By: April Carson
According to a scolding exposé based on a cache of internal CIA papers, the federal government appears to be failing in its efforts to prosecute CIA personnel and contractors accused of child sexual abuse offenses.
A BuzzFeed article about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is based on more than 3,500 pages of classified records obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
How many pedophiles are we talking about?
According to BuzzFeed, at least 10 documented instances of apparent criminal behavior have been identified in the past 14 years.
The documents, which are said to number in the hundreds, detail the CIA's Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) inquiries. The inspector general at the CIA interacts both internally and externally with a variety of offenses, including those committed by third parties, such as using falsified credentials. The documents were heavily censored, and the release of certain pages under FOIA was expressly denied.
BuzzFeed investigated claims of sexual abuse against minors. One of the 10 persons named in this report has been accused of sexually abusing two children aged two and six. The most typical forms of child pornography-such as possession, transportation, and procurement of illicit material - are included in these statistics.
Was the self-confessed child abuser prosecuted?
A CIA officer has been accused of having engaged in "inappropriate sexual behavior" with a two-year-old girl and having "inappropriate sexual contact" with a six-year-old girl on two occasions, according to the documents. The first victim was not named. It appears that the second one was. The employee was also "found to have extensively downloaded child pornography" and confessed to looking for abuse images featuring 12 to 14-year-old victims.
In August 2009, an assistant US attorney declined prosecution "based on taint issues" and "the absence of previously identified child pornography victims" in videos discovered during the search. In March of the same year, the CIA decided to dismiss and revoke his clearances after determining that he was a risk to national security.
Why no federal prosecution for CIA employees?
According to a spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, which declined prosecution, "the occupation or employer of the suspect does not influence" its decision to file charges. The term "taint issues" may imply mishandling of evidence, according to BuzzFeed.
According to a CIA insider, the agency is concerned that classified information may be revealed in a criminal trial. “We can't have these people testify because they might inadvertently reveal sources and methods," the former official was quoted as saying.
No prosecutions resulted from the sex scandals at all?
Two such examples have been identified by BuzzFeed, both of which involved individuals who were also charged with mishandling classified information. One was an unidentified contractor discovered to possess "Agency-affiliated people's" personal data and technical documents "concerning Agency systems." They were discovered during a child porn probe. The FBI took on the responsibility of conducting the inquiry.
Joshua Schulte, a former CIA technical specialist charged with leaking the agency's hacking tools dubbed "Vault 9" to transparency organization WikiLeaks, is one example. Last year, he was convicted of contempt of court and making false statements to the FBI, but the jury failed to reach a verdict on the more serious leaking allegations. He is accused of possessing thousands of photographs and videos of children being sexually abused. He pled not guilty to those charges. A separate proceeding for those allegations is pending.
What about the other alleged sex offenders?
Five of the 10 individuals spotlighted by BuzzFeed were let go or quit. The Office of Security, which is in charge of protecting CIA facilities, referred five others to a personnel board or a security review panel. One instance could not be determined from the documents released.
In a tenth scenario, the OIG discovered no direct evidence of criminal wrongdoing, but it did find that the subject had a "persistent interest" in the topic of child sexual abuse. The section describing how the agency addressed the situation was blacked out.
According to BuzzFeed, the CIA's record of dealing with potential offenders as outlined in the papers "stands out as a significant departure from how sex offenses involving children have been handled at other federal agencies."
Cosmically Connect #12 Skeptic turned believer after sessions with Cortney
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About the Blogger:
April Carson is the daughter of Billy Carson. She received her bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from Jacksonville University, where she was also on the Women's Basketball team. She now has a successful clothing company that specializes in organic baby clothes and other items. Take a look at their most popular fall fashions on bossbabymav.com
To read more of April's blogs, check out her website! She publishes new blogs on a daily basis, including the most helpful mommy advice and baby care tips! Follow on IG @bossbabymav
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