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Spooks turned Spox: U.S. media now filled with former intelligence agents

Originally published: Stuart Bramhall Blog on October 6, 2019 (more by Stuart Bramhall Blog) (Posted Oct 08, 2019)

After years in the shadows overseeing espionage, kill programs, warrantless wiretapping, entrapment, psyops and other covert operations, national security establishment retirees are are turning to a new line of work where they can carry out their imperial duties.

That is, propagandizing the public on cable news. Reborn as cable news pundits, these people are cashing in. So many years working in the dark, only to emerge in the studio lights of the same networks that rail all day everyday against state TV from countries that America hates.

I’m talking about people like…

Below is but a partial list of prominent former spooks turned mainstream media pundits and analysts, to say nothing of the even greater numbers of retired generals the network continuously rely on.

Former CIA Director John Brennan who is now an NBC News senior national security and intelligence analyst.

Fran Townsend, former homeland security advisor to George W. Bush. She’s now a CBS News senior national security analyst.

But CNN takes the cake—it’s the biggest spook show of all.

Jim Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, now a CNN national security analyst.

Retired General Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA and the NSA, now a CNN national security analyst.

Asha Rangappa, former FBI special agent, now CNN legal analyst.

James Gagliano, a retired FBI supervisory special agent, now a CNN law enforcement analyst.

Tony Bliken, former deputy secretary of state and former deputy national security advisor, and now CNN global affairs analyst.

Mike Rogers, former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, now CNN national security commentator.

Samantha Vinograd senior advisor to the national security advisor under President Obama, now CNN national security analyst.

Steven Hall, retired CIA chief of Russia operations, now a CNN national security analyst.

Philip Mudd, former CIA counter-terrorism official, now CNN counter-terrorism analyst.

 

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