Dead Drop: December 18

UPDATE:  DECEMBER 23: While the Dead Drop team is out of the office this week (manning the Canadian/Maine border to prevent Chinese troops from invading to stuff ballot boxes in Georgia)….they are still alert to news.  They inform us that former acting and deputy CIA director Michael Morell has informed the Biden transition team that he no longer wishes to be considered for the CIA director position in the new administration.  Well-liked among the rank and file, Morell has taken some heat from the left wing of the president-elect’s party for (among other things) being unwilling to declare that Agency officers who carried out interrogation program “torturers.” (Apparently his stance had something to do with the program being approved by the entire chain of command, blessed by the most senior lawyers in government and briefed without objection to Congressional overseers).  Transition and Capitol Hill observers felt that had he been nominated, Morell, could have eventually won approval – but in the end, Morell apparently decided that he did not want to put the incoming administration or the CIA through a re-litigation of the enhanced interrogation program which ended about 15 years ago.  No word on who will end up with the Langley gig.

POISON PEN (AND CAMERA):  If you haven’t seen the joint CNN, Der Spiegel and Bellingcat reporting on the FSB poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny – do yourself a favor and check it out. It is a stunning example of what can be accomplished by detailed investigative techniques, married with some gutsy shoe-leather reporting. Bellingcat examined internet and telephone records, airline passenger manifests and other info, all readily obtainable for a modest fee (bribe) in Russia. Using this information, they were able to establish that a team of FSB operatives had been trailing Navalny for years including (without his knowledge) accompanying him on more than 30 trips. Bellingcat helpfully revealed the remarkable tradecraft they employed to obtain the data. The FSB team, which included chemical weapons experts and medical doctors, narrowly missed killing Navalny in August. Armed with the Bellingcat leads, CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward picks up the trail and (with cameras rolling) knocks on the apartment door of Oleg Tayakin and asks him in Russian if it was his team that poisoned Putin’s foe. Tayakin closes the door without comment. Ward, who was still reporting from Moscow earlier this week – might be well advised to avoid Russian tea rooms and bars for the foreseeable future.