“And I don’t mean to judge them at all, but this group of millennials and related groups simply have different understandings of the words loyalty, secrecy, and transparency than certainly my generation did.”

Former CIA Boss Michael Hayden

Former CIA Boss Michael Hayden

Former CIA Boss Michael Hayden’s theory about VAULT 7-WikiLeaks  doesn’t hold water. Yet, the story is interesting and perhaps quite revealing. Indeed, it would seem that the good General has ‘leaked’ FOUR classified pieces of information in just a few words. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

The former head of the CIA Michael Hayden came up with an explanation for how thousands of secret documents ended up in the hands of WikiLeaks.

The files were released this week, showing how the agency hacks smartphones and TVs and is interested in hacking cars and trucks.

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Michael Hayden says these documents may have been leaked by insiders, most likely young CIA recruits, from the generation known as millennials.

RELATED POST: Former CIA Boss Michael Hayden: ‘Millennials don’t understand loyalty and secrecy’

Michael Hayden specifically cited whistleblowers Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden and speculated that whoever recently gave the CIA spy tool files to WikiLeaks was also likely a millennial.

“In order to do this kind of stuff [referring to government surveillance], we have to recruit from a certain demographic.”

“And I don’t mean to judge them at all, but this group of millennials and related groups simply have different understandings of the words loyalty, secrecy, and transparency than certainly my generation did.”

“Culturally, they have different instincts than people who made the decision to hire them.”

Hayden’s theory doesn’t hold water

Prior to the Obama administration, there had been only three known cases resulting in indictments in which the Espionage Act was used to prosecute government officials for leaks. (Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo 1971, Samuel Morison 1985 and Lawrence Franklin 2005. There is a similar case dating from 1945.)

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The Obama Administration added seven cases to the list: Thomas Drake, Shamai Leibowitz, Chelsea Manning, Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, Jeffrey Sterling, John Kiriakou, and Edward Snowden.

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Daniel Ellsberg was 40 when he leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press in 1971, exposing widespread government deceit about the Vietnam War. Samuel Morison was also 40 when he passed US satellite pictures to a British Defense magazine in 1984. Lawrence Franklin was over 50 when he began passing classified military information to two pro-Israel lobbyists and an Israeli diplomat in 1999.

Now, it is true that Manning and Snowden are millennials. BUT, these two individuals are the exception — rather than the rule — in term of their age at the time of the leak!

The other five whisteblowers — Thomas Drake, Shamai Leibowitz, Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, Jeffrey Sterling, and John Kiriakou — indicted during the Obama’s Presidency were all in their early forties at the time of the events that led to an indictment against them. [NOTE: Jeffrey Sterling denies the charges against him and a court is currently reviewing his conviction.]

RELATED POST: Former CIA Jeffrey Sterling: Appeals Court Expected to Rule Soon

Analysis

From a statistical point of view, there is no reason to assume that the files were leaked by a ‘millennial’. To the contrary, one would expect the person to be a very disappointed mid-career officer.

To make it simple, I see three possibilities to explain Hayden’s ‘accusation’. Firstly, the former CIA Boss is Math-Challenged and/or poorly informed regarding whistleblowers. I do not believe that. Hayden is certainly a very intelligent and savvy person.

Next, Hayden could be more of a truth-twister than even his detractors allege him to be.

[Definition: “Truth twisting is the fine art of putting a spin on things so you come out looking like the hero. Instead of fully acknowledging wrongdoing, truth twisters rationalize, justify, make excuses and generally wiggle their way out of taking full responsibility for their behavior.”]

Possible. But then again, I have my doubts. Hayden knows the truth will be revealed in a not so distant future…

What else? General Hayden KNOWS what happened. Let us rewind the tape and listen carefully…

Former CIA boss blames millennials for leaks — Wikileaks Vault 7

CONCLUSION

Despite his explicit warning to the contrary,

(1) It would then appear that General Hayden confirms that the document — VAULT 7 — published by WikiLeaks are authentic.

(2) General Hayden appears to confirm that the documents were LEAKED, not Hacked as the US President suggested recently.

[NOTE. It is highly unusual for US officials to do so. The policy is ‘Neither confirm, nor deny’. Remember the Cyber Awareness Challenge?]

RELATED POST: CYBER AWARENESS CHALLENGE: Take the US DoD TEST!

(3) General Hayden seems to point the finger at a person who is a CIA employee, not a contractor.

(4) And finally, General Hayden blames the ‘Millennials’!

In my opinion, the US Intel Community has already identified the person(s) responsible for the leak of the VAULT-7 files. And Michael Hayden knows that. Otherwise, his comments would make no sense whatsoever. Wait and see…

PS: If true, it would also suggest that President Trump is not aware of these facts. Indeed, in an interview that aired Wednesday night on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight”, the President stated that the files had been hacked…

REFERENCES

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden Blames Millennials for Government Leaks — The Intercept

TRUMP — Breaking from US government policy: ‘Neither deny, nor confirm.’

President Trump has apparently confirmed the authenticity of the Vault7 docs — breaking from US government policy never to confirm the docs were legitimate.

In an interview that aired Wednesday night on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight”,

“By the way, with the CIA, I just want people to know, the CIA was hacked, and a lot of things taken.”

“That was during the Obama years,” Trump said, alluding to the timing of when the documents were stolen, not when they were published.

“That was not during us. That was during the Obama situation. [CIA Director] Mike Pompeo is there now doing a fantastic job,” the president added.

Last week [March 8 press briefing at the White House], White House press secretary Sean Spicer was careful to say he wouldn’t confirm the documents’ authenticity.

“For obvious reasons it is our policy as a government not to confirm the authenticity of any kind of disclosure or hack. That would be highly inappropriate for us.”

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Former CIA Boss Michael Hayden’s theory about VAULT 7-WikiLeaks  doesn’t hold water. Unless…