The White House unveils to the press the name of a CIA official

27/05/14

By mistake, a press release was sent to some 6000 a few days ago, revealing the name of a senior CIA officer (undercover), identified as a "station chief" in Kabul.

The name is mistakenly included, by the staff of the American embassy, ​​in a statement where the names of the 15 officials who met with President Obama are indicated, during his surprise visit to the Bagram air base, in Afghanistan, for the Memorial Day.

The communiqué of the event is initially sent to a journalist from the Washington Post, representing the media, who refers him to the White House for verification. The press release is then forwarded to journalists on the White House mailing list: well 6.000 contacts!

When those responsible are aware of the error, a new list is immediately sent without indicating the name of the "station chief". In short, after having lost the opportunity to block the release twice, the remedy is almost worse than the damage.

The Associated Press, at the request of the Obama administration, did not release the name of the Agency official, as it could endanger his life and that of his family. Even numerous newspapers, including the Post, have decided, by mutual agreement, not to spread the information.

The intentional disclosure of the name of an "undercover" agent in the United States is a crime (US Intelligence Identities Protection Act), however agents who have been tried for the same crime doubt that a member of the current administration may be charged.

The "station chief" should be able to continue to do his job, as he is already known by senior Afghan officials and working in a highly protected compound.

Monica Palermo

Source: Stars and Stripes