In an unexpected move that left the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reeling, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard unveiled a list of 37 officials whose security clearances had been revoked due to ethical concerns.
The list included an undercover CIA officer, a revelation that left the intelligence community in shock. "Gabbard didnt know the CIA officer had been working undercover, according to a person familiar with the fallout from the lists release. Three other people with knowledge of the situation said that Gabbards office didnt meaningfully consult with the CIA before releasing the list," reported the Wall Street Journal.
The Washington Post, as reported by RedState, took a different approach to the story. The Post detailed the days leading up to President Donald Trump's Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where a senior CIA officer worked tirelessly to prepare Trump and his team for crucial diplomacy over Ukraine.
This officer, whose name was withheld by the Post for her protection, was informed four days later that her clearance to access classified material was being revoked. Her nearly three-decade-long career in public service was abruptly ended. She had been anticipating a move to Europe for a prestigious assignment approved by CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The Post's decision to withhold the officer's name for her protection, while providing enough details to identify her, is reminiscent of the Shia LaBeouf's anti-Trump protest incident, where the actor's flag was discovered by internet sleuths.
This incident also brings to mind the Valerie Plame affair during the George W. Bush administration, where the leak of an "undercover" agent's status was used by the CIA to settle scores with the White House, leading to the imprisonment of Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby.
The Wall Street Journal's report, if accurate, would imply that the inclusion of an "undercover" officer, who was a Russia specialist, on a list of 37 people was a significant security violation. This list included individuals who had contributed to the Russia Hoax. The question that remains unanswered is why a senior CIA officer was allowed to participate in what could be perceived as a coup attempt against President Trump.
Contrary to the narrative, Gabbard did not "out" an "undercover" officer. This officer, in fact, had been openly flaunting her CIA credentials in various forums. Matt Kittle, writing in the Federalist, revealed that the "undercover" officer was Julia Gurganus, a well-known member of the intelligence community.
Gurganus has used her intelligence community credentials to secure speaking engagements, public articles, and positions with prestigious organizations.
Gurganus has been a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace during her sabbatical from the CIA, as noted by the left-wing Atlantic. She has also served as a nonresident scholar with the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which acknowledges Gurganus' "decades working in the U.S. intelligence community on issues related to Eurasia."
Her photo was included in a Womens Foreign Policy Group report on Gurganus presentation at a 2018 Beyond the Headlines discussion. She was also identified as a CIA officer and Russia expert in the "intelligence assessment" concocted by James Clapper, a document that has been publicly available since 2020.
The Wall Street Journal quoted Larry Pfeiffer, one of the individuals who claimed Hunter Biden's laptop was a Russian disinformation operation, criticizing Gabbard. Pfeiffer, who served in the Obama administration and was one of over 50 deep state members who signed the infamous 2020 letter claiming the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation, had his security clearance revoked by President Trump in an Executive Order signed on Inauguration Day.
The Gabbard incident, on the surface, seems less significant than the Plame affair. However, it appears to be a retaliatory attack on Gabbard for her attempts to rein in the intelligence community. This incident serves as a reminder of the extent to which mainstream media can become the willing stenographers of the Deep State.
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