Biden calls regional partners ahead of CIA chief's meeting in push for another Gaza hostage deal
President Joe Biden has spoken with his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts ahead of a trip by his CIA director meant to press toward a deal to secure the release of more hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a pause to fighting in Gaza.
CIA: Most 'Havana syndrome' cases not linked to US adversary
U_S_ officials say the CIA believes it's unlikely that Russia or another foreign adversary is using microwaves or other forms of directed energy to attack hundreds of American diplomats and intelligence officers who attribute their brain injuries and other symptoms to what's come to be known as โHavana syndrome.โ.
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Judge rejects ex-CIA worker's try to dismiss hacking charges
A judge says Schulte, a former CIA employee, cannot get espionage charges against him dismissed on the grounds that there weren't enough Hispanic or Black individuals on the grand jury that indicted him. Schulte faces an October trial on charges that he leaked a massive trove of CIA hacking tools to WikiLeaks. AdCrotty, though, said the reliance on a White Plains grand jury rather than one seated in Manhattan was necessitated by an โexternal force,โ the pandemic, rather than an effort to exclude certain segments of the population from being empaneled. He called the decision by prosecutors to seek indictment in White Plains โentirely proper." A jury last year deadlocked on espionage charges, though it convicted Schulte of less serious charges of contempt of court and making false statements.
Ex-FBI lawyer given probation for Russia probe actions
A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation for altering a document the Justice Department relied on during its surveillance of a Donald Trump aide during the Russia investigation. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)WASHINGTON โ A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation on Friday for altering an email the Justice Department relied on in its surveillance of an aide to President Donald Trump during the Russia investigation. The Russia investigation resulted in criminal charges against six Trump associates, but did not find sufficient evidence that Trump campaign associates had illegally coordinated with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Even so, that aspect of the Russia investigation was a small piece of the much broader probe. Prosecutors contend that explanation made no sense and, in any event, was not a justification for altering the email.
Biden chooses veteran diplomat Burns as CIA director
President-elect Joe Biden has chosen veteran diplomat William Burns to be his CIA director. If confirmed, he would succeed Gina Haspel, the first female CIA director, who guided the agency under President Donald Trump. โI developed enormous respect for my colleagues in the CIA,โ Burns said in an online video statement Monday with Biden. The director of national intelligence, not the CIA director, was in the Cabinet. Trump elevated the CIA director post back up to a Cabinet-level position, and both Haspel and National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe sit in his Cabinet.
US court: Iran owes $1.4B over ex-FBI agent presumed dead
Tensions remain high between the U.S. and Iran amid President Donald Trump's maximalist pressure campaign over Tehran's nuclear program. In a ruling dated Thursday, the U.S. District Court in Washington found Iran owed Levinson's family $1.35 billion in punitive damages and $107 million in compensatory damages for his kidnapping. The court cited the case of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died in 2017 shortly after being freed from captivity in North Korea, in deciding to award the massive amount of punitive damages to Levinson's family. In a statement, Levinson's family called the court's award โthe first step in the pursuit of justice.โโUntil now, Iran has faced no consequences for its actions,โ the family said. In December 2013, the AP revealed Levinson in fact had been on a mission for CIA analysts who had no authority to run spy operations.
Only verified intelligence? A look at presidents' briefings
But former intelligence officials say presidents are routinely informed about intelligence even when its not definitively confirmed. Some questions and answers about how presidents are briefed on intelligence, what sort of information they receive and how this applies to the situation with Russia:HOW DO PRESIDENTS RECEIVE NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION? The PDB, as it is known, is a compilation of intelligence and national security assessments from government analysts. Theres no mathematical formula for deciding what gets briefed to the president, said David Priess, a former CIA intelligence briefer and author of The Presidents Book of Secrets: The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to Americas Presidents." After news broke about the intelligence, Trump was briefed, the White House said.
Only verified intelligence? A look at presidents' briefings
But former intelligence officials say presidents are routinely informed about intelligence even when its not definitively confirmed. Some questions and answers about how presidents are briefed on intelligence, what sort of information they receive and how this applies to the situation with Russia:HOW DO PRESIDENTS RECEIVE NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION? The PDB, as it is known, is a compilation of intelligence and national security assessments from government analysts. Theres no mathematical formula for deciding what gets briefed to the president, said David Priess, a former CIA intelligence briefer and author of The Presidents Book." After news broke about the intelligence, Trump was briefed, the White House said.