RSS Feed for This PostCurrent Article

A Major CIA Blackeye if True

By Larry Johnson on January 28, 2009 at 9:45 PM in Current Affairs

(bumped up by Susan)

This could be ugly. ABC’s Brian Ross is reporting a veritable bomb–the guy who was responsible for running CIA operations in Algeria stands accused of raping muslim women.

The CIA’s station chief at its sensitive post in Algeria is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly raping at least two Muslim women who claim he laced their drinks with a knock-out drug, U.S. law enforcement sources tell ABC News.

Officials say the 41-year old CIA officer, a convert to Islam, was ordered home by the U.S. Ambassador, David Pearce, in October after the women came forward with their rape allegations in September.

The “good” news, if there can be such a thing, is that the alleged rapist is a muslim convert. Whew!! If he was a Christian or a Jew that would fully play into a muslim propaganda coup. I suppose posting a muslim CIA officer, accused of rape, to Saudi Arabia is too much of a fantasy to entertain? If guilty they would behead the guy and save us the mess.

Snark aside, this is awful. I’ve known of some legendary swordsmen at CIA. A now retired Ops officer was caught by his wife in the early 90s screwing a foreign national inside the “station” (i.e. that’s shorthand for the CIA suite of offices in the embassy) in Paris. She was so toasted over the affair that she sent a nasty gram to the head of the CIA and got her husband sacked. His reputation for “foreign affairs” was legendary even before that.

More recently the previous head of the Clandestine Service was alleged to have received oral favors in the parking garage at CIA Headquarters from one of his female administrative officers. He denied it but I know from a close friend of another former Chief of the Clandestine Service that there was corroborating evidence. I guess since the woman was a willing participant the powers at the time decided not to pursue the matter.

Adultery and sexual harassment at the office are minor compared to the allegations about the Chief of Station in Algeria. Let’s hope this is just a tough disinformation campaign designed to discredit an effective officer. If not, it is very damaging to the CIA’s image both here and abroad and will confront President Obama with an uncomfortable choice. If the crime took place outside of the U.S. Embassy on Algerian soil we can expect the Algerians to press for extradition. If you have never seen Midnight Express allow me to let you in on a tip–YOU NEVER, EVER WANT TO BE ARRESTED AND TRIED IN A MUSLIM COUNTRY FOR A SEX CRIME.