“Operation Merlin is the perfect example of powerful bureaucratic interests running amok and creating the intelligence necessary to justify their operations. The net result is that Jeffrey Sterling was unjustly imprisoned and that the United States has gone down a path of Iran policy that poses serious – and unnecessary – threats to American security.”
Gareth Porter — Independent journalist and winner of the 2012 Gellhorn Prize for journalism
“The CIA advised that on February 24, 2003, it was contacted by Mark Zaid and Roy Krieger. They told the CIA on February 24 that a client of theirs [Jeffrey Sterling] had contacted them on February 21, 2003, and that that client, that unnamed client at the time voiced his concerns about an operation that was nuclear in nature, and he threatened to go to the media.”
Ashley Hunt — FBI witness at the Jeffrey Sterling trial
“Because he just formed a new whistleblower group with John Napier Tye, there as been renewed interest in allegations an FBI Agent made during the Jeffrey Sterling case about attorney Mark Zaid. But there was actually a second detail regarding Zaid released just after the trial that has not been publicly reported: Zaid was interviewed by the FBI, twice, and was even interviewed before Sterling himself was.”
Marcy Wheeler aka Emptywheel
January 14 2020 — Jeffrey Alexander Sterling is an American lawyer and former CIA employee who was arrested, charged, and convicted of violating the Espionage Act for revealing details about Operation Merlin to journalist James Risen. Today marks the fifth anniversary of the eerie beginning of Sterling’s trial for espionage. He was convicted of espionage charges on January 26, 2015. The only evidence against him was “metadata”, that is content-less circumstantial evidence. Tomorrow, Jeffrey Sterling will receive the Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading
