Judge rules agent can sue CIA

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cia_firing

Judge rules agent can sue CIA

Mon Jan 15, 4:02 PM ET



WASHINGTON - A fired CIA employee, who collected prewar intelligence that Iraq was not developing weapons of mass destruction, can continue with a lawsuit challenging his dismissal, a federal judge has ruled.


U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler decided on technical grounds that the lawsuit could not be dismissed. But she did not rule on the covert agent's contention that he was fired because he refused to alter intelligence that contradicted Bush administration policies.

Kessler said in the ruling Friday that the covert agent, identified only as Doe, had the right to argue his firing was based on allegedly false information placed in his personnel file.

The agent said he collected intelligence from several countries in the Near East. "Obviously, Iraq was one of them," said the plaintiff's Washington attorney, Roy Krieger. The lawsuit does not name any of the countries.

[Peace Patriot]

1. These are the great patriotic heroes of the 21st century, many unsung--

we will never know who some of them are--who fought on the inside, at the risk of their careers and possibly at the risk of their lives, against these lying, genocidal, greedy dirtbags who have seized our government. I salute this man, and all the jag lawyers who fought against torturing prisoners, and Lt. Ehren Watada, Sgt. Camilo Mejia and others who has refused to fight Bush's filthy war, and all the honorable and heroic people in the US military, in the intelligence community and other services--people like Sibel Edmonds and Valerie Plame, the EPA scientists and others, who have stood up for the truth and for the rule of law, while toadies and liars get promoted. I was never much for the military, coming of age as I did during the Vietnam War, but I have to say that I'm impressed with some of its members, and what little I know of the inside struggles that have occurred against this lawless junta. I hope that they are all vindicated some day, that we learn all their stories and that we are able to give them medals for their heroic resistance.

[salin]

2. I had not heard of this case before -

I wish "Doe" luck. So what did the congressional GOP try to do before losing power? Further weaken protections for Govt whistleblowers. Not sure what the status of that legislation was (did it pass and get signed before Nov? Or did it drop off the table?) Granted i am not sure that suing for wrongful termination is the same as whistle blowing, but i would thing bringing the suit would fall into that category - as it would bring to light the govt behavior (trying to get DOE to falsify intel reports.

[druidity33]

3. morning kick and rec... nt

[leveymg]

4. Two points: This case is related to Plame; involves false Iran and Iraq intel

Judge rules agent’s lawsuit against CIA can proceed
By Associated Press
Monday, January 15, 2007 - Updated: 07:27 PM EST
http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=177339

WASHINGTON- A fired CIA employee, who collected prewar intelligence that Iraq was not developing weapons of mass destruction, can continue with a lawsuit challenging his dismissal, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler decided on technical grounds that the lawsuit could not be dismissed. But she did not rule on the covert agent’s contention that he was fired because he refused to alter intelligence that contradicted Bush administration policies.

Kessler said in the ruling Friday that the covert agent, identified only as Doe, had the right to argue his firing was based on allegedly false information placed in his personnel file. The agent said he collected intelligence from several countries in the Near East. “Obviously, Iraq was one of them,” said the plaintiff’s Washington attorney, Roy Krieger. The lawsuit does not name any of the countries.

The intelligence was collected as the United States prepared for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and President Bush justified the war on grounds that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons have been found. The lawsuit said Doe’s CIA superiors either refused to disseminate the intelligence or demanded he falsify his report to indicate several countries were developing the weapons.

A couple noteworthy points in this:

1) This CIA agent appears to have been working in the same subject area as Valerie Plame. If this is the case, this confirms the same basic facts that are alleged in the Plame case - that, despite Administration pressure to falsify reports, the CIA was correctly reporting that Iraq and Iran had no WMDs before the Iraq invasion. There was no "intelligence failure", the March 2003 invasion resulted from a deliberate policy of intelligence falsification by ranking Bush-Cheney officials.

2) Note that this falsification of intelligence by the Administration was directed at "several countries" that were falsely accused of "developing (nuclear) weapons." As we already knew from the Libby case and the OSP-AIPAC spy case, false evidence of WMDs were attributed to both Iraq and Iran.

[gratuitous]

5. No intelligence failure?

Why, I never! Next thing you know, it's going to turn out that the folks who voted on the AUMF resolution didn't have access to the same information that the administration did!

Shocking!

[leveymg]

7. Only a failure at the top.

That's where the decision to falsify intelligence was made. At the White House, OVP, NSC, State Dept. and in Rummy's office. Let me count the ways: Bush, Cheney, Condi, Grossman and Rummy. Oh, yes, and "Slam Dunk" Tenet went along.

[lonestarnot]

6. Right on!

[Heywood J]

8. You know they're going to scream

"national security" at the top of their lungs to try and bury this, that or "executive privilege".

[mirandapriestly]

9. Can I sue the CIA???..eom

[annabanana]

10. I expect the prosecutor will be asked to resign

before any "damage" can be done to the administration?

[Toucano]

11. There isn't a prosecutor involved.

It's a civil lawsuit and the plainiff (CIA agent) has an attorney, and the CIA has an attorney.

No one is being prosecuted.