Keith Olbermann started his Countdown show tonight with news that Mary McCarthy, the fired CIA analyst that we were lead to believe leaked information to Dana Priest for the article on the secret detention centers in Eastern Europe,
was not the source of the information.
Fired CIA officer denies leak of classified dataFired CIA officer Mary McCarthy has "categorically" denied to NBC News through her lawyer that she leaked classified information. In addition, McCarthy's attorney tells NBC News that she did not have access to the information she is accused of leaking. The CIA has said that the officer -- whom the agency wouldn't identify -- had "confessed" to leaking.
A defense source tells NBC News that while McCarthy may have failed her polygraph on the issue of having unauthorized contacts with reporters, she did not fail the question about leaking information on the secret prison system. (emphasis mine)
Secrets of the CIA (from Newsweek)
McCarthy's lawyer, Ty Cobb, told NEWSWEEK this afternooon that contrary to public statements by the CIA late last week, McCarthy never confessed to agency interrogators that she had divulged classified information and "didn't even have access to the information" in The Washington Post story in question. (emphasis mine)
The officials, who asked for anonymity because they were discussing sensitive information, said that McCarthy had been fired after allegedly confessing during the course of a leak investigation based heavily on polygraph examinations that she had engaged in unauthorized contacts with more than one journalist regarding more than one news story.
And now, today:
A counter-terrorism official acknowledged to NEWSWEEK today that in firing McCarthy, the CIA was not necessarily accusing her of being the principal, original, or sole leaker of any particular story.
I sure was under the impression from the media reports I saw and heard that she was the "leaker in question" for the Priest story.
Ms. McCarthy does admit to knowing Dana Priest and another reporter and that she had "failed to report contacts" with these individuals.
McCarthy was a 20 year veteran of the CIA's Intelligence Branch and was working in the inspector general's office. Her last active duty day was February 7, and she was to be "transitioned out" on April 30. She had recently passed the bar exam and had planned to work on adoption and family cases.
Could this explain anything:
McCarthy has contributed a total of $7,000 to Democratic political causes over her lifetime, including $2,000 to the Kerry 2004 presidential campaign.
UPDATE: Links provided through the thread. Thanks go out to all who contributed this information.
Kossack kredwyn supplies the
No Quarter link, which contains articles by Larry C. Johnson, Susan UnPC, and Ray McGovern. Its worth a read if you are looking for additional information on this subject.
Kossack procera supplies the
link to the transcript and audio segment from the News Hour McCarthy firing segment between Ray McGovern and Richard Kerr.
Kossack lithiumcola supplies the
link to MLDB's diary,"Destroying the CIA for Political Gain". Contained in that diary is the WaPo story,
CIA Officer's Job Made Any Leaks More Delicate, which contains the paragraph:
The White House also has recently barraged the agency with questions about the political affiliations of some of its senior intelligence officers, according to intelligence officials.
Kossack Chincoteague supplies the
link to a Kevin Drum article from the Washington Monthly.
Kossack leckavrea supplies the
link to the WaPo article, "Dismissed CIA Officer Denies Leak Role".
Kossack donnas supplies the
link for the transcript of Friday's Olbermann show with "Andrea Mitchell's input". Kossack Savage provides a
link regarding an article that Curt Weldon's (PA-07) staff is using McCarthy's $350 donation to Admiral Joe Stesak against Stesak, saying he "cannot be trusted on national security issues".