SpyTalk: January 30, 2011 - February 5, 2011

Window closing for evacuation from Egypt, CIA veteran warns

A longtime CIA and military intelligence veteran warned companies doing business in Egypt Thursday that the country was on the brink of civil war and that outside help for foreigners seeking to evacuate will probably be “unavailable” after Friday’s mass...

By Jeff Stein  | February 3, 2011; 10:40 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
 
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Egypt intel: Panel wants to know who's in charge

Several years after creating a new intelligence czar to coordinate the work of 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, Congress is still asking questions about who’s in charge. The question came up again Thursday in a hearing on the nomination of Stephanie...

By Jeff Stein  | February 3, 2011; 10:30 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Congress, Foreign policy, Intelligence, Politics  | Tags:  Stephanie O'Sullivan; Sen. Dianne Feinstein; Gen. James Clapper; Robert Cardillo  
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Egyptians may find police files not such a happy prize

Anti-Mubarak Egyptians may look back at the storming of the interior ministry building Sunday as the fun part. Once they get their hands on its police files--as they almost certainly will some day--a cold reality will set in: Many of...

By Jeff Stein  | February 3, 2011; 12:03 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Foreign policy, Intelligence, Military, Politics  
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Ex-interrogator describes mistaken Iraq raids

A former U.S. military interrogator in Iraq says half the raids Special Operations forces conducted during his terrorist-hunting missions hit the wrong house. Matthew Alexander, the pen name for Air Force Reserve Maj. Anthony Camerino, describes his struggle to provide...

By Jeff Stein  | February 1, 2011; 11:30 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Categories:  Intelligence, Military  
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FBI in hundreds of privacy violations, report finds

The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported nearly 800 violations of privacy laws and regulations to the President’s Intelligence Oversight Board from 2001 to 2008, according to records obtained by a watchdog group. The San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said...

By Jeff Stein  | January 31, 2011; 2:35 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (14)
Categories:  Congress, Homeland Security, Intelligence, Justice/FBI, Lawandcourts  | Tags:  Electronic Frontier Foundation; Sen. Patrick Leahy  
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The CIA's complicated relationship with Egypt

Like a long and mostly unhappy marriage, the CIA’s relationship with Egypt is complicated, with plenty of ups and downs. The Egyptian security services and the CIA have been co-dependents for over six decades, from 1952, when the young agency...

By Jeff Stein  | January 30, 2011; 11:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (19)
Categories:  Foreign policy, Intelligence, Military, Politics  | Tags:  Edward S. Walker, Omar Suleiman; Hosni Mubarak  
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