CHICKS IN CHARGE: Last week, The Cipher Brief was first to reveal that the CIA had named Cynthia ‘DiDi’ Rapp to be their new Deputy Director of Analysis. Other news organizations were quick to follow – some adding their own analysis. For example, NBC News initially reported that “all three directorates” of the CIA would be led by women. They later modified that after readers pointed out that the Agency currently has FIVE directorates. Other news organizations reported that the “Top 3 Positions at the CIA Are Now Filled by Women” except that the number two position, the Deputy Director, is a guy named Vaughn Bishop and the number three position, the Chief Operating Officer, is Andrew Makridis. But we get it – everyone is excited about the evidence that women are increasingly represented in the top ranks of the Agency, which is led by Gina Haspel. Well, almost everyone. Vladimir Putin’s RT(repeating the “all three directorates” error) searched the internet for Twitter users saying things like: “Now women can be recognized as war criminals too! Yay feminism?” Lectures from Putin & pals on human rights. Yeah, that’s the ticket. And if anyone knows how many women are at the top of the SVR, let us know.
GOING UP? President Trump has often let it be known that he knows as much about military stuff as “the generals” and sometimes has made the same point about the admirals. For example, he lectured the commanding officer of USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN-76) in a Thanksgiving phone call about the viability of electromagnetic catapults versus the traditional steam ones. It is not just the launch systems on new aircraft carriers that can be problematic. The newly commissioned USS GERALD R. FORD (CVN-78) reportedly has no functioning weapons elevators. But Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer is confident he can fix that. According to the U.S. Naval Institute News, Spencer says he talked about the problem with Trump at the Army-Navy game. “I asked him to stick his hand out; he stuck his hand out,” Spencer says he shook hands and told the President: “Let’s do this like corporate America…the elevators will be ready to go when she pulls out (by the end of the summer) or you can fire me.” Trump probably likes that kind of brashness. Maybe if Spencer can fix the weapons lifts, he will be elevated to Secretary of Defense.
ODD JOB AT HARVARD YARD: Harvard University has just advertised a job that may be of interest to some Cipher Brief readers. They are looking for a director of their Intelligence Project. According to the job description: "The Director leads a significant research project in the intelligence arena within the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Responsible for developing policy relevant knowledge and recommendations on intelligence issues." More details in the linked announcement but we know what you REALLY want to know. It says it is "Salary Grade 059." A quick Google search suggests that under Harvard's set up...that grade has a range of between $88,400 to $154,200 a year...which is a heckuva big range. Among the job requirements is that the selectee has "U.S. and Russian contacts in and outside those governments." If you have Paul Manafort's email address — please pass this on to him.
FIRING IS EASIER THAN HIRING: Politico.com says that the President is having a hard time getting someone to volunteer to fill Jim Mattis’ shoes as Defense Secretary. The publication says that retired Senator Jon Kyl has turned down White House entreaties that he consider taking the job. Politico also reported (as The Dead Drop told you last week) retired General Jack Keane had, for the second time, taken a pass on the gig. It occurs to us that Trump may have to think outside the five-sided box to find someone for the top job in the Pentagon. He likes making news, breaking molds, and stoking controversy – so who might he select? We asked around for some guesses. One suggestion was businessman and Blackwater founder Erik Prince. The provocative former Navy SEAL was doing a lot of media this week, appearing on CNN, CNBC, and elsewhere. His commentary was supportive of the President’s positions on Syria and Afghanistan and the like. Prince also discussed having been swept up in the Mueller probe saying he would have preferred getting a “proctology exam” to being interviewed by Mueller’s investigators – another view possibly shared by POTUS. OK, if not Prince what other off-the-border-wall candidates might be out there? Last week, The New York Times reported that former Democrat Senator Jim Webb was under consideration. Some of Webb’s past statements on the Iraq war are in sync with Trump’s world view – but the former Marine is also known to be somewhat thin-skinned, and the likelihood of his lasting long in the job would be in question. Late last week, Trump tweeted that the NYT report was FAKE NEWS and said that he didn’t even know Webb. Nothing in the tweet ruled out eventually meeting him and taking a shine to him, however. Here is another wild idea we heard from someone. What about Ollie North? After all, North has one of the principal qualifications for consideration for a job in this administration – a record of having hosted Fox News shows. Maybe after having struck out with “the generals” Trump will give a Lieutenant Colonel a try. North is set to become president of the NRA but maybe he’d be willing to take a less high-powered job, like SECDEF. Who do you think would be a interesting and unexpected choice? Send your ideas to TheDeadDrop@thecipherbrief.com. We promise to shield your identity so you will get no blame if your prediction comes true.
140 WAYS TO ANNOY JULIAN ASSANGE: In what may be one of the dumbest PR moves of the decade, Wikileaks sent journalists a list of 140 “false and defamatory” statements the media should never repeat about their founder, Julian Assange. Assange has been hiding out in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for six and a half years. Initially, according to Newsweek, he was dodging an international arrest warrant from Sweden over rape allegations. Now he may more greatly fear possible arrest and extradition to the United States over allegations regarding the publication of classified information and possibly working with the Russian government. Apparently, Wikileaks didn’t like the ink Assange was garnering and, according to Salon.com, they sent out their missive to the media marked “Confidential legal communication. Not for publication.” That unenforceable demand was immediately ignored and achieved exactly the opposite of Wikileaks’ goal. Mainstream media and the Twittersphere alike began to list all the allegations annoying Assange. Mediaite.com says among the charges Wikileaks wants bottled up are claims that Assange has ties to the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin or that he is “a hacker, abusive toward animals, does not maintain physical hygiene, and bleaches his hair.” Commentator David Frum observed that ham-handed move may result in the “Streisand effect” being renamed for Assange. For those not familiar with the term, the “Streisand effect” describes what happens when someone trying to hide something only makes it more visible. The Economist explained that the description dates back to 2003 when the actress and singer complained that online photographic archives of the California coastline invaded her privacy – resulting in millions of, otherwise unwitting, people being pointed to photos of Streisand’s Malibu mansion.
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: Last week’s Dead Drop mentioned the departure of largely unknown Pentagon spokesperson Dana White who had not done an on-camera press briefing since last May. And we mentioned that, as is all the rage in Washington these days, there is an “Acting” replacement. Charles E. Summers is the Acting Assistant for Public Affairs to the (Acting) Secretary of Defense. This week, we noticed that the Pentagon’s website has this photo of Summers with the interesting caption: “Acting Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Charles E. Summers speaks to reporters during an off-the-record briefing at the Pentagon, Jan. 3, 2019.” We guess his WORDS were off-the-record, but his face was not.
POCKET LITTER: Bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
NAME GAME: At the bottom of this New York Times story, is a report that says that President Trump sometimes refers to his national security advisor as “Mike Bolton.” We suspect “John” Bolton doesn’t mind. After all, the President is known to have referred to his wife, Melania, as “Melanie.”
REALLY INTRUSIVE ISRAELI CYBER ATTACK OUTFIT: The Israeli news organization, Haaretz, recently reported on a top-secret Tel Aviv-based company that conducts offensive cyber-attacks using sophisticated technology “to hack into computers or smartphones and spy on users.” And when they say “offensive” – they put some teeth in the phase – since the company is called “Candiru” named after a translucent Amazon fish which, according to lore, likes to swim up human urethra. Now THAT is intrusive.
CLANDESTINE CAPED CRUSADER: Way back in July 2016, The Dead Drop reported about a story in GQ on Tom King, a former CIA officer who now writes comic books. Well, now CBR.com (a publication previously known as “Comic Book Resources.com”) says that King has had enough of fans questioning whether he was embellishing his résumé with an imaginary career in the clandestine service. King, who appropriately now works for DC Comics, has written Batman and “Mister Miracle” among other comics. To prove his bona fides, King posted a not-entirely-convincing picture of himself with a weapon in Iraq in 2004 (which, frankly, could have been San Diego) and a very convincing copy of an exchange of emails between King and the CIA’s Publication Review Board. In the emails, King identified himself as a former Directorate of Operations officer from 2002 to 2009 and was requesting clearance of his comic book “The Sheriff of Babylon.” The only thing suspicious about the exchange is that the PRB cleared the comic book in less than 24 hours. We would have thought the Board would have passed the comic around the office a bit longer. King also posted on twitter, a statement he said was his wife’s response to those questioning his service (which we cleaned up a bit): “Tell those a-holes to call me and ask me what it was like worrying every day that you'd get shot. You served your country. F*** those f***ers." Mrs. King may have a future in Congress.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING: Got any tips for your friendly neighborhood Dead Drop? Shoot us a note at TheDeadDrop@thecipherbrief.com.
