildbill]

Larry Johnston has revealed himself as a 'friend' of Valerie Plame because they were in the same intake training group of CIA agents.

Since they were both free and single at the time, one wonders if their friendship has been more than casual.

[Enterprise]

The fact that they haven't submitted such a letter, and probably never will, seals the deal on who these jackasses really are, and who they support.

[cwb]

Larry Johnson has been leading the campaign against Bush from the moment this started. He's a favorite of the Left-wing hag, Amy Goodman, and her outfit at Democracy Now. I take anything with his name on it as nothing more than a partisan attack.

If these former agents were sincere, they would be excoriating themselves...and especially Mrs. Plame, for their failures over the last decade WRT to Iraq and WMDs. Hell, these people didn't know that India and Pakistan had nukes before they detonated them for the world to see.

This reminds me of the former "Dep't of State" employees who wrote a letter chastizing Bush shortly before the 2004 election. Thanks to the Democrats, this has become a new standard in Washington...were so-called career agency people (even those within the Executive Branch) have become politicized. This is an extemely dangerous precedent that the Democrats have set.