#spy chief

[qupritsuvwix]

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/stella-rimington-britains-first-female-spy-chief-dies-aged-90-2025-08-04/

[dcoglobalnews]

SPANISH SPY CHIEF SACKED IN SECRET SOFTWARE SCANDAL

The Spanish government has reportedly sacked the country’s spy chief Paz Esteban. Spanish authorities detected the Pegasus spyware in the mobile phone of interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, officials said on Tuesday and that follows the disclosure that Pegasus was used to spy on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Catalan separatist leaders.Daily newspaper El Pais and other outlets cited…

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An encounter with Gen Attahiru, Spy Chief a week before their death-Yushau A. Shuaib

An encounter with Gen Attahiru, Spy Chief a week before their death-Yushau A. Shuaib

By Yushau A. Shuaib “Mallam Yushau, can you see me at Niger Barrack today?” – General Attahiru I received the above phone message on Sallah Day, Thursday, May 13, 2021, from the late General Ibrahim Attahiru, the former Nigerian Chief of Army Staff (COAS) just a week before his death alongside other military officers in a plane crash in Kaduna. The nation was thrown into mourning over his death…

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[uniteordie-usa]

Ex-Spy Chief Admits Role In 'Deep State' Intelligence War On Trump

http://uniteordie-usa.com/ex-spy-chief-admits-role-in-deep-state-intelligence-war-on-trump/ http://uniteordie-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DeepState-seal-600x352.png Ex-Spy Chief Admits Role In 'Deep State' Intelligence War On Trump An ex-spy chief who spoke out publicly against Trump while inspiring other career intelligence figures to follow suit has admitted his leading role in the intelligence community waging political war against the president, describing his actions as something he didn’t “fully think t...

An ex-spy chief who spoke out publicly against Trump while inspiring other career intelligence figures to follow suit has admitted his leading role in the intelligence community waging political war against the president, describing his actions as something he didn’t “fully think through”. In a surprisingly frank interview, the CIA’s Michael Morell – who was longtime Deputy Director and former Acting Director of the nation’s most powerful intelligence agency – said that it wasn’t a great idea to leak against and bash a new president.

Morell had the dubious distinction of being George W. Bush’s personal daily briefer for the agency before and after 9/11, and also served under Obama until his retirement. In the summer of 2016 he took the unusual step (for a former intelligence chief) of openly endorsing Hillary Clinton in a New York Times op-ed entitled, I Ran the C.I.A. Now I’m Endorsing Hillary Clinton, after which he continued to be both an outspoken critic of Trump and an early CIA voice promoting the Russian collusion and election meddling narrative.

Acting director of the CIA Michael Morell with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in 2013. Image source: Wiki Commons, DoD

As Politico’s Susan Glasser put in a newly published interview, Morell “has emerged out of the shadows of the deep state” to become one of Trump’s foremost critics speaking within the intel community. However, Politico summarizes the interview as follows:

But in a revealingly self-critical and at times surprising interview for this week’s Global POLITICO, Morell acknowledges that he and other spy-world critics of the president failed to fully “think through” the negative backlash generated by their going political. “There was a significant downside,” Morell said in the interview.

Not only had Morell during his previous NYT op-ed stated that he was committed to doing “everything I can to ensure that she is elected as our 45th president” but he went so far as to call then candidate Trump “a threat to our national security” – while making the extraordinary claim that “in the intelligence business, we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation.”

Curiously, Morell in his latest Politico interview indicates when asked about his “public profile” and activism so soon after leaving the agency (something that was relatively unusual prior to Trump taking office) that his post-retirement media appearances have been approved and/or received some level of oversight by the CIA. In the interview Morell states, “I did a 60 Minutes interview about my life inside CIA, and it’s something the agency thought that was a good thing to do, and I taped most of it before I left the agency.”

While such CIA review of former employees’ publications and media interaction is nothing new, in Morell’s case was an unprecedented example of a very high profile intelligence figure explicitly campaigning for a presidential candidate and against another while specifically invoking his role at the CIA (he began his NYT column with, “During a 33-year career at the Central Intelligence Agency, I served presidents of both parties — three Republicans and three Democrats…” followed by a litany of key national security events he was central to).

The other important confirmation to come out of the discussion is the clear guiding assumption of the interview – that the intelligence “deep state” did in fact go to war with Trump – which has now been confirmed by Morell himself, which is essentially to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Byron York

Light bulb goes off for former top CIA official: Maybe it wasn’t a great idea to leak against, bash a new president. From @sbg1: http://ow.ly/Pgwq30h8YIU 

The key exchange in the Politico interview begins as follows:

Glasser: Okay, so, flash-forward a year. Was that a mistake?

Morell: So, I don’t think it was a mistake. I think there were downsides to it that I didn’t think about at the time. I was concerned about what is the impact it would have on the agency, right? Very concerned about that, thought that through. But I don’t think I fully thought through the implications.

And one of the ways I’ve thought about that, Susan, is—okay, how did Donald Trump see this? Right? And from—it’s very important—one of the things we do as intelligence analysts is make sure that our guy—the president—understands the other guy. Right?

So, let’s put ourselves here in Donald Trump’s shoes. So, what does he see? Right? He sees a former director of CIA and a former director of NSA, Mike Hayden, who I have the greatest respect for, criticizing him and his policies. Right? And he could rightfully have said, “Huh, what’s going on with these intelligence guys?” Right?

Morell here seems to confirm Trump’s narrative of events concerning Russiagate “fake news” and willful intelligence leaks intended to damage the president, despite his opening obfuscation of “I don’t think it was a mistake” (so he’s essentially admitting the negative consequences but with no regrets).

Surprisingly, Morell even implicates himself with the words, “And then he sees a former acting director and deputy director of CIA criticizing him and endorsing his opponent.”  The interview continues:

Glasser: It embroiders his narrative.

Morell: Exactly. And then he sees a former acting director and deputy director of CIA criticizing him and endorsing his opponent. And then he gets his first intelligence briefing, after becoming the Republican nominee, and within 24 to 48 hours, there are leaks out of that that are critical of him and his then-national security advisor, Mike Flynn.

And so, this stuff starts to build, right? And he must have said to himself, “What is it with these intelligence guys? Are they political?” The current director at the time, John Brennan, during the campaign occasionally would push back on things that Donald Trump had said.

So, when Trump talked about the Iran nuclear deal being the worst deal in the history of American diplomacy, and he was going to tear it up on the first day—John Brennan came out publicly and said, “That would be an act of folly.” So, he sees current sitting director pushing back on him. Right?

Then he becomes president, and he’s supposed to be getting a daily brief from the moment he becomes the president-elect. Right? And he doesn’t. And within a few days, there’s leaks about how he’s not taking his briefing. So, he must have thought—right?—that, “Who are these guys? Are these guys out to get me? Is this a political organization? Can I think about them as a political organization when I become president?”

So, I think there was a significant downside to those of us who became political in that moment. So, if I could have thought of that, would I have ended up in a different place? I don’t know. But it’s something I didn’t think about.

Justin Raimondo@JustinRaimondo

“Is this a political organization?” said Caesar as Brutus was stabbing him. https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/940194623351414784 …

Despite Morell’s attempts to mitigate his own significant contributions toward creating a climate of distrust between the White House and the intelligence bureaucracy, it seems clear to the interviewee that Morell’s admissions lend credence to Trump’s side.

Indeed, Susan Glasser reasons, based on Morell’s unexpected confessions, that “you or others who spoke out and have continued to speak out actually tend to underscore his feeling that there’s a political divide.”

Glasser: Well, it’s very interesting, because of course, there are so many things you don’t know at that moment in time, including, of course, I’m sure you assumed, along with everybody else, that Hillary Clinton was likely to be elected, and you saw this as contributing to that in some way. But it’s certainly relevant in the context of the situation we find ourselves in a year later. And, if it tends to embolden Trump in his critique of your former colleagues who are still serving in the intelligence agencies, and not only has this been a theme that he has struck repeatedly to criticize—but also to politicize this.

  And inadvertently, perhaps, you or others who spoke out and have continued to speak out actually tend to underscore his feeling that there’s a political divide, and now you and others are on one side of it, and potentially all your former colleagues, and then he’s on the other side of it…

Morell: Yeah, and you can’t pick and choose like that. And when people in the intelligence community—particularly people in CIA, because for every other part of the intelligence community except CIA, you’re working for a cabinet member. At CIA, you are working for the president of the United States. That is your customer. Right? 00:08:03 So, when you see your customer questioning what it is that you are providing to him or her, and that person seems to be cherry-picking what they accept and what they don’t accept, it’s demoralizing. And when it’s demoralizing, people take actions, right? So, I live pretty close to the agency, and there’s a coffee shop between me and the agency, and I’ve met a number of agency officers in that coffee shop who have said to me, “I’m thinking about leaving.”

Yet Morell in a round about way previously admitted that he is personally one of the chief authors of precisely this “demoralizing” scenario in which the president doesn’t fully trust his intelligence briefers.

But we should all remember that this is a man who on the one hand described “Russia’s hacking is the political equivalent of 9/11” and constantly hyped “Russian propaganda”, while on the other he went on a lengthy RT News segment in order to promote his newly published book.

 Read More: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-11/ex-spy-chief-admits-role-deep-state-intelligence-war-trump

[therakyatpost]

New Post has been published on The Rakyat Post

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/world/2014/04/18/saudi-spy-chief-ousted-under-us-pressure/

Saudi spy chief ousted under US pressure

DUBAI, April 18:

The exit of Saudi’s spy chief was the result of US pressure over his stance on Syria but does not signal a shift in Riyadh’s goal of toppling the Damascus regime, experts said.

Riyadh, as is usual, did not elaborate on its statement this week that Prince Bandar bin Sultan was being replaced, saying only that the veteran diplomat had asked to step down.

But a Saudi expert said that Washington — irritated for some time by Prince Bandar’s handling of the Syria dossier — had in December demanded his removal.

Prince Bandar was leading Saudi Arabia’s efforts to finance, arm and unify the Syrian rebellion, which after three years of fighting is still far from its goal of overthrowing the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The spy chief’s efforts were especially stymied by US objections to plans to supply the rebels with advanced weapons that could tip the military balance against Assad’s forces, which are increasingly gaining the upper hand on the ground.

Dubbed “Bandar Bush” for his strong links with former US president George Bush and his son George w. Bush -— forged during the time he served as ambassador to Washington — the Saudi royal has openly criticised the current US administration headed by the Democrats.

He vented his anger in front of Western diplomats when Washington stepped back after threatening a military strike following deadly chemical attacks in August outside Damascus that the West blamed on Assad forces.

One diplomat revealed that Prince Bandar had on that occasion angrily said Riyadh no longer considered the US to be its principal ally and that it would instead be seeking support from France and other powers.

The influential powerbroker was appointed intelligence chief in 2012.

His last public assignment was a failed attempt in December to press Russian President Vladimir Putin to abandon his support for Assad.

Experts underlined Prince Bandar’s encouragement to radical Islamists in Syria, which they said increased security threats already posed to the kingdom by Saudi jihadists.

“Prince Bandar’s aggressive Syria approach highlighted the gap between the expectations he set and Saudi Arabia’s intelligence and operational capabilities,” said Emile Hokayem, senior fellow for regional security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“Running a vast and complex effort to help bring down a foreign regime supported by Iran and Russia was simply beyond Riyadh’s ability,” he said.

Saudi Arabia’s goal is especially difficult due to the “reluctance of its main Western partner and the conflicting agendas of other important regional players such as Turkey and Qatar,” he added.

Although the Arab heavyweight has supplied the rebels with “arms and rebels,” Hokayem said, it had to deal with armed groups that are “dangerous and undisciplined”.

The Damascus government, on the other hand, enjoys strong support from Iran, which “could count on organised and well-trained proxies and allies,” such as Lebanon’s Hizbollah movement, he added.

Diplomats indicated in February that the kingdom had sidelined Prince Bandar from the Syrian dossier, assigning it to Interior Minister Prince Mohamed bin Nayef, known as the kingdom’s iron fist in the fight against al-Qaeda.

Soon afterwards Riyadh announced tougher punishment for Saudi Islamists fighting abroad, warning that they could spend 20 years behind bars.

“The ballooning number of Saudi jihadists in Syria — with probable negative consequences for the Saudi regime — and the setbacks suffered there contributed to a rethinking and consequently a reshuffling in Riyadh,” argues Hokayem.

Saudi analysts insist however that replacing Prince Bandar does not mean a shift in the Saudi position towards the Syrian conflict.

“There is no change. Saudi Arabia wants the fall of Bashar al-Assad,” stressed columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

“There is no such thing as the politics of Bandar. There is government policy as well as directives given by King Abdullah that any intelligence chief would implement,” he said.

For the time being Prince Bandar’s deputy, Yusef al-Idrissi, has been appointed as a caretaker but Saudi sources have said that another member of the royal family is likely to be named to the post.

[therakyatpost]

New Post has been published on The Rakyat Post

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/world/2014/04/16/saudi-spy-chief-architect-of-syria-policy-replaced/

Saudi spy chief, architect of Syria policy, replaced

RIYADH, April 16:

Saudi Arabian intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the architect of Riyadh’s attempts to bring down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been removed from his post, state media reported.

His departure, months after he was quoted warning of a “major shift” from the United States over its Middle East policy, may help to smooth relations with Washington as Riyadh pushes for more US support for Syrian rebels.

Prince Bandar, who has recently spent time in the United States and Morocco for medical treatment, was replaced on an interim basis by a deputy.

“Prince Bandar was relieved of his post at his own request and Gen Youssef al-Idrissi was asked to carry out the duties of the head of general intelligence,” state news agency SPA said, citing a royal decree.

The decree did not say if Prince Bandar would continue in his other position as head of the National Security Council.

A former ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar was appointed intelligence chief in July 2012, in charge of helping Syrian rebels bring down Assad, an ally of Riyadh’s biggest regional rival Iran.

He was also closely involved in Saudi support for Egypt’s military rulers after they ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last year, diplomatic sources in the Gulf have said.

However, despite his long-standing connections in Washington and personal relations with world leaders stretching back decades, Prince Bandar proved a sometimes abrasive figure in his efforts to corral Western support for Syrian rebels.

Western officials have said in private that his comment in October about a “major shift” from the US following President Barack Obama’s decision not to use military strikes against Assad had complicated cooperation on Syria.

A trip to Moscow last year to push President Vladimir Putin to abandon his support for Assad also failed to produce results.

“He had been more or less disengaged from the Syrian file for the past five months. The responsibility was divided between a number of people — officers in the intelligence sphere and other princes. So the reality is that any changes have already happened,” said Mustafa Alani, a security expert with close ties to Riyadh.

Saudi support for the rebels, including arms supplies, training and financing, has been hampered by infighting between opposition groups and difficulties in working out which of them pursued militant ideologies that could endanger Riyadh.

Earlier this year, Riyadh recalibrated its Syria policy to focus more on preventing militant groups there from posing an eventual threat inside the kingdom, something that was pushed by powerful Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.

[newsdock]

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The body of Rwanda's former spy chief was found, possibly strangled, in a hotel in South Africa, police said Thursday. Rwandan dissidents accused President Paul Kagame of ordering his assassination. Source: Associated Press [view]

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