CIA Hired Outsiders to Help Hit Al Qaeda
The CIA hired private contractors at Blackwater USA in 2004 as part of a secret program to kill top-level members of al Qaeda, a person familiar with the program said Wednesday.
The contracts were canceled several years ago, the person told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the program remains classified.
The New York Times first reported the program late Wednesday on its Web site.
The Times, citing unidentified current and former government officials, said Blackwater executives helped with planning, training and surveillance for the program. The program never resulted in the capture or killing of any terrorists suspects, according to current and former U.S. intelligence officials. It was never fully operational, and has been canceled twice: once by then-CIA Director George Tenet, restarted by Porter Goss, and finally by CIA Director Leon Panetta in June.
Panetta then informed the congressional intelligence committees about the program for the first time the next day.
The officials told the Times that the CIA's use of an outside company for a potentially lethal program was a major reason Panetta called the emergency congressional briefing. The House Intelligence Committee last month launched an investigation to determine whether the CIA broke the law by not informing Congress about the secret program as soon as it was begun.
Blackwater, a North Carolina company now known as Xe Services, has come under heavy criticism for its alleged role in a September 2007 shooting in Baghdad's Nisoor Square that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.
It was unclear whether the CIA had planned to use the contractors to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives or just to help with training and surveillance. Government officials said bringing outsiders into a program with lethal authority raised deep concerns about accountability in covert operations, the Times reported.
The CIA has regularly used contractors for intelligence analysis and operations, former CIA Director Michael Hayden told Congress last year. Contractors participated in the secret harsh interrogations of terrorist suspects, he said. Contractors are no longer allowed to conduct interrogations, Panetta told Congress in April.
The Times reported that the CIA did not have a formal contract with Blackwater for this program but instead had individual agreements with top company officials, including the founder, Erik D. Prince. Blackwater's work on the program ended years before Panetta took over the agency after senior CIA officials questioned the wisdom of using outsiders in a targeted killing program, the Times said.
"Director Panetta thought this effort should be briefed to Congress, and he did so. He also knew it hadn't been successful, so he ended it. Neither decision was difficult. This was clear and straightforward," CIA spokesman George Little told the AP. "Director Panetta did not tell the (congressional) committees that the agency had misled the Congress or had broken the law. He decided that the time had come to brief Congress on a counterterrorism effort that was, in fact, much more than a PowerPoint presentation."
A message left on Xe spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell's cell phone and an e-mail message were not immediately returned late Wednesday.
Republicans who had been supporters of the Bush administration's interrogation and other war-on-terror tactics have dismissed the controversy over the program as much ado about little, suggesting it was an attempt by Democrats to provide political cover to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has accused the CIA of lying to her in 2002 about its use of waterboarding, or simulated drowning, which many people, including President Barack Obama, consider torture.
Pelosi has said the House and Senate intelligence committees should "take whatever actions they believe are necessary to get more information on the subject," including whether former Vice President Dick Cheney played a direct role in proposing the secret program and withholding information from Congress.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, has criticized the panel's investigation as "partisan, political theater." He said he would support a "balanced review," but contended Democrats were prematurely accusing the CIA of breaking the law.
AP The contracts were canceled several years ago, the person told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the program remains classified.
The New York Times first reported the program late Wednesday on its Web site.
The Times, citing unidentified current and former government officials, said Blackwater executives helped with planning, training and surveillance for the program. The program never resulted in the capture or killing of any terrorists suspects, according to current and former U.S. intelligence officials. It was never fully operational, and has been canceled twice: once by then-CIA Director George Tenet, restarted by Porter Goss, and finally by CIA Director Leon Panetta in June.
Panetta then informed the congressional intelligence committees about the program for the first time the next day.
The officials told the Times that the CIA's use of an outside company for a potentially lethal program was a major reason Panetta called the emergency congressional briefing. The House Intelligence Committee last month launched an investigation to determine whether the CIA broke the law by not informing Congress about the secret program as soon as it was begun.
Blackwater, a North Carolina company now known as Xe Services, has come under heavy criticism for its alleged role in a September 2007 shooting in Baghdad's Nisoor Square that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.
It was unclear whether the CIA had planned to use the contractors to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives or just to help with training and surveillance. Government officials said bringing outsiders into a program with lethal authority raised deep concerns about accountability in covert operations, the Times reported.
The CIA has regularly used contractors for intelligence analysis and operations, former CIA Director Michael Hayden told Congress last year. Contractors participated in the secret harsh interrogations of terrorist suspects, he said. Contractors are no longer allowed to conduct interrogations, Panetta told Congress in April.
The Times reported that the CIA did not have a formal contract with Blackwater for this program but instead had individual agreements with top company officials, including the founder, Erik D. Prince. Blackwater's work on the program ended years before Panetta took over the agency after senior CIA officials questioned the wisdom of using outsiders in a targeted killing program, the Times said.
"Director Panetta thought this effort should be briefed to Congress, and he did so. He also knew it hadn't been successful, so he ended it. Neither decision was difficult. This was clear and straightforward," CIA spokesman George Little told the AP. "Director Panetta did not tell the (congressional) committees that the agency had misled the Congress or had broken the law. He decided that the time had come to brief Congress on a counterterrorism effort that was, in fact, much more than a PowerPoint presentation."
A message left on Xe spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell's cell phone and an e-mail message were not immediately returned late Wednesday.
Republicans who had been supporters of the Bush administration's interrogation and other war-on-terror tactics have dismissed the controversy over the program as much ado about little, suggesting it was an attempt by Democrats to provide political cover to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has accused the CIA of lying to her in 2002 about its use of waterboarding, or simulated drowning, which many people, including President Barack Obama, consider torture.
Pelosi has said the House and Senate intelligence committees should "take whatever actions they believe are necessary to get more information on the subject," including whether former Vice President Dick Cheney played a direct role in proposing the secret program and withholding information from Congress.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, has criticized the panel's investigation as "partisan, political theater." He said he would support a "balanced review," but contended Democrats were prematurely accusing the CIA of breaking the law.
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enough to run health care what makes you think they would be any better at assassination?
The law says the congressional intelligence committees needs to be notified if the CIA is running an assassination program. When this was first reported the CIA claimed that the program was in the planning stage and they did not need to notify congress about it. Now we find out it was further along then just "planning". What are we going to find out about next month? Without some kind of investigation we will never know what was going on and why they didn't follow the law. I'm not saying someone needs to go to jail I'm just saying the law needs to be followed. For all we know this was nothing more then an elaborate plan to funnel millions of dollars to Black Water.
Follow the law and then kill... baby.... kill....!!!!
strategy has to go through a committee, or governing body. We wish to
"fight" our enemies, yet we are afraid of offending their religious or
social "sensibilities". Everything to do with our plans has to end up
on national television. Individuals from countries hostile to us are
given entry to our country everyday, for every reason from going to college,to visiting our uncle Mahmoud in Hackensack. The job of congress
isn't to collect intel or fight wars, that should be the domain of
the intel community and armed services. Other than deserving credit for
a nice oxymoron, "house intelligence committee" they seem to have little
to contribute.
What a stain on America!
Whoever ordered this broke the law. Cheney ordered the CIA to not tell congress? Throw his butt in an secret, undisclosable location!
And why is hiring Blackwater to destroy a war enemy wrong?
________________
Because they actually kill the enemy......According to Liberals, that's 'wrong'
They wouldn't even understand what a force multiplier is...don't bother.....to them it's cheney, blackwater, halliburton, just another lib talking point to bash Bush administration
Bill: They did it again!
W: What is it this time dang it all?
Bill: They took away my "Gun For Hire" program! (weep)
W: I tolds you them dang dead or not-alive posters where too much Bill. Ya cant send out them posters with the whole Obama administration on it without getting noticed by them dang Obama administration!
By the way ares you talking on one of them secure lines Bill?
Bill: Yea, my shoe phone is secure. Got something stuck on my lip. Uumm! Grape!
W: Don't worry about them dang programs, them liberals haven't figured it out about Program "Ice Cream Butterscotch & Marshmallow" or "ICBM". Are you sure them dang missile codes still works Bill?
Bill: Yea, I know the missile code maker personally; we went duck hunting last summer.
W: I hope yar didn't shoot him up like your did the other fellaw!
Bill: It was legitimate; I thought he was a duck!
W: Did you cry "duck" before you fired? Har! Har! Har! Har!
Bill: Yea, har har har har...
Unemployment I would guess.
---
Which was obviously the motive behind the dubya administration's instituting it....
By pitting evil against evil the line between right and wrong disappears, leaving only hate to fill our beings.