Brit Hume Subject of CIA Investigation

“The CIA will declassify hundreds of pages of long-secret records detailing some of the intelligence agency’s worst illegal abuses — the so-called ‘family jewels’ documenting a quarter-century of overseas assassination attempts, domestic spying, kidnapping and infiltration of leftist groups from the 1950s to the 1970s.”

Jason Zengerle has found this among many interesting tidbits in the story by Karen DeYoung and Walter Pincus that fronts today’s WaPo:

Brit Hume FOX News Grapevine Photo Personal surveillance was conducted on [Jack] Anderson and three of his staff members, including Brit Hume, now with Fox News, for two months in 1972 after Anderson wrote of the administration’s “tilt toward Pakistan.”

Somewhat ironic, I suppose, given Fox’ position on electronic surveillance in the War on Terror.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Zelsdorf Ragshaft III says:

    James, what is your position on keeping and eye on those who are enemies of the United States? Do you think they should operate without any clandestine effort to know what they are up to?

  2. Bithead says:

    Not really. We know of the friction between the White House and the CIA, and we suspect based on the evidence, the links which the CIA was willing to go to to disk that the White House and it’s actions in Iraq.

    Is it so much a stretch to believe that the same organization would be interested in discrediting one of the more vocal supporters of our actions in Iraq, amongst the news media?

    Further, it strikes me that the person that Jack Anderson was, would be quite annoyed at the Brit Hume of today. Much to Hume’s credit, today, I think.

  3. Wayne says:

    I’ve been investigated and wire tap for security reasons. I still support the NSA wiretapping program. Is that ironic and just being wise?

    Although I have to agree that in many cases people don’t understand invasion of privacy or many other laws until they are involve in a situation. It is still needed but hopefully abuses are kept to a minimum.