NEW TWIST ON “TORTURE.” Why are eight senior former CIA officials keeping the “enhanced interrogation” (AKA “torture”) issue alive? Because they are pissed. Former CIA Directors Tenet, Goss and Hayden – joined by five other senior spooks – are publishing a book called “Rebuttal” next week that renews the fight against the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on harsh interrogation. More than a dozen different outfits have taken Sen.Dianne Feinstein’s 2014 report and re-published it in book form. The ex-Agency folks are especially unhappy that the so-called “Feinstein Report” has been accorded the status in some circles of being the definitive word on the subject. In Rebuttal, the ex-officials publish the CIA and SSCI Minority responses, along with essays of their own on why they think Team DiFi got it wrong.
Unlike the revenue from the profit-making book versions of the Feinsten report, proceeds from the sale of Rebuttal will go to the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation, which supports the children and spouses of fallen Agency officers.
THE GREAT HAUL OF CHINA. Several published accounts this week suggest that the Chinese intelligence service and perhaps its Russian counterparts are feasting on of the treasure trove of data lost in the OPM hacks. Throw in the blackmail potential of Ashley Madison, and the worst job in government today may be that of handling counterintelligence for the Intelligence Community. How bad is the potential damage? No one will say. But one very senior ex-intelligence pro told us that if some spy offered us access to a similar data dump on our enemies, we would gladly pony up millions of dollars.
PRESS PLAN? Senior military officials tell The Dead Drop they are scratching their heads about news revealed in connection with a law suit filed by Tampa socialite Jill Kelley. Kelley is suing the Feds over leaks tying her to the (CIA Director) David Petraeus resignation mess. AP reported recently that “Pentagon officials acknowledged in depositions that they developed a ‘press plan’ with members of an unspecified delegation from the White House in November 2012 to tell reporters that emails between General John Allen and Jill Kelley were ‘potentially inappropriate’ and to suggest that the two had a sexual relationship.” Turns out the Pentagon IG later exonerated Allen – but not before the General’s career was totally derailed. Our sources tell us: whomever came up with that press plan was responsible for the worst case of friendly fire they’ve seen in a long time.