CIA sacks 'leak' officer

The CIA sacked an employee for leaking classified information to the media, including details about secret prisons in eastern Europe that resulted in a Pulitzer Prize-winning story.

The Associated Press said it had learned the officer was Mary McCarthy, a CIA veteran nearing retirement. Her husband would not confirm her sacking last night.

In McCarthy’s final position at the CIA, she was assigned to its Office of Inspector General, looking into allegations the CIA was involved in torture at Iraqi prisons, according to a former colleague.

Without identifying McCarthy by name, CIA director Porter Goss announced the sacking in a short message to agency employees circulated on Thursday.

Such sackings are rare. It is the first time since Goss took over in September 2004, vowing to clamp down on leaks, that he has dismissed an intelligence officer for speaking to reporters.

Agency spokesman Paul Gimigliano confirmed an officer had been fired for having unauthorised contacts with the media and disclosing classified information to reporters, including details about intelligence operations.

“The officer has acknowledged unauthorised discussions with the media and the unauthorised sharing of classified information,” Gimigliano said. “That is a violation of the secrecy agreement that everyone signs as a condition of employment with the CIA.”

Citing the Privacy Act, the CIA would not disclose any details about the officer’s identity or what she might have told the news media. However, a law enforcement official confirmed there was a criminal leaks investigation under way, but it did not involve the sacked CIA officer.

The official said the CIA officer had provided information that contributed to a Washington Post story last year disclosing secret US prisons in Eastern Europe. The law enforcement official spoke anonymously.

The Post’s Dana Priest won a Pulitzer Prize this week for her reporting on a covert prison system set up by the CIA after September 11 2001, that at various times included sites in eight countries.

The story caused an international uproar, and government officials said it did significant damage to relationships between the US and allied intelligence agencies.

Post executive editor Leonard Downie said on the newspaper’s website: “We don’t know the details of why (the CIA employee) was fired, so I can’t comment on that. But as a general principle, obviously I am opposed to criminalising the dissemination of government information to the press.”

It was unclear if Priest or any other reporters who spoke to McCarthy would be brought into an investigation. Post spokesman Eric Grant said no reporter at the paper had been subpoenaed or had spoken to investigators about the matter.

Goss has pressed for aggressive probes about leaked information.

“The damage has been very severe to our capabilities to carry out our mission,” Goss told Congress in February, adding that a federal grand jury should be set up to determine “who is leaking this information”.

Yesterday, another government official said the sacked officer had failed a lie-detector test.

It was not clear whether the person was taking a routine polygraph examination, as is required periodically of employees with access to classified information, or if the lie-detector test was among those ordered by Goss to find leakers inside the agency.

Justice Department officials refused to comment publicly on the sacking and whether the matter had been referred to federal prosecutors for possible criminal charges.

One law enforcement official said there were dozens of leak investigations under way.

Another said there had been no referral from the CIA involving the fired employee, normally a precursor to a criminal investigation.