CIA vs CIA: DCI Hayden investigates the agency’s Inspector General
posted at 8:45 am on October 13, 2007 by Bryan
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I know we have some former spooks in the readership here. Would any of you care to comment on this?
CIA Director Michael Hayden has mounted a highly unusual challenge to his agency’s chief watchdog, ordering an internal investigation of an inspector general who has issued a series of reports sharply critical of top CIA officials, according to government officials familiar with the matter.
The move has prompted concerns that Hayden is seeking to rein in an inspector general who has used the office to bring harsh scrutiny upon CIA figures from former Director George Tenet to undercover operatives running secret overseas prison sites.
The investigation is focused on the conduct of CIA Inspector General John Helgerson and his office, particularly whether they were fair and impartial in their scrutiny of the agency’s terrorist detention and interrogation programs.
Officials said that the investigation also will span other subjects and that it already has expanded since its start months ago.
U.S. intelligence officials concerned about the inquiry said it is unprecedented and could threaten the independence of the inspector general position. The investigation “could at least lead to appearances he’s trying to interfere with the IG, or intimidate the IG, or get the IG to back off,” one U.S. official familiar with the investigation said.
Frederick Hitz, who served as the CIA’s inspector general from 1990 to 1998, said the move will be perceived as an attempt by Hayden “to call off the dogs.”
“What it would lead to is an undercutting of the inspector general’s authority and his ability to investigate allegations of wrongdoing,” Hitz said. “The rank and file will become aware of it, and it will undercut the inspector general’s ability to get the truth from them.”
My impression when Porter Goss became the DCI was that he was being brought in to clean out the agents who were leaking sensitive programs and secrets to the press. Goss left shortly thereafter, signaling (at least in my mind anyway) that he’d lost that battle. Hayden may have been brought in to do similar work, but the last time we heard from him, he was publicly slamming the CIA’s IG for criticizing former DCI George Tenet and others for all kinds of malfeasance before 9-11. And now we learn that he’s actually investigating the IG and has been for months. Strange.
The LAT story spins it as Hayden going after Helgerson because the latter vocally opposed the CIA’s overseas terrorist prisons and so forth, but there’s no public record of that. The only public record is of Helgerson tacking up some very legitimate criticisms of Tenet and his inner circle for essentially being too soft on terrorism. So just what is Hayden up to?
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By that, I assume you mean the SF Chronicle, unless there’s another article you forgot to link in your post.
I had some experience of Hayden’s tenure at No Such Agency, and he was held in pretty high regard there by the rank and file. He did a lot to change how things worked there, generally for the better.
This story sounds a bit strange, though. An independent IG function seems the kind of thing Hayden would support and not muck about with. Must be more here than meets the eye.
flipflop on October 13, 2007 at 9:15 AM
What a waste of time. All this investigation will do is create fodder for that terrorist sympathizer Keith Olbermann.
SoulGlo on October 13, 2007 at 9:18 AM
The only why to clean up this mess called the CIA is to hand out pink slips to everyone all the way down to the cleaning staff. Empty out the building and start over, till that becomes so corrupt and inept that it’s ineffective. Which seems to be about five years.
lowandslow on October 13, 2007 at 9:35 AM
Hmmm. Okay, I’ll stick my neck out and speculate (and no I’m not a spook).
Mary McCarthy, if you recall, worked for the IG office, and she has admitted being a leaker to the media. If I remember correctly, the story she leaked was the foreign CIA detention centers, and was later fired for it.
I wonder if Pinch and Kellor are starting to sweat awaiting announcement of a long deserved “true bill” from the grand jury?
I wonder if something is about to come about as a result of the “fruits” of McCarthy’s cooperation.
This could be very interesting….
georgej on October 13, 2007 at 9:38 AM
Who will inspect the inspectors?
frankj on October 13, 2007 at 9:46 AM
Inspector Clouseau.
flipflop on October 13, 2007 at 9:56 AM
I doubt he’d be fool enough to mess with a legitimate IG and the press over nothing. I say we let him investigate and see what he finds… I’d bet Hayden’s hot on something.
Rugged Individual on October 13, 2007 at 10:06 AM
Look at the byline in the story:
Bryan on October 13, 2007 at 10:11 AM
Pure speculation on my part, but if there is a Fitzgeraldesque attitude in the IG, he would be doing us all a favor by nipping it in the bud.
bbz123 on October 13, 2007 at 10:12 AM
Let me put it this way fellas, Valerie Plame wasn’t the only person in the CIA who thought it was their job to determine US policy. And to do so at what ever the cost up to and including betraying the POTUS.
doriangrey on October 13, 2007 at 10:21 AM
I stand corrected. I guess all the Chronicle’s reporters were busy
coveringattending the latest SF street festival.flipflop on October 13, 2007 at 10:25 AM
Whatever it takes to keep the place from leaking like a sieve…
thegreatbeast on October 13, 2007 at 10:29 AM
There is a lot more to this than meets the eye. As for pink slipping the whole place, it probably makes more sense to find the traitors and deal with them.
The means are available.
dogsoldier on October 13, 2007 at 10:33 AM
Good point about Mary McCarthy. But wasn’t that leak directed at Dana Priest at WaPo, or am I confusing these
exercises in free presstreasonous events?Dana Priest whose husband, Goodfellow, is a really bad fellow.
Buy Danish on October 13, 2007 at 10:36 AM
The only secret the CIA has managed to keep is that of it’s incredible incompetence.
pat on October 13, 2007 at 10:44 AM
One of the problems of any IG program is that they have to be given access to your entire organization… total access.
They also do not have the working “context” of what you are doing.
Lets face it, the CIA is working in grey areas of law enforcment… an overzelous IG whose staff then LEAKS information to the Press, is one of the worst things we could have.
The Fact that the IG had gone back and hired Mary McCarthy t come back to the CIA, to investigate, tells me a lot about the Political climate of the IG office… which could be why the investigation is happening.
Romeo13 on October 13, 2007 at 10:45 AM
The mass firings should have started on 9/12/2001. Staring at the top.
FBI, too.
Only inertia and a fear of what the resentful would then release prevented such a necessary example.
Clean house quietly, but clean the mess.
And bring in those who are honorable enough, at least, to quit in shame should their work fail to prevent a 9/11.
profitsbeard on October 13, 2007 at 10:56 AM
Where was this news?
danking70 on October 13, 2007 at 11:47 AM
I can say one thing. When I see a bunch of headlines like this:
Then it means Hayden doing the right thing and probably has ample evidence of a cancer in the IG.
Topsecretk9 on October 13, 2007 at 11:50 AM
Danking, I think they are referring to McCarthy being rehired BEFORE she failed her polygraph and then resigned/fired.
She used to work at CIA, then State, then went civilian and then was rehired at CIA at time of polygraph failing.
Topsecretk9 on October 13, 2007 at 11:53 AM
Thanks Top.
danking70 on October 13, 2007 at 12:00 PM
It appears that Bush is continuing his effort to clean up the mess left behind by the Clinton’s, and their friends, while the leftist inside of government, and their friends in the media are attempting to protect their embedded agents.
Another reason why another Clinton presidency would be a disaster for this country. Can you imagine the CIA/NSA/DIA/FBI, (or the Federal Reserve), being run by Code Pink?
rockhauler on October 13, 2007 at 12:35 PM
Hayden is doing the right thing. Years of abuse during the Klinton regime has lead to much discord within the agency. It’s time to sweep away the partisans within the IG’s office and empower people who love our country more than their political party.
Zorro on October 13, 2007 at 12:46 PM
Petty partisan politics are killing us.
reaganaut on October 13, 2007 at 1:25 PM
I had the pleasure of meeting Gen. Hayden a few years ago. He is a very sharp man, and I never had any complaints about him. I do remember him being a very good DirNSA, and I always joked that he reminded me of Red Foreman from that 70’s show (that actor plays military guys too).
Long ramble slightly shorter: I trust the guy. But I don’t trust the CIA…
the goddess anna on October 13, 2007 at 1:40 PM
Without quarreling too much, the CIA’s function should never be for us to trust it. It s/b to do the job it’s supposed to do, and without the media or us knowing about it. That’s why they are the C.I.A.
Entelechy on October 13, 2007 at 2:12 PM
the goddess, we might be on the same wavelength, upon further reflection.
Entelechy on October 13, 2007 at 2:14 PM
Great point! the goddess anna too. It is past time Bush’s marbles dropped and he cleaned up all these leakers! After all, they are violating protocol and their oath, and breaking the law by circumventing the chain of command and leaking to the press anything they might disagree with, or worse yet, for the money.
I think it is great that investigators are being investigated. Look at the 9-11 commission and other federal committees that ignored reports, testimonies, and evidence that could point more fingers at the Clinton Admin., Media Matters and others claiming to be “watch-dog” groups, etc.. they are all showing signs of being corrupt or biased. So who is watching them to keep them in line?
Our country is in a sad state when our watch-dog groups need to be watched. They sound more like Iran and Venezuala’s supposed watchdog groups than actual seekers of truth.
El Guapo on October 13, 2007 at 4:14 PM
I guess I have to quibble with this. We should be able to trust any gov’t agency implicitly, without having to worry about whether elements within are actively working to undermine national interests.
flipflop on October 13, 2007 at 4:56 PM
Will our hero finally uncover the shadow government?
Will he?
Kini on October 13, 2007 at 5:11 PM
flipflop, with this I agree 100%. As I followed up at 2:14 PM, after reflecting more upon the goddess’ statement, I realized that we were thinking alike. I was talking at first about a different trust (like not trusting what they do in their endeavours, which shouldn’t be our business). Of course they should keep it all secret, or get out, or not get in at first.
Entelechy on October 13, 2007 at 8:39 PM
Umm. What PLANET are you living on? Bush has NEVER made ANY effort to “clean up” anything left behind by the Clintons. He never pressed charges when the Clinton White House staff trashed/vandalized the White House immediately before vacating it. He left in place ALL KINDS of Clinton appointees at DOJ and State. He left Tenant in charge at the CIA upon assuming office; he STILL left him (and the CAIR-ophile FBI-Director Robert Mueller) in place following 911. Just for good measure — and to let his base know where he REALLY stands — Bush declared Bill Clinton his “third brother.”
sanantonian on October 14, 2007 at 12:12 AM
the distrust of the CIA … I repaste the headlnes
If “lawmakers’ are concerned of CIA oversight of oversight? Um….it only means they KNOW what problems it means for THEM!
It means that Congressional Oversight has problems and CIA people played politics and weren’t punished,
Topsecretk9 on October 14, 2007 at 3:38 AM
Your only investigate the IG because they are finding embarrassing facts that show a lack of leadership and trust in the Agency heads or the Staffers for Life. Who’s next?
MSGTAS on October 14, 2007 at 10:18 AM
Entelechy, to get back to you (sorry, anniversary yesterday, never got back to the computer), I know that the intel agencies are vital to this nation’s defense. I’ve been there and done that, and miss it greatly. So I do trust their original purpose. I just feel that in the past few years, the trustworthyness of the actual people has slipped, to the point that I think integrity and national security are being comprimised.
Of course, in God we trust, all others we monitor. There must be inspections of the inspectors.
the goddess anna on October 14, 2007 at 11:42 AM
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