Can US Intelligence officials legally disclose classified information to members of the press?

“Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you. So even for a practical, supposedly hard-nosed businessman, Trump is being really dumb to do this.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer

“The CIA is spectacularly terrible at responding to FOIA requests. It’s so bad it’s highly possible the perceived ineptness is deliberate. The CIA simply does not want to release documents. If it can’t find enough FOIA exemptions to throw at the requester, it gets creative.”

Tim Cushing — TechDirt (Legal Issues)

“If the CIA loses in this case, the unsavory practice of providing classified information only to sources willing to do the agency’s bidding will be dealt a setback.”

Paul Mirengoff — Powerline

“I suppose it is possible that the Government does not consider members of the press to be part of the public. I do.”

Chief Judge Colleen McMahon — Initial ruling

“A limited disclosure of information to three journalists does not constitute a disclosure to the public.”

Chief Judge Colleen McMahon — Final ruling

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James R. Clapper — United States Director of National Intelligence aka the Leaker-in-Chief

January 16 2019 — Can Intelligence officials ‘legally’ disclose classified information to members of the press? From a legal point of view, the answer is a bit tricky, but the office of the DNI believes that it is legal in some circumstances. What is certain is that they are doing it quite often!  Whenever it suits them… Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

Posted in Fake News, FBI, Freedom of Information Act, James R. Clapper, Journalism, Media, ODNI, Spooks & Media, Trump, Trump Dossier | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One Year Ago — Breaking News : Former CIA Jeffrey Sterling Released to a Halfway House

“We welcome the forthcoming release of Jeffrey Sterling into a halfway house, but hope that he can be reunited with his family soon. His conviction was a breach of First Amendment protections. Simply being in contact with a journalist does not amount to espionage and should not incur imprisonment.”

Margaux Ewen — RSF North America Director  (Reporters Without Borders)

“Just like the CIA primary mission is to protect the Agency, the New York Time primary mission is to protect the Time. And so when this hit the fan — so to speak — Jeffrey was on his own.”

Former CIA John Kiriakou

“Sterling’s case drew nationwide attention because the Obama-era Department of Justice unsuccessfully tried to force the reporter, James Risen, to divulge the identity of his sources for ‘State of War’, a book in which he revealed the CIA had botched a covert operation against Iran’s nuclear program. Risen reported that instead of undermining the Iranians, the CIA had provided them with useful information on how to build a nuclear bomb.”

The Intercept — Peter Maass (January 2018)

January 16 2018 — On Christmas eve, I told you that former CIA Jeffrey Sterling could be released from jail early this year. I am happy to report that this prediction came true. Today, Jeffrey Sterling was released from prison to a halfway house, ahead of the original end date of his 3.5 year prison sentence on June 14, 2018.  Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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Two Years Ago — Ex-CIA Sabrina De Sousa to be Extradited to Italy in 24 Hours

“I would really like to reach out to the Trump administration. I can’t see General Mike Flynn allowing the prosecution of a senior military officer by a foreign nation.”

Former CIA Sabrina de Sousa (January 2017)

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Portugal – Monday 16 January 2017 — Tomorrow, Portugal will extradite to Italy a former CIA Officer convicted over the 2003 abduction of radical Egyptian imam Abu Omar, a case that highlighted the controversial US secret rendition program. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

Continue reading →

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On This Day — The Zimmermann Telegram Is Intercepted (January 16 1917)

“No account of the stirring episodes leading up to our entry into the World War can be considered complete without at least a reference to the one in which the Zimmermann telegram played the leading role.”

  War Department Office of the Chief Signal Officer (1938 study)

On January 16 1917, British code breakers intercepted an encrypted message from  German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann intended for Heinrich von Eckardt, the German ambassador to Mexico. The decryption of the Zimmermann Telegram is widely described as the most significant intelligence triumph for Britain during World War I. The story demonstrates that SIGINT can influence the course of History. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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On This Day — Wikipedia Is Born. And The Spooks Love It! (January 15 2001)

“People that I would say are trolls sort of took over Wikipedia. The inmates started running the asylum.”

Larry Sanger — Wikipedia co-founder

On January 15 2001, Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia. According to Alexa Internet, Wikipedia is the world’s fifth-most-popular website in terms of overall visitor traffic, with a worldwide monthly readership of approximately 495 million. And, for obvious reasons, the spooks love Wikipedia. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Think On These Things — Is MEDINT Real Science or Junk Science?

“They (CIA Medical and Psychiatric Analysis Center) have been monitoring the health of world leaders for decades. It’s an essential element of biographical profiles.”

 Intelligence Historian Jeffrey T. Richelson — Author of “The Wizards of Langley”

“As an intelligence officer working with a team of physicians, psychiatrists and psychologists, you will assess the physical health of foreign leaders and terrorists..”

CIA advertisement published in ‘Journal of the American Medical Association’

“A CIA report concluded that based on the medical information, Ayatollah Khomeini will ‘probably die within the next few months’. That was nearly 10 months ago…”

Washington Post (March 19 1989)

January 15 2019 — The Medical and Psychiatric Analysis Center (MPAC) is one of the more intriguing parts of the CIA. The unit that has operated out of the public view for half a century, MPAC tries to gauge — from both public and classified sources — the health  of world leaders. Here is a simple but important question. Is Medical Intelligence serious science or junk science? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Two Years Ago — The Trump Dossier : Raw Intelligence or Clever Fabrication? — POLL

“I think it was disgraceful – disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out. I think it’s a disgrace… and that’s something that Nazi Germany would have done and did do.”

US President-Elect Donald Trump

“When spies get angry, they call reporters and arrange discreet chats in parking garages. The last president who entered the Oval Office with this much dislike and distrust of the IC was Richard Nixon—and we know how that worked out for him.”

John R. Schindler — Former NSA and professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College

“I can tell you right now Brennan is an asshole. I have known all these people for years. Clapper is — sort of — a better guy but not a rocket scientist. The NSA guys are fucking morons. You know the trouble with all of those guys is that the only way they are going to make it to a board, or two, and get hired (…) to deliver some fat cat contracts is if Hillary stayed in.”

Seymour Hersh [Phone interview]

January 14 2017 — The ‘Trump dossier’ consists of a series of unsigned memos that appear to have been written between June and December 2016. The dossier contains lurid and mostly hard-to-prove allegations.

UPDATE (January 14 2019) — It has been two years since the so-called Steele dossier was published by BuzzFeed News for public consumption. INTEL TODAY would like to know what you think.

Is the Steele dossier a genuine work of intelligence or a piece of disinformation?

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Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Machon, CIA, Disinformation, Donald Trump, Fake News, John Brennan, Journalism, MI6, Philip Giraldi, Putin, Ray McGovern, Russia, Spooks & Media, Trump, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

5G — Will European Countries Ban Huawei? [UPDATE : Norway considering whether to exclude Huawei]

“Perhaps, the most puzzling part of the [Belgian Intelligence Services] report is what it does not mention. Although most countries are extremely concerned about China investments in their Telecom infrastructure, the Belgian report is silent on this issue. Why, on earth, why?”

Intel Today – November 30 2018

“Given the massive cybersecurity and national security risks, the only responsible decision is for Berlin to follow the Australian, New Zealand, and U.S. lead and ban Chinese providers from the German 5G network. In doing so, Europe’s strongest economy would send a crucial signal to the rest of the European Union members that are grappling with the same decision.”

Thorsten Benner — Director of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin (December 9 2018)

“The UK needs to take decision on the extent to which we are going to be comfortable with Chinese ownership of these technologies.”

MI6 chief Alex Younger (December 3 2018)

“Huawei shares with the Chinese state intimate and extensive knowledge of the foreign telecommunications systems it is involved with.”

General Michael Hayden — Former head of the U.S. National Security Agency

December 5 2018 — The United States, Australia and New Zealand have already blocked Huawei from building their new 5G networks on security grounds. On Wednesday (Dec. 5), Britain’s BT Group said it would rip Huawei equipment from its core telecom network. Canada is also likely to ban Huawei.

On Friday (Dec. 7), it was reported that Japan is expected to ban government use of products made by Huawei and ZTE over cybersecurity concerns.

So, why on earth has Europe been silent on this critical issue for so long? What are they waiting for? I am afraid that it will all depend on Germany’s decision. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Two Years Ago — Radio Pyongyang Resurrects its ‘NUMBERS STATION’. How does it work anyway?

“Some are worried it signals that North Korean might be planning some type of operation, alerting its spies by sending the coded broadcast. But for that to be true, North Korean agents would have had to have been listening at the right time to take down the message, and how would they have known it was coming? Numbers haven’t been broadcast for 16 years, so have agents really spent the last decade and a half listening just in case something came across? It is possible they could have been alerted that such a message was about to be broadcast, but then when why not send the message contents over whatever communications channel was used for such an alert?”

Martyn Williams — 38 North

The broadcast on July 15 2016 was the first number sequence aired by Pyongyang in over 16 years.

January 14 2017 — Last year, North Korea reactivated its numbers station. And now, V15 transmits on FM! The numbers read on state radio are reminiscent of a cold war-era method of sending coded messages to spies in South Korea. But they could also be an attempt to wage psychological warfare. Follow us on Twitter: INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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30 Years Ago — Former Belgian Prime Minister Kidnapped by Haemers Gang (January 14 1989)

“Trop is te veel en te veel is trop.” (“Too many is too much and too much is too many.”)

Paul Vanden Boeynants’ most famous expression

On January 14 1989, former Belgian Prime Minister Paul Vanden Boeynants was kidnapped by members of the Haemers criminal gang. The incident is still controversial and the subject of many disputes. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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