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CIA issues new guidelines after agent’s social media posts

November 29, 2023 | | Print Article

A senior analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency posted a pro-Palestinian image on social media, prompting the agency to warn staff against committing similar actions.

“CIA officers are committed to analytic objectivity, which is at the core of what we do as an Agency,” a CIA spokesperson said. “CIA officers may have personal views, but this does not lessen their — or CIA’s — commitment to unbiased analysis.”

The agency’s admonishment to staff comes after an associate deputy director for analysis shared a picture of a man waving a Palestinian flag on her Facebook page, according to a report by the Financial Times, which noted that the staff member was not identified, citing “concern about her safety.”

The same career analyst reportedly posted “a selfie with a sticker saying ‘Free Palestine’ superimposed on the photograph” on Facebook some years ago. The post and other pro-Palestinian content were reportedly deleted from the senior official’s social media after media attention.

Employees were reminded via an internal memo that they should avoid political posts on social media in what was “simply a reminder of existing policy,” a U.S. official told NBC News.

The analyst was said to have “extensive background in all aspects of the Middle East and this post was not intended to express a position on the conflict,” NBC News reported, citing a “person with knowledge of the situation” who revealed that the employee had not been disciplined for her post.

The CIA confirmed to The Washington Free Beacon that the analyst is Amy McFadden and the outlet reported that a “review of McFadden’s LinkedIn page revealed expressions of support for the anti-Israel International Crisis Group, once headed by disgraced former White House official Robert Malley.”

“The CIA official’s conduct suggests even those working at the highest echelon of the federal government’s intelligence services feel comfortable making public statements contrary to the United States’ official stance on Israel,” the outlet added.

According to the Free Beacon:

McFadden is one of the most senior officials within the CIA and was once responsible for overseeing the president’s “daily brief,” a summary of classified intelligence, the Financial Times reported. In her role as associate deputy director for analysis, McFadden oversees the approval of all the agency’s intelligence.

Although McFadden’s particular beliefs on Israel are unclear, she “liked” one post by the International Crisis Group in the last week. That post shared an article in Foreign Affairs that chastised Israel for “making the utter defeat of Hamas its top priority.”

 

“Ms. McFadden is the recipient of several prestigious IC awards, including the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the CIA Director’s Award, and the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism,” her LinkedIn profile reads, noting that she started at the CIA in 1999.

McFadden’s pro-Palestinian content comes a few short weeks after a group of State Department officials wrote a dissent letter urging the Biden administration to push Israel for a ceasefire in its war with Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Frieda Powers
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