Got a secret, can you keep it?
Welcome to the The Dead Drop. Each week we pass along news and gossip from the world of national security and intelligence. While the rest of The Cipher Brief is deadly serious, stop off at The Dead Drop for information that can be fun, intriguing or the kind of stuff that readers have a “need-to-know” to stay current on the news.
NEW TWIST ON “TORTURE.” Why are eight senior former CIA officials keeping the “enhanced interrogation” (AKA “torture”) issue alive? Because they’re pissed. Former CIA Directors Tenet, Goss and Hayden – joined by five other senior spooks — are publishing a book called “Rebuttal” next week that revives their battle against the Senate Intelligence Committee report on harsh interrogation. Over a dozen different outfits have taken the report that was put out in late 2014 by Senator Dianne Feinstein and re-published it in book form. The ex-Agency folks are especially unhappy that what they dub “The Feinstein Report” has been accorded the status in some circles of being the definitive word on the subject. In their “Rebuttal” these ex-officials include both the CIA and SSCI Minority responses along with essays of their own about why they think Team DiFi got it wrong.
The angry formers are directing the results of their frustration toward a good cause. 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 their Russian counterparts, are feasting on the treasure trove of data lost in the OPM hacks. Throw in the blackmail potential of the Ashley Madison hack 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 the U.S. access to a similar data dump on its adversaries – ‘We would gladly pony up millions of dollars’.
PRESS PLAN? Senior military officials tell The Dead Drop they’re scratching their heads over news revealed in connection with a lawsuit filed by Tampa socialite Jill Kelley. Kelley is suing the Feds over leaks tying her to the Petraeus resignation saga. 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.” There were denials on both sides of an affair, and the Pentagon IG exonerated Allen – but not before the General’s career was derailed. Our sources tell us – whoever came up with that press plan – was responsible for the worst case of friendly fire they’ve seen in a long time.
FIRING BACK OVER BOND The author of the new James Bond novel ‘Trigger Mortis’ seemed a little too quick on the trigger himself when firing a shot at actor Idris Elba this week.
Anthony Horowitz told The Daily Mail that he didn’t think Elba was the right man for the mission when it came to playing Bond onscreen.
“Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better,” Horowitz told the publication. “For me Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It’s not a color issue. I think he is probably a bit too ‘street’ for Bond.”
Elba fired back on social media in a style you’d expect from a suave, smooth-talking British spy, “Always keep smiling!! It takes no energy and never hurts! Learned that from the street!!”
The new Bond author begged forgiveness on Twitter, saying he was thinking of Elba’s character as DCI Luther when he made the comment and that he was “mortified to have caused offence.”
The Dead Drop forgives Horowitz for missing the mark. In our quick and quite ‘unofficial’ poll of real-life former spies, Elba would make a ‘kick ass’ Bond.
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