1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:03,800 Speaker 1: I think some of what we did waterboarding, for example, 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: was questionable, but preventing a second wave, I think follow 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: on generations will not fully understand what that took and 4 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: how surprising it was that didn't happen. All it takes 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:19,159 Speaker 1: is three people to take over some public transportation and 6 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:22,480 Speaker 1: it didn't happen. It's incredible, especially since you know, if 7 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 1: you look at the three of us, this is the 8 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:25,279 Speaker 1: crew you have to work with. 9 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 2: I'm John Ceipher and I'm Jerry o'she I served in 10 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 2: the CIA's Clandestine Service for twenty eight years, living undercover 11 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:36,319 Speaker 2: all around the. 12 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 3: World, and in my thirty three years with the CIA, 13 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 3: I served in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. 14 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 2: Although we don't usually look at it this way, we 15 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 2: created conspiracies. 16 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 3: In our operations. We got people to believe things that 17 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 3: weren't true. 18 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 2: Now we're investigating the conspiracy theories we see in the 19 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 2: news almost every day. 20 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 3: We'll break them down for you to determine whether they 21 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 3: could be real or whether we're being manipulated. 22 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 2: Welcome to me Mission implausible. 23 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 4: Hey guys, I've been thinking what my career might have 24 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 4: been like if I'd met you when you were active agents, 25 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 4: and I was an active international correspondent, and you could 26 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 4: have told me lots of secret things. I know, I 27 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 4: know you wouldn't have. But I think journalists have this fantasy. 28 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 4: Usually in a media organization, there's these conspiracies that the 29 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 4: CIA controls us, which we're going to get into in 30 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 4: today's show. But the reality is often there is one 31 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 4: or two journalists who are known to have good CIA sources. 32 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 4: I don't even know what that means because I've never 33 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:39,479 Speaker 4: been one of those people. But I think that means 34 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 4: like people in the office building, not actual field agents, 35 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 4: like high level you know. 36 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 3: I think it means they're talking to retired people, or 37 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 3: they're trading on information, like you're talking to the Office 38 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 3: of Public Affairs, where they say, if you don't publish 39 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 3: that story that you somehow got through congressional age of 40 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 3: something will If you don't publish it, we'll give you 41 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 3: something else for a while. So I think there may 42 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 3: be some trading back and forth. From what I've seen, 43 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 3: most of the leaks, they seem to come from elected officials, 44 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 3: because we take polygraphs every five years, so if we 45 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 3: talk to journalists like it'll come out. 46 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 2: Well, First of all, Adam, welcome back after boguarding us 47 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,919 Speaker 2: for several weeks and not joining us and forcing Jerry 48 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 2: and I to pull something deep in our soul. 49 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: To speak about. 50 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 2: But sorry to Jerry's point, I never, never, ever, once 51 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 2: spoke to a journalist when I worked inside, and I 52 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 2: don't think people in our part of the business. I'm 53 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 2: sure there's two occasions as possible, you know, or in 54 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:36,800 Speaker 2: the old days, people would sit in the bar and 55 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 2: be rooted in the fifties or whatever and talk with journalists. 56 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:42,359 Speaker 2: But you know, for us, it's best to stay away 57 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 2: from journalists. We're not allowed by regulation or law to 58 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 2: use them as sources, and so we stayed away from them. 59 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 5: And so I think when you. 60 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 2: See these people with good CIA sources, it's probably people 61 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 2: in the administration who are telling them tidbits that they 62 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 2: pick up on, or retired people like I do talk 63 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 2: to journals us now. I don't tell them secrets because 64 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 2: I don't have secrets. 65 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:05,799 Speaker 3: Although I will say from time to time I think 66 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,639 Speaker 3: I've got a couple of secrets left, really big, juicy 67 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 3: secrets I'm not telling anybody. And then I open up 68 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 3: The New York Times of the Washington post and I'm like, 69 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 3: there's the story, and in fact I read it, I'm like, whoa, 70 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 3: I was read into this and I didn't know those 71 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 3: details right, So I mean. 72 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 2: You know somebody's talking. 73 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 5: Yeah, somebody's talking. But it's usually like five or six 74 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 5: years later the assets are gone. But it's like wha, 75 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 5: Like how did that one get out? 76 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 3: And then we'll like call somebody up who was involved 77 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 3: in that, and like, man, it's like they got it 78 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 3: like eighty percent right, because you never get it quite 79 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 3: right well. 80 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,119 Speaker 2: And the thing is to understand is there's no one 81 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 2: in the CIA, for example, who knows all the things 82 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: that are happening. We're compartmented, like if I was working 83 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 2: on Russia stuff, I didn't know what was happening in China, 84 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 2: or I might. And it's a large organization with lots 85 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 2: of people working on lots of sensitive stuff. Even the 86 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 2: director doesn't know the details of lots of operations and 87 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 2: things that he needs to be briefed. And he's briefed 88 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 2: in general unless he's a deeper dive. So if anyone 89 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 2: is trying to say no, no, it's this way, it's 90 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 2: that way. Yeah, they might know that in their little 91 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 2: cylinder we called cylinders of excellence. You really do as 92 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 2: a joke. 93 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 4: Yeah. 94 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 2: So in our interview, Jerry and I interview an old 95 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 2: friend and colleague, Phil Mudd, who was a very senior 96 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 2: officer in the CIA but then went over in a 97 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,719 Speaker 2: senior position in the FBI. He was an analyst but 98 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 2: worked on counter terrorism issues. And during our interview, one 99 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,040 Speaker 2: of the things we talk about is this view out 100 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 2: there that the CIA controls things and specifically controls the media. 101 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 2: And we talked about in our interview our FKA junior 102 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 2: who believes that the CIA was involved potentially in killing 103 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 2: his father and he believes the CIA controls the media. 104 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 2: I know what's interesting and new since we talked to 105 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 2: him is Robert F. Kennedy joined the Trump campaign and 106 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 2: there's even talk about his interest in becoming the CIA 107 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 2: director in a Trump administration. And so it makes our 108 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:54,480 Speaker 2: interview I think more timely. 109 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 5: Today. We're fortunate to have Phil Mud on the show. 110 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 3: Phil is a long time senior CIA officer and CNN commentator. Phil, 111 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 3: you started at CIA as a South Asia, Mid East analyst, 112 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 3: and you worked your way up to be a senior 113 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 3: analyst for CIA's counter terrorism efforts after nine to eleven 114 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 3: where I got to know you and you were even 115 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 3: a prime liaison between CIA and the world of intelligence 116 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 3: and the FBI and the world of law enforcement, which 117 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 3: is pretty special. And then you were with CNN for 118 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:29,359 Speaker 3: like almost ten years, right. 119 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,720 Speaker 1: That's right, Yeah, Alex Righter. It was a lot of fun. Yeah. 120 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 3: Inside the agency, you were known for your insightful, fact 121 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 3: based analytical skills. You brief presidents and senators and Congress 122 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,480 Speaker 3: and foreign liaison. So, Phil, it's really. 123 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 5: Great to have you here. 124 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: Thanks, thanks for having me, Phil. 125 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 2: So the first question I want to do was sort 126 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 2: of a crossover between your experience at the agency and 127 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 2: the FBI and the media. On the campaign trail, Robert F. 128 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:57,039 Speaker 2: Kennedy Junior has repeatedly stated that the CIA has taken 129 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 2: over the American press, the US media, all that's our 130 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,160 Speaker 2: run by undercover CIA operatives as part of some secret 131 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:06,719 Speaker 2: government plot to manipulate American minds. At a recent campaign event, 132 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:08,600 Speaker 2: he even said that the new head of npr A 133 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 2: is a CIA agent. Got that wrong and that was 134 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 2: just the latest selveo. And as you know, the CIA 135 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 2: is taking over the American press. He stated on Twitter. 136 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,799 Speaker 2: The Other Day that the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, 137 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:22,039 Speaker 2: and even the Daily Beast are under the control of 138 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 2: Intelligence agency operatives. 139 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:24,880 Speaker 5: Rolling Stone too. 140 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 2: And journals like Smithsonian National Geographic appear to be compromised 141 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:30,600 Speaker 2: by the CIA. So, Phil, you worked for quite a 142 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 2: long time in media after you left the agency. So 143 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:37,919 Speaker 2: what is your experience about the intelligence community shaping the news. 144 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: It's interesting. I have a professional perspective from my years 145 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 1: as an analyst and a personal perspective. You can laugh 146 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: about this stuff, and it is a little it's a 147 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: little disturbing yourself, so laughable. But I always default initially 148 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: to my old life as an analyst and wish that 149 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:55,920 Speaker 1: people would actually, even if you don't know anything about intelligence, 150 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:58,720 Speaker 1: breakdown how this would work if it were true. So 151 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 1: you'd have to have a broad conspiracy in the CI, 152 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: which would involve hundreds of people, none of whom I 153 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: guess I ever spoken that conspiracy would extend to the 154 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: leadership of many media organizations. So those media people, who 155 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: many of who might not be terribly sympathetic to the CI, 156 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: have agreed to this. Okay, do your multiplication hundreds of 157 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: people of CI, hundreds of people in leadership positions in media. 158 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: A lot of those are public companies, so they have 159 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: to persuade not only their staffs to say, John or 160 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: Jerry or Phillip is coming in to take over a 161 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: position that he's a CIA guy and he's secretly subverting 162 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: the organization. But you'd also have to tell the corporate enterprise, 163 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: the stakeholders, because these are public companies, you'd have to 164 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: sell out the stakeholders. Now you're dealing with thousands of people, 165 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: none of whom has ever spoken. If you do took 166 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: stats class, one of the best things I ever did 167 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 1: in college as an English major was to take a 168 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: semester of statistics. That's not feasible. But on the personal side, 169 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 1: I guess, as a ten year CNN commentator, one of 170 00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: the most interesting jobs I ever had. You're not going 171 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: to lead this. Let me give you a guess about 172 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 1: the number of times CIA Public Affairs in ten years 173 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: I was on thousands of times, thousands every show on 174 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: Don Lemon, the morning shows, the afternoon shows, all of them. 175 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: The number of times in ten years of thousands of 176 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: appearances that CIA Public Affairs or any CI official call me. 177 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 1: I'll give you a guess it's a round figure. I 178 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 1: guess it's zero zero. I actually was surprised. I thought 179 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: they would actually call it once in a while and say, 180 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: there are some facts you might want to consider in 181 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: my answer to be well, I don't do facts, but 182 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,839 Speaker 1: I left government. I was actually a little surprised about it. 183 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 1: I think people don't believe that, but I don't know 184 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: what to say. I think the CIA was afraid I'd 185 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:47,719 Speaker 1: get out and say, you know that the CI is 186 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 1: trying to influence me or some mean but I was 187 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: one of the national security commentators for CNN, So anybody 188 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: who believes is conspiracy my personal experiences. They never called. 189 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 1: Never It's like trying to get a Dateton Heights. I 190 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: never got a call back. 191 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 5: Phil Let me contradict you here. 192 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: Did you call me. 193 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 5: Because I think you're wrong. 194 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 3: I can think of certainly one one thing where the 195 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 3: government did get involved in trying to shape it, and 196 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 3: this was when it's all in the press, where the 197 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:20,839 Speaker 3: Trump campaign actually worked with the National inquired David Pecker, right, 198 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 3: he's admitted this on the stand under. When you're calling 199 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 3: that journalism, I'm just saying this is a journalistic at 200 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 3: enterprise where they agreed to make up stories about Ted Cruz. 201 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 5: They also agreed. 202 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:34,839 Speaker 3: To make up stories. So this wasn't CIA doing it. No, 203 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 3: No was the CIA's boss. So there is actually an 204 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 3: example of this, but it's not the mainstream media. 205 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: The National Choir had a reputation back in the day. 206 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 1: I think they've declined a bit for breaking some of 207 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:47,959 Speaker 1: the best Hollywood stories there were. I mean, they were 208 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,960 Speaker 1: quite rigorous about what they did. But what I'm talking 209 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 1: about is before I joined CNN, which was I don't 210 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: remember in twenty twelve or two thirteen. I did Fox, 211 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: I did Al Jazeera, I did all of them in 212 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:00,959 Speaker 1: CNN offer a paycheck, So I, being a bright analyst, 213 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,199 Speaker 1: said I'll do that. But I'm not saying it doesn't 214 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 1: happen anywhere. I'm saying I had a ten year run 215 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,319 Speaker 1: of doing a lot of media, and not only did 216 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,200 Speaker 1: it not happen to me, I never witnessed it. I 217 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 1: never heard about it. I sat in the green room 218 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: at CNN with everybody from CI directors to senators. I 219 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: was in there a lot with Lindsey Graham back in 220 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 1: the day, a lot with the former CI director Michael Hayden. 221 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: It just never and again, I know people don't believe this. 222 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: It didn't happen. They CEI didn't call people, didn't try 223 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:33,920 Speaker 1: to influence this, and I never heard about this in 224 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: backroom conversations over cocktails, and believe me, I will drink 225 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:39,080 Speaker 1: a cocktail that didn't happen. 226 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 2: You hear people say often once an intelligence official, always 227 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 2: an intelligence official, or something like that. Essentially, once you retire, 228 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 2: the ant wants nothing to do with you. They want 229 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:49,520 Speaker 2: nothing to do For several years, I would try to 230 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 2: write in if I met somebody interesting or I got something, 231 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 2: and I've written a lot of pieces and I've gone 232 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 2: TV two. 233 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:55,600 Speaker 5: They don't care. 234 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 2: There's almost no back and forth. 235 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: I was assigned as Deputy Director National Security Brands at 236 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:02,840 Speaker 1: the FBI in two thousand and five. So I was 237 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:06,000 Speaker 1: deputy director of counter Terrorism at CIA, and then when 238 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 1: the FBI was under a lot of pressure to do 239 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: better on domestic intelligence, that is, make sure the next 240 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,160 Speaker 1: attack doesn't happen. When I moved over to the FBI, 241 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: almost instantaneously people at the CI head coders were like, 242 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: you don't work here. I tried to do some joint 243 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: training between the FBI agents and the CIA. The response 244 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 1: I won't name the officer whom you both know, but 245 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 1: was basically not only no, but FU were not doing 246 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,800 Speaker 1: this in that case. I was talking about doing interrogation training, 247 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:33,640 Speaker 1: which I learned a lot at the FED. The FBI 248 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: is very good at interrogations, not the things that were 249 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: done at our black sites, but they are very good. 250 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: So I thought, why don't we do some of this jointly? 251 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:44,080 Speaker 1: And the answer I got again was FU. So to 252 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: support your point, people think that there's a closed society 253 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:49,440 Speaker 1: and that when you leave there's a secret circle. It 254 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: was almost the reverse. Get the hell out of here, 255 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 1: don't call us, and don't let the door hit you 256 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: on the way out. If I could just a great 257 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: story about that. I quit when I was forty eight. 258 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:00,199 Speaker 1: I did not resign, which cost me a life lot 259 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 1: of retirement money and not maybe not the smartest move 260 00:12:02,679 --> 00:12:04,720 Speaker 1: I ever made. But I went to hand in my 261 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: badge at CI, and I had told Director Moller, the 262 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:08,800 Speaker 1: FBI director whom I worked for in the CIA, I'm 263 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:11,600 Speaker 1: not doing any events. I want out. I'm out, So 264 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: I wanted to you got to hand in your badge 265 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:15,679 Speaker 1: and you sign a bunch of documents saying I agree. 266 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: I'll never speak to podcasts about the secret things I 267 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 1: learned about. But I double parked going in because at 268 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:23,680 Speaker 1: that point there was a lot of hiring and the 269 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 1: CI parking lot was so full. So I'm like, it's 270 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:28,720 Speaker 1: going to take twenty minutes. I go out. There's a SPO, 271 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:31,560 Speaker 1: a security protective officer, a CI cop at my car. 272 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 1: He's like, you're double parked. I gotta give a ticket. 273 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 1: Where's your badge? On my twenty four years it's the 274 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: only day on the headquarters compound. I thought he was 275 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 1: going to put me in a handcuffs. I don't have 276 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 1: a badge. I just I didn't resign turn it in. 277 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 1: I resigned. So he said, thank you, get out of 278 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:50,840 Speaker 1: here and don't go back here. 279 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 2: Let's take a break. 280 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 5: We'll be right back. 281 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 3: And Rebecca phil I'm going to return to this thing 282 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,000 Speaker 3: because the question really is about what I think to 283 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 3: be respectable mainstream media people, journalists who don't come at 284 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 3: things with quite so much of a of a bias, 285 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 3: and you know, New York Times, Washington Post. 286 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:24,480 Speaker 5: Maybe some small bias, but they are real journalists. 287 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: I also would say there's a difference between a conspiracy 288 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: theory and what I witnessed the media. The media wants 289 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:33,839 Speaker 1: to make a story. So it's your responsibility, as a reader, 290 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: a listener, a watcher to say, I'm going to look 291 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:37,719 Speaker 1: at I mean to every day I look at the 292 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 1: Wall Street Journal, I look at BBC, I look at 293 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: the New York Times, I look at whatever else shows 294 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:44,559 Speaker 1: up on my feed to try to get a constellation 295 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 1: of perspectives. Because even if you trust a journalist, and 296 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,400 Speaker 1: I have done a million New York Times interviews in 297 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: my life, like all of us, a journalist is going 298 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: to have a perspective. Sure they like President Trump, they 299 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,560 Speaker 1: don't like President Trump. All of us have biases. That's 300 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,280 Speaker 1: different than going in saying actually the World Trade Center 301 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 1: was an inside hit job, which would require an epic 302 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 1: belief that tens of thousands of people knew that and 303 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 1: none of them ever went to CNN or NBC or 304 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:13,079 Speaker 1: Fox and spilled it. I mean, I had biases when 305 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,600 Speaker 1: I was on CNN, I knew him. I Mike, you're 306 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 1: paying me to comment, But again, you shouldn't watch me alone. 307 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 1: You should, you probably should, but maybe you should watch 308 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:24,880 Speaker 1: some Fox people. Make sure you read the Wall Street Journal. 309 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 1: It's very well written. Read the New York Times. BBC 310 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 1: is great because they give you a European perspective. Al 311 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: Jazeera is interesting. Read it and sort through yourself. 312 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 2: So, Phil, you're one of the few people who worked 313 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 2: in senior positions at both CIA and FBI. What perceptions 314 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 2: and misperceptions did you find those organizations have about each other? 315 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 2: And then you know then the same questions of the media, 316 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:48,000 Speaker 2: like what are the perceptions miss perceptions amongst those various organizations. 317 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:51,240 Speaker 1: I was at the senior levels like Director Moller, Robert Mueller, 318 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: who was obviously known for the rest of investigation, but 319 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:55,800 Speaker 1: was the director when I was at the FBI. I 320 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:57,920 Speaker 1: was his intelligence advisor. I saw him as often as 321 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: four times a day at that level. Relationship with the 322 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:03,480 Speaker 1: CI is excellent. He and George Tennant were great friends. 323 00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: They used to go out to dinner all the time. 324 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:07,240 Speaker 1: At that point. It's called Mahogany row at the FBI. 325 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: When you're on your Mahogany row, your job is to 326 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: make things work the further you move down into junior ranks, 327 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: and I suspect this is the same in corporate America. 328 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: I do a lot of consulting. You can get me 329 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: on Philip mud at gmail dot com. But the further 330 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,520 Speaker 1: you go down, the more prejudice you see. FBI. That 331 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:23,640 Speaker 1: guy I'm talking to the CI, he's using a fake name. 332 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 1: I can't trust him. He's a liar, he's a cheat. 333 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 1: His job is to flip people. CI. That guy's basically 334 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: a reform copy. Doesn't know anything about the world. He 335 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:35,320 Speaker 1: doesn't know anything about anything sophisticated beyond putting handcuffs on people. 336 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: I was actually quite disappointed with the CIA when I 337 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: left at some of what I saw. But they both 338 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:44,640 Speaker 1: had great strengths and great weaknesses. The CIA is very agile, 339 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: They move fast. They are huge risk takers. Partly remember 340 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:50,400 Speaker 1: they're dealing in an environment where they don't have to 341 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: go in front of a court of law. So you 342 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,360 Speaker 1: can break laws, you can steal a laptop, you can 343 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:57,800 Speaker 1: lie to somebody which is I'm a CI officer. That's 344 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: fine in terms of agilly, fast moving, and you'll look 345 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:03,240 Speaker 1: at how quickly they were into Afghanistan after nine to eleven. 346 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: Great talent. There are some smart fing people there. The 347 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 1: FBI is slower moving, but far more consistent about guidelines. 348 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: They have to go in front of a quart of 349 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: Wall much more management oriented in a good way. How 350 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: do you put a process into place to make sure 351 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: you do this properly? We did not do process at 352 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: the CIA. Much better training, I thought at the FBI. 353 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:28,120 Speaker 1: I thought in terms of talent, they also had quite 354 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:33,359 Speaker 1: good talent at the senior levels, but stultified CI agility 355 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: meant that it was difficult to manage. People would tell 356 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: the director, knowing that sometimes they shouldn't have. The FBI 357 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: was the reverse. I would joke around with Director Malo, which, 358 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 1: let me tell you, was not the easiest thing to do. 359 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: People treated him like he was made of marble. That 360 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: wouldn't happen at the CIA. You do not walk into 361 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:51,240 Speaker 1: the CI director and say yes, or you say no, 362 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:53,520 Speaker 1: we're not doing that. That's wrong. You don't do that. 363 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,119 Speaker 1: The FBI said both had great strikes and great weaknesses. 364 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 1: I'd close by saying I wish they could have learned 365 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:00,960 Speaker 1: more from each other, because they certainly could have. 366 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 3: Considering per Robert F. Kennedy Junior, we control the media. 367 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,320 Speaker 3: I have to say, in my thirty three years at 368 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:13,440 Speaker 3: the agency, I never not once talked to a journalist. 369 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:13,680 Speaker 1: John. 370 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,199 Speaker 3: I don't think you have either, Phil did you ever have. 371 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,159 Speaker 3: Did you have any media experience, any exposure to the 372 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:20,360 Speaker 3: media when you. 373 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 2: Were an anrest For Pete's sake, Dre, they're out there 374 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 2: on that time. 375 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 5: Yeah. 376 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:28,439 Speaker 1: Actually, George Tennant was a big personality, the former CI director. 377 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 1: He had his head of public Affairs, Bill Harlotte, wanted 378 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:34,879 Speaker 1: the agency CI to have a voice. After nine to eleven, 379 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:38,280 Speaker 1: the story of the CIA became the story of des Moines. 380 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:42,200 Speaker 1: What the CIA did wasn't just secret stuff. It affected 381 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 1: whether what happened with getting on an airplane in Iowa, 382 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:50,920 Speaker 1: it happened with alerts in California. So I think there 383 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,960 Speaker 1: was a sense, and maybe I'm being too apologetic, that 384 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,959 Speaker 1: we had a responsibility to speak to more people across 385 00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: America about what we did, because countering al Qaiedo was America. 386 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:04,359 Speaker 1: So Bill Harlowe said, you got to talk to the 387 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:07,239 Speaker 1: New York Times, Washington Post, and then my first on 388 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:12,359 Speaker 1: camera interview it was Tom Brokaw, and I was so scared. 389 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 1: He was so nice, but I was petrified. But yeah, 390 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 1: CEI wanted to put itself out and then when I 391 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:19,400 Speaker 1: got to the FBI, they did the same. We want 392 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:21,720 Speaker 1: to show that we're entering the intelligence world. So we're 393 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 1: going to make you go talk to BBC and everybody else. 394 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 1: Funny story. I did this through public affairs and a 395 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:31,199 Speaker 1: really aggressive producer. This really pissed me off from I 396 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:35,000 Speaker 1: forget NBCCBSAB one of them, a really aggressive producer, came 397 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,560 Speaker 1: in with public affairs to do an interview that they 398 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:39,960 Speaker 1: had requested through public affairs. So we're going out from 399 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:43,159 Speaker 1: my office again on Mahogany Road, the seventh floor, the 400 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 1: Director's floor at the FBI, and this lady I could 401 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:49,639 Speaker 1: if I were signed, we'd have an issue today. I 402 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:51,800 Speaker 1: never talked to her again after this said I forgot 403 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: my purse in your office. I said, okay, I'll take 404 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:55,600 Speaker 1: you back there, you pick up, we get back there. 405 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:58,280 Speaker 1: I didn't forget my purse. This going through public affairs 406 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: is ridiculous. You need to talk to me directly, and 407 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:04,200 Speaker 1: I'm like, you cannot be serious. So you just lied 408 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:06,760 Speaker 1: to me in an effort to make me do something 409 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:10,119 Speaker 1: that not only violates the ethics of the FBI and 410 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,560 Speaker 1: the CI, but also could get me fired. I don't 411 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: want to pretend like I'm holier than now, but she 412 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,960 Speaker 1: really pissed me off because we're taught in those environments. 413 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 1: You don't do that right, So long answer, But yeah, 414 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 1: I did a lot of media, which is how I 415 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:25,040 Speaker 1: got into CNN after I left, But it was all 416 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: through public affairs, and believe me, that was enough. 417 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:32,440 Speaker 2: To turn it back to RFK stuff Again. He talked 418 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 2: about the CIA controlling the media, but he's also talked 419 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 2: a lot about a thing he calls Operation mocking Bird. 420 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 2: And I know if you're familiar with that or not, 421 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 2: it's a conspiracy theory. And he says for years, through 422 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 2: Operation mocking Bird, the CIA secretly recruited journalists to help 423 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:51,479 Speaker 2: brainwash Americans. And he said Operation Mockingbird is alive and 424 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 2: well today and their job is to propagandize the American people. 425 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 5: So, Phil, we want to know what you were recruited 426 00:19:57,800 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 5: into Operation. 427 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 1: I was twenty four. CNN recruited me. Yes, you know 428 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:06,159 Speaker 1: again going back to I always go back to my 429 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:10,359 Speaker 1: analysts hat and ask people to do your mathematics. If 430 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:14,920 Speaker 1: that's true, that means that there are thousands of people 431 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,920 Speaker 1: who are aware of this over the years. Those thousands 432 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:20,320 Speaker 1: of people, not a single one of whom has ever 433 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: told their story. I can see how people who are 434 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,480 Speaker 1: having a beer say yeah, see I recruit. It's also illegal, 435 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 1: which means the Inspector General is to see and as 436 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: we all know around this table, the Inspector General is 437 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:37,080 Speaker 1: to brutal, brutal, they will kick your ass and then 438 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:40,360 Speaker 1: say how about now I take a bat to your head. 439 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 1: So they never inspected that. The Congress never looked at 440 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,679 Speaker 1: that after they found and that Congress is perfectly happy 441 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,520 Speaker 1: also to kick your ass. And the thousands of people 442 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,000 Speaker 1: in the media, none of them has ever come out 443 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 1: with data about this, which would be a terrific story. 444 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:59,639 Speaker 3: And it would be people's their financial wellbeing and their reputation. 445 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 3: Is No, I'm going to turn down this pulletzer and 446 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:05,199 Speaker 3: this huge promotion I can get by saying yes to 447 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:10,200 Speaker 3: this CIA guy who's offered me three hundred bucks a month, right, manipulating. 448 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,120 Speaker 1: How do you come up with all these people who 449 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,520 Speaker 1: might have declined those approaches. None of them ever spoke. 450 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 1: They're scared, really, after how many times the CI's been 451 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:19,160 Speaker 1: crushing the media, they're scared. 452 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:22,040 Speaker 2: Jarry and I were texting before the show and he 453 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 2: put it really well. He says, you know we have 454 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:25,880 Speaker 2: the aides there always be accused of running so many 455 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:29,240 Speaker 2: confluent and contradictory conspiracies that I don't know when we'd 456 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:31,399 Speaker 2: have time to go to the ground floor Starbucks, the 457 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 2: ten staff meetings, do performance review or gasp, even conduct 458 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 2: espionage related activity against iss North Korea. 459 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: To the comment, especially back early after nine to eleven, 460 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:45,000 Speaker 1: people would talk about their phones being listened to. I'm like, okay, yeah, 461 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,680 Speaker 1: there is three hundred and thirty million Americans who's talking 462 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:52,000 Speaker 1: about cheating on their wife going to McDonald's, who's listening. 463 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: And I'm sorry to make your life seem less and significant, 464 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:01,879 Speaker 1: but if you're banging your secretary, nobody cares. Your wife cares. 465 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:03,000 Speaker 1: But that's about it. 466 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 3: So, Phil, I'm going to ask you to cast your 467 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:06,800 Speaker 3: mind back and see if I'm the only one that 468 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:11,120 Speaker 3: remembers this. So this is twenty ten, twenty eleven, and 469 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 3: there was a guy by the name of Michael. 470 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:15,480 Speaker 5: Furlong and he was not an agency guy. 471 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:17,760 Speaker 1: He was Doddia. 472 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:21,160 Speaker 3: He came to the agency and I was in this 473 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 3: meeting and I think you were in CTC at the time, 474 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:27,119 Speaker 3: and he says, I got this great idea. We're running 475 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:31,160 Speaker 3: with this former CIA guy, Dewey Clarice, who's an agent's 476 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 3: infamous agency guy, and he says, to get garner intelligence 477 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 3: in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are going out and we 478 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 3: are basically recruiting journalists and stringers and people who helped journalists, 479 00:22:48,359 --> 00:22:50,840 Speaker 3: and we've hired all these guys and so like when 480 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 3: a New York Times journalist comes out, he's got to 481 00:22:53,119 --> 00:22:55,679 Speaker 3: get a fixer and a guy who, like you can 482 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,600 Speaker 3: translate for him. And we're hiring those guys. And he said, 483 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 3: Peter Bergen can co talk to been lied and next 484 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:02,439 Speaker 3: time he does that, we're going to kill him. And 485 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:06,200 Speaker 3: I remember sitting in this meeting going we're not allowed to. 486 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:08,880 Speaker 1: Do this with illegal This isn't illegal. 487 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:10,440 Speaker 3: And yeah, and so this went up the this went 488 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,359 Speaker 3: up the chain and reported this meeting, and Furulong went up. 489 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:16,760 Speaker 3: Not only was he fired for this idea but DD 490 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 3: but he went up on charges. 491 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:20,120 Speaker 5: I don't know if he was ever found guilty. 492 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:26,480 Speaker 3: People don't realize the incredible like partition between the world 493 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 3: of journalism and the world of intelligence that we maintained. 494 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:32,400 Speaker 5: But that really underlined for me just how serious. 495 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:35,760 Speaker 2: Philly you served really in the middle of the counter 496 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:39,800 Speaker 2: terrorism fight. Both at CIA and FBI, Like, looking back 497 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,760 Speaker 2: at it, how do you think we, the US government 498 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 2: or we either the CI FBI did in retrospect. 499 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:47,359 Speaker 5: Over those years. 500 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:50,919 Speaker 1: Look, there's a lot of noise. Did we treat prisoners appropriately? 501 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,800 Speaker 1: Were there questions about American values? I've got those. I 502 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:56,400 Speaker 1: wrote a few books when I've gone on tour their 503 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 1: appropriate questions. These are questions about American values. If you 504 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:02,679 Speaker 1: had gone out on September eleventh in two thousand and 505 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:06,119 Speaker 1: one and said, after the attacks, there will not be 506 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:08,919 Speaker 1: another one of these events, you're going to get fewer 507 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:11,439 Speaker 1: than ten percent of Americans who would say that. The 508 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 1: Fact is that nobody believed in an open society a 509 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:18,400 Speaker 1: second attack could be stopped, and as we know from 510 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:21,320 Speaker 1: the intelligence collection, it was planning for a second attack, 511 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:24,119 Speaker 1: what we call the second wave, and it didn't happen. 512 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: There's a lot of kids who have parents and a 513 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:30,600 Speaker 1: lot of parents who have kids today because of aggressive 514 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 1: and maybe sometimes I would agree with this hyper aggressive 515 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 1: counter terrorism operations, but the second wave never happened. I 516 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:42,040 Speaker 1: think some of what we did waterboarding, for example, was questionable, 517 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: but preventing a second wave, I think follow on generations 518 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:51,720 Speaker 1: will not fully understand what that took and how surprising 519 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:54,480 Speaker 1: it was that didn't happen. All it takes is three 520 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:58,919 Speaker 1: people to take over some public transportation and it didn't happen. 521 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:02,159 Speaker 1: It's incredible, especially since you know, if you look at 522 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:04,320 Speaker 1: the three of us, this is the crew you have 523 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:04,840 Speaker 1: to work with. 524 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:07,520 Speaker 5: That's a miracle. 525 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,199 Speaker 3: Then, oh my god, when you go into town and 526 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:14,160 Speaker 3: you're at the piggled Wiggledy. How do you see people 527 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:18,399 Speaker 3: thinking of mainstream media as like a singular organism, as 528 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 3: opposed to can of worms compeding worms. 529 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:22,840 Speaker 5: What's your sense of it. 530 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: That's a good question. I'm going to We've been joking 531 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:27,680 Speaker 1: a lot, but I'm going to give you a serious answer. 532 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 1: I'm a little surprised in the age of fragmented media 533 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: and people's ability to find whatever they want on the 534 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 1: Internet about how much leadership matters. If you tell people 535 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:37,880 Speaker 1: you can't trust media, if you tell them you can't 536 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 1: trust the church, if you tell them you can't trust 537 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:43,280 Speaker 1: the police, if you say it a thousand times, they 538 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 1: will believe it from people that they believe in. I 539 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,520 Speaker 1: don't talk about what I did here with CNN because 540 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:51,680 Speaker 1: partly because it's boring, but also I think a lot 541 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 1: of people would not like it. Where I live now, 542 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:56,880 Speaker 1: the conversations that I have, and I've been out here 543 00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:00,240 Speaker 1: almost a quarter century, avoid that. We talk about the other, 544 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:02,919 Speaker 1: about how your tomatoes are doing, about how the cows 545 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 1: are doing. There's a lot of conversation out here about prices, 546 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: about cost of living, and I think most of them 547 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:11,920 Speaker 1: know what my background is. I've had a few people 548 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,040 Speaker 1: just drive up randomly and park and ask me about life, 549 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:18,120 Speaker 1: but we avoid it and try to stick with every 550 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:21,199 Speaker 1: day all American stuff. It's not fake though, It's not 551 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,480 Speaker 1: like purposely, It's more like, what's important here is we 552 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: haven't had rain in a while. That's a problem where 553 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:29,840 Speaker 1: I live. What's important here is what are you doing 554 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: for the town fair? The town fair is coming up 555 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,199 Speaker 1: in a few weeks. People are interested in that. I 556 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: think the problem is really basic, and that is Ronald 557 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 1: Reagan taught people to say there's a shining city on 558 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 1: a hill, and part of my interpretation to that is 559 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:48,119 Speaker 1: a politicians' responsibility is to say we can do better. 560 00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:50,720 Speaker 1: That's a vote leader. I'm going to lead people to 561 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 1: a better place. We have vote followers who will say 562 00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:57,080 Speaker 1: if the followers want a conspiracy theory and that gets 563 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:00,560 Speaker 1: me elected. I will go lower. Look at the terms 564 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:03,200 Speaker 1: of office for congressmen and senators over the last two 565 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 1: hundred years. We used to have citizen politicians. We now 566 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,960 Speaker 1: have politicians citizens politicians who have never had a job 567 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,920 Speaker 1: and they can't afford to lose an election. So I 568 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:16,879 Speaker 1: think there's a lot of vote followers and not a 569 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,480 Speaker 1: lot of vote leaders. Ron Rayrio, I thought was a 570 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: vote leader. I used to like Lindsay Graham. He's a 571 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 1: vote follower. He's a smart guy, he's actually, behind the scenes, 572 00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:26,880 Speaker 1: a nice guy. He's a vote follower. 573 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:28,880 Speaker 2: There's a public perception there's a lot of a text 574 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 2: at the FBI out there now that the FBI is 575 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:34,200 Speaker 2: up to no good and they're deeply involved in politics. 576 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 2: How do you process that? 577 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 1: I find it interesting, going back to as an analysis, 578 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:40,720 Speaker 1: just I do facts. As you look at most of 579 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: what the FBI does, especially things like white collar crime, 580 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 1: gang violence, human trafficking. They do some drug work, a 581 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:51,199 Speaker 1: lot of counter terrorism work, obviously counterintelligence work. The sliver 582 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:55,800 Speaker 1: that America sees with a political hat on is like minuscule. 583 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:57,600 Speaker 1: When I was at the Bureau, we'd get in at 584 00:27:57,840 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 1: like six thirty in the morning. The first briefing was 585 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,080 Speaker 1: with the director Malreate. I think it was seven fifteen, so 586 00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:03,719 Speaker 1: that was counter terrors and briefing. Then you go down 587 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:05,720 Speaker 1: and talk to the attorney general. I was there with 588 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:08,560 Speaker 1: three attorneys general, one Republican and two Democrats. And then 589 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,159 Speaker 1: you go up to the staff meeting. So there's like 590 00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:12,000 Speaker 1: a two and a half hours where I'm watching the 591 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,719 Speaker 1: inner workings of the FBI. As a CIA guy, the 592 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 1: political stuff, like political investigations were just minuscule. So I 593 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 1: go back to people and say, when you're thinking about 594 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:25,680 Speaker 1: white collar crime like Enron back in the day, or 595 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 1: people cheating on stock dealing in Manhattan today, or you're 596 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:33,400 Speaker 1: thinking about drug trafficking, human trafficking, if you're thinking about 597 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:35,800 Speaker 1: political corruption in the sense of somebody at a city 598 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,440 Speaker 1: council getting paid off for a contract, do you not 599 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 1: want that to happen? And what percentage of what the 600 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:44,000 Speaker 1: FBI does do you think is hitting your inbox? That's 601 00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:46,920 Speaker 1: one tenth of one percent. The FBI people I dealt 602 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:49,440 Speaker 1: with like, we wear blue suits and white shirts and 603 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 1: blue ties, and we want to make sure America is 604 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:54,160 Speaker 1: better because we got two kids, and we live in Peoria. 605 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,720 Speaker 1: They were great. I just it's again, leadership has allowed 606 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:00,360 Speaker 1: people to believe that your institutions are corrupt. It's just 607 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:01,080 Speaker 1: not what I saw. 608 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:04,560 Speaker 3: Okay, let's take a break from the craziness just for 609 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:05,320 Speaker 3: a minute. 610 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:13,200 Speaker 1: Or two, and we're back. 611 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 3: Phil touching on that and looking into the future maybe 612 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:20,320 Speaker 3: just a bit. We have seen a lot in the 613 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:24,360 Speaker 3: press about now people on one side of the aisle saying, 614 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:29,840 Speaker 3: either civilly or criminally, we are coming after civil servants 615 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:34,680 Speaker 3: or particular people. You've got Jim Jordan, You've got Steve Bannon. 616 00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 3: They're naming names, and they're not saying they've done anything wrong. 617 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:41,640 Speaker 3: They're simply saying, we're coming for you, and without a 618 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 3: predicate right, without a reason, we are gonna do this. 619 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:47,280 Speaker 3: And of course, with the Supreme Court recently saying that 620 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:50,120 Speaker 3: the Executive can now talk to the DOJ and it's 621 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,480 Speaker 3: protected right, which whereas before if the White House said 622 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,040 Speaker 3: I want you to go prosecute that guy, certainly, at 623 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:58,920 Speaker 3: least since the KNDy administration, you couldn't do that. What's 624 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:02,360 Speaker 3: your sense of the institution of the FBI and DOJ. 625 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:04,800 Speaker 3: How would that look if we went down that road. 626 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 1: My first question is who's the leader of that agency. 627 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:10,080 Speaker 1: Is that agency more beholden to the White House or 628 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:13,560 Speaker 1: to the workforce. This will be a time when presidential 629 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:16,600 Speaker 1: nominations of Secretary of Defense, secretary or State ci director, 630 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:20,440 Speaker 1: FBI director are really important because if there's pressure, those 631 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 1: people have to absorb the pressure. I can say this 632 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 1: may be too personal, but years ago President Trump got 633 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:30,400 Speaker 1: on his Twitter feed and suggested that he would remove 634 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:31,440 Speaker 1: my security clearance. 635 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 5: That's right. 636 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 1: Let me tell you whether it's a Democrat or Republican. 637 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: If you have somebody of that authority attacking at that 638 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:41,640 Speaker 1: point a private citizen, that citizen has to pay attention 639 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: to his security. I had to think about my father 640 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:46,960 Speaker 1: was agent, whether to move him out of my house 641 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:50,720 Speaker 1: because of the hate mail is getting At a personal level, 642 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 1: I don't think American citizens recognize when the government comes 643 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,239 Speaker 1: after people what it does. I'm not saying this is 644 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 1: Republicans are bad or Democrats. I'm saying there is a 645 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:02,200 Speaker 1: one to one percent fringe that will take that and 646 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 1: say you need to fucking die. I did. I don't 647 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,760 Speaker 1: know if I've ever said this publicly. Pursue One case 648 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 1: of a death threat and he's pled guilty. The guy 649 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 1: said he wanted to kill me, and my answer was off, 650 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 1: I'm going to court. And his lawyer was pissed off 651 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,080 Speaker 1: because I said I'm not doing it anymore. I got 652 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: a lot of hate mail. But my point is, I 653 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:28,560 Speaker 1: don't think people recognize that there's a fringe of America 654 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:32,240 Speaker 1: that doesn't react like them, that says I'm taking that personally. 655 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 1: And when the government comes after Jim or John or 656 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 1: Joe or Mary, that person says I'm going after him too. 657 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 1: That the hate in this country what I witnessed when 658 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:45,480 Speaker 1: I was at CNN was incredible. People will say anything 659 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:47,680 Speaker 1: on email. Hope you die of cancer, I hope your 660 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: family dies of cancer. 661 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:53,120 Speaker 2: When you talk about the leadership protecting the people under them, 662 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:55,200 Speaker 2: and there's a lot of talk now after the Supreme 663 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 2: Court immunity decision that, for example, if you give the 664 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 2: military illegal orders, people will refuse that illegal order. I 665 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:06,120 Speaker 2: worry that we can't count on honorable people refusing illegal orders. 666 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 2: We've seen for Judge Bork in the Saturday Night masker 667 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 2: under Nixon, or Justin Clark in the twenty twenty election. 668 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 2: If you Phil mutter an honorable guy, and you refuse 669 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:17,600 Speaker 2: an order, they'll just go to the next guy and 670 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 2: he'll refuse the order. If someone is going to do 671 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:21,600 Speaker 2: the illegal. 672 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: Ad I think that's right. I thought that Supreme Court 673 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:26,480 Speaker 1: allowed a tremendous amount of latitude. I went back to 674 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: the nineteen sixties and campus unrest. If you order police 675 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,320 Speaker 1: to shoot on campus protesters who are nonviolent. As a 676 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:36,600 Speaker 1: non lawyer, it's not clear to me that someone would 677 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:40,600 Speaker 1: say that's a presidential order, go shoot on protesters as 678 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: they did in the nineteen sixties, Go shoot on protesters 679 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:48,120 Speaker 1: at Kent State and that's covered, is it really? Or 680 00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:51,240 Speaker 1: would you say that's actually an illegitimate order so therefore 681 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:52,360 Speaker 1: it's don't I don't know. 682 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:55,920 Speaker 3: People probably wouldn't give a direct order, although apparently Trump 683 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:59,160 Speaker 3: tried to like to go shoot protesters, just shoot him 684 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:01,080 Speaker 3: in the leg right, I think it would be much 685 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:03,160 Speaker 3: more likely and in our world have rid me of 686 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:06,760 Speaker 3: this troublesome priest right right now, you know, So I 687 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,160 Speaker 3: do want it to just touch on. I think the 688 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:11,520 Speaker 3: press will be if we go Downnate Avenue, which I'm 689 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:14,280 Speaker 3: really hopeful that we don't. The press, the media that 690 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 3: we're talking about is going to be one of the 691 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:20,520 Speaker 3: really important things. Right, If people start getting prosecuted without 692 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:23,280 Speaker 3: a real predicate, we're really going to need the press. 693 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:25,840 Speaker 3: And I want to come back where we started off 694 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 3: real briefly to RFK. So, Phil, you said that conspiracy 695 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:34,440 Speaker 3: theories often contain a kernel of truth, and that's that's 696 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:38,160 Speaker 3: almost always the best one. Yeah, right, And so RFK 697 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:41,040 Speaker 3: his Operation mocking Bird, and I invite the audience to 698 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 3: take a look. There really was an Operation mocking Bird 699 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:47,800 Speaker 3: in the US, and it involved illegal orders. This is 700 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:50,400 Speaker 3: in nineteen sixty two, right, So this is sixty friggin 701 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:57,880 Speaker 3: years ago, President Kennedy. So, RFK Junior's uncle ordered CIA, 702 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:02,760 Speaker 3: and I think illegally and shameful, to monitor two US 703 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:07,360 Speaker 3: journalists who were publishing classified information that they were getting 704 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:13,120 Speaker 3: from leakers, and his own father, RFK approved this order, 705 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:17,960 Speaker 3: and for less than a year, CIA bugged to journalists 706 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:19,960 Speaker 3: and it went into the Crown Jewels, right. It was 707 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:23,080 Speaker 3: the Crown Jewels being like the great mistakes that the 708 00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:25,680 Speaker 3: CIA have made that come out in the seventies at 709 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:28,000 Speaker 3: the Church Commission, and it became one of the great 710 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,440 Speaker 3: shameful things that the CIA has done, and Apparently Operation 711 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:35,439 Speaker 3: Mockingberg was very successful because Kennedy was able to find 712 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,239 Speaker 3: out who was feeding these two journalists. It was like 713 00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:41,799 Speaker 3: mostly politicians. It was senators and congressmen. 714 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:43,799 Speaker 2: I think there's an assumption on some of these things 715 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:46,600 Speaker 2: that leaking is coming from the intelligence community. That's my 716 00:34:46,640 --> 00:34:49,840 Speaker 2: guess is ninety percent of leaks are coming from inside 717 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:53,160 Speaker 2: the administration or the Congress. People who are interested in 718 00:34:53,200 --> 00:34:55,400 Speaker 2: a specific policy outcome leak things. 719 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:58,240 Speaker 1: You leak things because you have an interest in a policy. 720 00:34:58,440 --> 00:35:00,640 Speaker 1: There's also a lot of personal I don't like that guy. 721 00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:03,279 Speaker 5: Scor Settlee. People may not realize it. 722 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 3: I think we need to put out there as agency 723 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:08,359 Speaker 3: officers in the Intelligence Committee, every five years we take 724 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:11,239 Speaker 3: a polygraph and that's one of the things they ask us, like, 725 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:14,719 Speaker 3: we get fired with do that unlike congressmen and others. 726 00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:16,919 Speaker 1: Yes, I did. Thankfully I'm out of that business because 727 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:19,520 Speaker 1: I think the President Trump, if he comes back, I 728 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,400 Speaker 1: can't take away my security clearance because I don't think 729 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:21,960 Speaker 1: I do. 730 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 5: Yeah. I think he's threatened to talk to Yeah. Yeah. 731 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:27,360 Speaker 2: A guy who couldn't get a security clearance on his 732 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:29,320 Speaker 2: own is claiming to take away ours. 733 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:31,880 Speaker 3: So Phil, why do you think a lot of people 734 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:36,160 Speaker 3: are inclined to believe that an organization like the CIA 735 00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 3: controls the liberal media or the mainstream media. I mean, 736 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:42,120 Speaker 3: what is it about CIA or the liberal media that 737 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:44,440 Speaker 3: makes this of interest to them? And why do you 738 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:45,279 Speaker 3: think they believe it? 739 00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:48,440 Speaker 1: I think there's a couple basic things. Number one, black box, 740 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:50,879 Speaker 1: I don't know what the CIA is, and so there's 741 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:54,080 Speaker 1: an interesting conspiracy theory out there the CI is involved, 742 00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:58,279 Speaker 1: those people are not real Americans. There's spies in Istanbul, 743 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:02,040 Speaker 1: or Tehran or or Mosque. Also, yeah, I can conceive 744 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:03,680 Speaker 1: of them doing that because the only thing I've ever 745 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:06,880 Speaker 1: seen is James Bond. So I think a lot of people, 746 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:09,600 Speaker 1: in other words, are saying the media must be parroting this, 747 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:12,920 Speaker 1: not because they believe it. Who the hell would believe that, 748 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:16,879 Speaker 1: but because somebody told them or sold them to believe that. 749 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:20,520 Speaker 1: But the black Box piece. People like conspiracies, People like 750 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:24,080 Speaker 1: stories that are more interesting than real life. People like aliens. 751 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:28,640 Speaker 1: You know, Area of fifty seven, fifty eight, fifty fifty one, 752 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:30,719 Speaker 1: whatever it is. I've never been there. I'm sure there 753 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:31,600 Speaker 1: are aliens there. 754 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:35,160 Speaker 2: But for the people who believe this conspiracy, what do 755 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:37,480 Speaker 2: you think they believe the CIA is agenda is why 756 00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:38,920 Speaker 2: CIA power. 757 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,640 Speaker 1: If you look at what motivates people, it's power, money, 758 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:45,160 Speaker 1: and sex. I think anybody looking to c I would say, 759 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:48,080 Speaker 1: of course, they want to control Washington. So if you 760 00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:50,800 Speaker 1: want to control Washington, you have to control the media. 761 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:55,560 Speaker 1: I think there's also a sense that the CIA tries 762 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:59,399 Speaker 1: to control governments overseas. That's what they do. They try 763 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:02,080 Speaker 1: to influence. Of course, they would try to influence events 764 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:06,000 Speaker 1: in Washington, that's what they do overseas. I think the 765 00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:09,400 Speaker 1: fundamental piece of what I learned about the CIA is first, 766 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:12,920 Speaker 1: their brand is great, like they don't need to improve. 767 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:14,920 Speaker 1: You want to go recruit to college campus, say you're 768 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:17,560 Speaker 1: recruiting for CI, some people might protest. And I did 769 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:20,040 Speaker 1: a little recruiting there. There's a lot of twenty three 770 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:22,640 Speaker 1: year olds. You'll be like, that is too fricking cool. 771 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:25,320 Speaker 1: So if you think they want power to increase the brand, 772 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:29,520 Speaker 1: not so much. The other thing I'd say is when 773 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:32,960 Speaker 1: I was there, we were driven by I want to 774 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:34,880 Speaker 1: be the smartest guy in the room. You want to 775 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:37,040 Speaker 1: know what's happening in Iran. You want to know what's 776 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:39,480 Speaker 1: happening in Russia. You want to know what's happening in 777 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:43,080 Speaker 1: North Korea. You talk to US. I once had I 778 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:46,239 Speaker 1: won't drop a name, but the National Security Advisor of 779 00:37:46,239 --> 00:37:49,480 Speaker 1: the United States look at me and say, why do 780 00:37:49,560 --> 00:37:53,839 Speaker 1: you work there? You guys do information, you don't do decisions. 781 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,520 Speaker 1: And I realized I like to know how stuff works, 782 00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:01,320 Speaker 1: and I like to I was actually I was raised 783 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:03,920 Speaker 1: by my mother as a writer. I like to write, 784 00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:06,680 Speaker 1: and I later learned I like to speak, which I 785 00:38:06,719 --> 00:38:10,320 Speaker 1: did on CNN. But the CIA is actually interested in 786 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:12,560 Speaker 1: and explained to people how the world works. And that's 787 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:16,640 Speaker 1: that was really motivating. Really like it's interesting to go 788 00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:18,960 Speaker 1: into the White House and say this is what's going 789 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:21,400 Speaker 1: on with al Qaieda. I did that with President Bush 790 00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:24,320 Speaker 1: and he asked me once whether or not to cancel. 791 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:29,000 Speaker 1: I've never said this. July fourth celebrations me in Washington. 792 00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:32,799 Speaker 3: Really interesting up until you let did it matter to 793 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:35,640 Speaker 3: you at all? Whether you served a Republican or a 794 00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 3: Democratic administration? 795 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,000 Speaker 1: It mattered about the people because some of them were 796 00:38:40,160 --> 00:38:43,520 Speaker 1: tremendous pain in the ass. Bill Clinton had some people 797 00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:45,680 Speaker 1: on the National Streety staff who asked a billion. They 798 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:48,040 Speaker 1: were a pain in the ass. I'd go back to 799 00:38:48,239 --> 00:38:52,480 Speaker 1: President Bush, Don Rumsfeld's staff, Doug Fight's pain in the ass. 800 00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:55,680 Speaker 1: So it wasn't really political. It was like it was 801 00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:58,759 Speaker 1: harder with the Bush people on a rock because they 802 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:01,200 Speaker 1: really wanted a story, and they if you gave them 803 00:39:01,239 --> 00:39:03,040 Speaker 1: an answer they didn't like, they'd ask the question a 804 00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:05,439 Speaker 1: different way, then a different way, than a different way, 805 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:08,000 Speaker 1: and so we were believe it or not. Eventually told 806 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:10,640 Speaker 1: when you're getting a similar question, you are not allowed 807 00:39:10,680 --> 00:39:13,920 Speaker 1: to recraft the answer because if you use the wrong words, 808 00:39:14,239 --> 00:39:16,280 Speaker 1: they'll twist the words and say, why did you change 809 00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 1: that word? It was ridiculous and that was some of 810 00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:21,360 Speaker 1: the Clinton staff and some of the Bush staff, and 811 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:25,080 Speaker 1: my recollection. It was people who were just trying to 812 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:26,799 Speaker 1: take our information and abuse it. 813 00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:31,280 Speaker 2: So, Phil, I do you mentioned that you resigned instead 814 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:34,160 Speaker 2: of retiring, And it's a big deal in government. If 815 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:38,120 Speaker 2: you spend twenty years in or whatever it is, you 816 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:40,800 Speaker 2: can retire with some version of a pension or so 817 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:42,879 Speaker 2: why did you leave when you did? 818 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:45,400 Speaker 1: Let me be clear about how significant this was for me. 819 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:47,440 Speaker 1: I was forty eight years old when I made the decision. 820 00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:49,920 Speaker 1: You can retire in my world at fifty five, so 821 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:52,919 Speaker 1: that's seven years out. If you quit at forty eight, 822 00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:55,440 Speaker 1: you take a seven year penalty. So that means, and 823 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:57,480 Speaker 1: I just turned sixty two this year, that means you 824 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:01,480 Speaker 1: take you go from fifty f five to sixty two, 825 00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:03,799 Speaker 1: you don't get any money till you're sixty two. So 826 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:06,160 Speaker 1: when I'm forty eight, I'm saying, if I leave, I 827 00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:08,919 Speaker 1: don't see a dime for fourteen years, and I don't 828 00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:11,000 Speaker 1: know how to make a living. So that's a different story. 829 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:14,000 Speaker 1: Ani made a living, But I was nominated by President 830 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:16,440 Speaker 1: Obama to be the head of intelligence at Homeland Security 831 00:40:16,719 --> 00:40:19,840 Speaker 1: and as when you enter as a GS nine twenty 832 00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:23,160 Speaker 1: two thousand dollars a year analyst, to be nominated for 833 00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:27,080 Speaker 1: a Senate confirmed position by the president is big fucking deal. 834 00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:29,359 Speaker 1: I didn't know President Obama. I think I knew who 835 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:32,440 Speaker 1: teed me up, but that requires Senate confirmation, which is 836 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:36,560 Speaker 1: an open hearing. At that point, going into the hearing process, 837 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:39,640 Speaker 1: I was the only CIA official who was going to 838 00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:42,520 Speaker 1: go into an open hearing for a job. The Democrat said, 839 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:45,919 Speaker 1: we're going to crush him for torture. The Republican said, 840 00:40:45,960 --> 00:40:48,520 Speaker 1: we're going to have him explain why the CIA was 841 00:40:48,719 --> 00:40:51,520 Speaker 1: great in terms of dealing with al Qaeda in black sites. 842 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:53,800 Speaker 1: We're going to use this as a It had nothing 843 00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:55,680 Speaker 1: to do with the job I was assigned to. That 844 00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:57,960 Speaker 1: was fine. I'm perfectly happy as you guys known to 845 00:40:57,960 --> 00:40:59,960 Speaker 1: take on a fight. You want to brawl, I will brawl. 846 00:41:00,680 --> 00:41:03,600 Speaker 1: Two other things happened. Members of the committee I think 847 00:41:03,640 --> 00:41:05,840 Speaker 1: I know who they are, started calling media saying you 848 00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:07,520 Speaker 1: should show up to this because it's going to be 849 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:10,200 Speaker 1: a blood bath. And then the worst part is when 850 00:41:10,239 --> 00:41:13,080 Speaker 1: the White House was doing nose counting for the confirmation, 851 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:18,240 Speaker 1: that sense was Democrats might not support denomination, which unless 852 00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:20,759 Speaker 1: you don't pay your maid because she's Guatemala, and that 853 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:23,840 Speaker 1: doesn't happen, you do not get turned down by the 854 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:27,440 Speaker 1: So I realized that this was going to be a 855 00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:29,600 Speaker 1: clown show and a clown. I was happy with the 856 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:32,479 Speaker 1: clown show, but that more than likely after the clown show, 857 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:34,759 Speaker 1: I would be turned down. And I knew I did 858 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:36,520 Speaker 1: not have a future at the age of forty eight. 859 00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:39,040 Speaker 1: The CIA thought you'd been gone for four and a 860 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:40,960 Speaker 1: half years of the FBI. We don't give a shit. 861 00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:44,640 Speaker 1: I didn't have a future at the FBI. So I 862 00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:49,239 Speaker 1: remember literally looking in the mirror one day, saying if 863 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:54,279 Speaker 1: you had any courage, you'd leave. And I remember realizing, 864 00:41:54,320 --> 00:41:57,719 Speaker 1: if you do that, you can't pay the mortgage. And 865 00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:00,200 Speaker 1: so I chose not paying the mortgage over being told 866 00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:01,960 Speaker 1: by the Senate that you're a fool. 867 00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:03,960 Speaker 2: You could have I would have taken you could have 868 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,080 Speaker 2: hidden an overseas station for a couple of years. 869 00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:12,160 Speaker 5: Today you got to Paris. I said, I said you 870 00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:12,920 Speaker 5: to lose Soka. 871 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:17,600 Speaker 1: Man, yeah, no, So I it worked out fine. I 872 00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:21,200 Speaker 1: thank god. I was really scared because I was having 873 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:24,759 Speaker 1: a trouble at that point literally paying my mortgage. I 874 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:28,680 Speaker 1: was behind a few times with the bank, and man 875 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:29,560 Speaker 1: was I scared. 876 00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:33,080 Speaker 5: But so much for power, sex and money. 877 00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:35,759 Speaker 1: A little bit of California cabernet that'll get you through it? 878 00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:37,560 Speaker 5: Is that what you're drinking? 879 00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:37,719 Speaker 1: Now? 880 00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:38,600 Speaker 5: What are you drinking now? 881 00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:41,239 Speaker 1: One of the local Virginia grapes is Petit Verdau in 882 00:42:41,239 --> 00:42:45,520 Speaker 1: the local vineyard Starn Valley does a terrific petite for dough. 883 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:49,200 Speaker 1: It's a velvety, smooth. The owners are friends of mine, 884 00:42:49,239 --> 00:42:52,320 Speaker 1: so I tried to patronize Virginia wines and this is 885 00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:54,879 Speaker 1: a really good star in the valley. Petit for dou 886 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:55,479 Speaker 1: really good. 887 00:42:55,640 --> 00:42:57,759 Speaker 5: Well, come to Hawaii and I'll make you my tie. 888 00:42:57,800 --> 00:42:58,320 Speaker 5: How's that? 889 00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:00,279 Speaker 1: It's good to see you, guys. I don't do this 890 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,399 Speaker 1: much anymore. I just grow tomatoes and play with the dog. 891 00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:07,120 Speaker 2: Well, thank you for bearing with us. We'll be back 892 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:09,960 Speaker 2: again next week with another episode of Mission Implausible. 893 00:43:14,880 --> 00:43:19,960 Speaker 6: Mission Implausible is produced by Adam Davidson, Jerry O'shay, John Seipher, 894 00:43:20,239 --> 00:43:21,600 Speaker 6: and Jonathan Sterner. 895 00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:24,040 Speaker 5: The associate producer is Rachel Harner. 896 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:28,080 Speaker 6: Mission Implausible is a production of honorable mention and abominable 897 00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:30,120 Speaker 6: pictures for iHeart Podcasts.