Mary McCarthy, the former CIA official who was fired late last week for allegedly leaking sensitive information to reporters, says (through a surrogate) she didn’t do it, Newsweek reports.
Here’s the kicker: even intelligence officials now admit that the most damaging CIA-related stories have been based on so-called “open source” information:
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. Intelligence officials privately acknowledge that key news stories about secret agency prison and “rendition” operations have been based, at least in part, upon information available from unclassified sources.
Hard to keep a secret these days. Especially when it ain’t secret.
