Nearly 15 years ago, I informed my skeptical father that I was pursuing a job with the Central Intelligence Agency. Among his many concerns was that others would never believe I had resigned from the agency when I sought my next job. “Once CIA, always CIA,” he said. But that didn’t give me pause. This wouldn’t be just my first real job, I thought then; it would be my career.
That changed when I formally resigned last week. Despite working proudly for Republican and Democratic presidents, I reluctantly concluded that I cannot in good faith serve this administration as an intelligence professional.
This was not a decision I made lightly. I sought out the CIA as a college student, convinced that it was the ideal place to serve my country and put an otherwise abstract international-relations degree to use. I wasn’t disappointed.
The CIA taught me new skills and exposed me to new cultures and countries. More important, it instilled in me a sense of mission and purpose. As an analyst, I became an expert in terrorist groups and traveled the world to help deter and disrupt attacks. The administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama took the CIA’s input seriously. There was no greater reward than having my analysis presented to the president and seeing it shape events. Intelligence informing policy – this is how the system is supposed to work. I saw that up close for the past three years at the White House, where I worked on loan from the CIA until last month.
As a candidate, Donald Trump’s rhetoric suggested that he intended to take a different approach. I watched in disbelief when, during the third presidential debate, Trump casually cast doubt on the high-confidence conclusion of our 17 intelligence agencies, released that month, that Russia was behind the hacking and release of election-related emails. On the campaign trail and even as president-elect, Trump routinely referred to the flawed 2002 assessment of Iraq’s weapons programs as proof that the CIA couldn’t be trusted – even though the intelligence community had long ago held itself to account for those mistakes and Trump himself supported the invasion of Iraq.
Trump’s actions in office have been even more disturbing. His visit to CIA headquarters on his first full day in office, an overture designed to repair relations, was undone by his ego and bluster. Standing in front of a memorial to the CIA’s fallen officers, he seemed to be addressing the cameras and reporters in the room, rather than the agency personnel in front of them, bragging about his inauguration crowd the previous day. Whether delusional or deceitful, these were not the remarks many of my former colleagues and I wanted to hear from our new commander in chief. I couldn’t help but reflect on the stark contrast between the bombast of the new president and the quiet dedication of a mentor – a courageous, dedicated professional – who is memorialized on that wall. I know others at CIA felt similarly.
The final straw came late last month, when the White House issued a directive reorganizing the National Security Council, on whose staff I served from 2014 until earlier this year. Missing from the NSC’s principals committee were the CIA director and the director of national intelligence. Added to the roster: the president’s chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, who cut his teeth as a media champion of white nationalism.
The public outcry led the administration to reverse course and name the CIA director an NSC principal, but the White House’s inclination was clear. It has little need for intelligence professionals who, in speaking truth to power, might challenge the so-called “America First” orthodoxy that sees Russia as an ally and Australia as a punching bag. That’s why the president’s trusted White House advisers, not career professionals, reportedly have final say over what intelligence reaches his desk.
To be clear, my decision had nothing to do with politics, and I would have been proud to again work under a Republican administration open to intelligence analysis. I served with conviction under President George W. Bush, some of whose policies I also found troubling, and I took part in programs that the Obama administration criticized and ended. As intelligence professionals, we’re taught to tune out politics. The river separating CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, from Washington might as well be a political moat. But this administration has flipped that dynamic on its head: The politicians are the ones tuning out the intelligence professionals.
The CIA will continue to serve important functions – including undertaking covert action and sharing information with close allies and partners around the globe. If this administration is serious about building trust with the intelligence community, however, it will require more than rallies at CIA headquarters or press statements. What intelligence professionals want most is to know that the fruits of their labor – sometimes at the risk of life or limb – are accorded due deference in the policymaking process.
Until that happens, President Trump and his team are doing another disservice to these dedicated men and women and the nation they proudly, if quietly, serve.
Special To The Washington Post · Edward Price
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20 Responses
Good riddance.
Hope all his likes do the same.
If Edward Price wasn’t such a big Clinton donor, I’d believe that this wasn’t political.
can we please stop being subjected to this garbage….if it wasn’t political why would the post need to print an article from some employee…many people leave the Cia he’s not the first and he’s not the last…we can all read CNN if we want to hear anti trump rhetoric
*watch cnn
Mr Price: Thank you for your service to the U.S.A.
Unfortunately, your article failed to convey the serious nature of what you are discussing. A similar failure in Germany in 1941 led to the nearly complete destruction of the entire country. From Wikipedia:
“Initial estimates of the Soviet Red Army’s will and capability were low, a line of thinking shared by the Nazi hierarchy. A great deal has been made by historians over this fact, but some of the German General Staff’s optimism was the result of estimates provided by the Abwehr, whose assessments left the German General Staff believing that the Red Army only possessed ninety infantry divisions, twenty-three cavalry divisions, and a mere twenty-eight mechanized brigades.[55] By the time the reappraisal of the Red Army by German military intelligence occurred in mid-June 1941 (which was about 25 percent higher than previously reported), it was a foregone conclusion that the Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union was going to take place.[56]
Late assessments from the Abwehr contributed to military overconfidence and their reporting mechanism said nothing of the massive mobilization capability of the Soviet Union, another oversight and a major factor that arguably contributed to the German defeat since time-tables were so important for the Germans to succeed. Failure by the German Army to reach their objectives in short order was crucial, and once winter came, this reality caused massive suffering for German forces whose supplies could hardly reach them.[57][58][59] Overestimating their capabilities and trusting their own assessments too much, as well as underestimating their enemies (especially the Soviets and the Americans),[60] atop long-standing traditions of unconditional obedience, comprised an historically central weakness in the German system.[61]”
With a correct intelligence assessment, INSTEAD of invading Russia, they could have INVADED Spain, taken Gibraltar via Operation Felix, broken the siege on Malta, and then waited for the inevitable motion of no-confidence in Winston Churchill. Instead, the result was the disaster known as the Eastern Front.
He’s a Liberal who doesn’t care about the country only about his own agenda
Good riddance the swamp is draining itself
censored
Edward Price has served both Republican and Democratic administrations. His points are valid. If one wishes to debate them, by all means, make a compelling case for Trump’s disparaging of the Intelligence community. Try to explain where Trump gets his information to make informed decisions from. Is cable TV such as Fox News his reliable source of intelligence information as in “last night in Sweden”? If you feel that Price is wrong, go ahead make your case but all his detractors above fail to do little more than resort to standard name calling.
The above opinion piece is very rude to President Trump,
Please, opinion piece writer, wish you had just gone to bed early rather than have written you unjustified piece.
President Trump did what the CIA could not do on their own to lead the country out of its Israel shoving agenda, and dealing with abortion.
Intelligence is not the only thing we need, we need President Trump who is very intelligent and we need his fresh look at the world and Israel.
Thanks for your service but good riddance.
Isn’t this the person who donated boatloads of cash to Hillary Clinton? No wonder he’s farbitert!
That proves that because you are biased and hateful to President Trump you cut off your nose to spite your face. Great so now you lost your nose, nosey good for you you deserve it.
As some commenters have mentioned, this fellow donated a serious amount of money to Ms. Clinton’s campaign and yet he fails to mention that fact in his op-ed.
This is exactly the problem with the intelligence community. I believe they work hard gathering intelligence that will help the country and there are many that put their lives on the line. But, their job is to turn over the intelligence to those empowered to make decisions with that information. When intelligence officials overstep their bounds and start suggesting policy, they taint them work product with their own biases. The same with this fellow who does not disclose his inherent biases against the current administration.
I therefore think his resignation should be celebrated by all until we only have remaining intelligence providers who submit honest, unbiased information.
bet the house he was really fired. anyway like ready now said we need a fresh look because the old look hasnt worked. thats why trump won. and don’t believe the cia isnt political. plenty of swamp members are in there too. DRAIN THE SWAMP!!
WOW levy18 good job
Check this out and see the
DOUBLE STANDARDS
Hillary’s fake man going Against the FBI
A must listen
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/22/john-podesta-forces-within-fbi-may-have-wanted-clinton-to-lose.html
It’s clear Trump is unfit to serve, but I do enjoy seeing the liberal left getting so wound up over every increasingly stupid thing he does.
Lev malochim byad hoelokim. Hopefully EY and yiddishkeit have been benchted with a favorable outcome through this crackpot President.
I do find it odd how frum yidden can be so vehemently for him or against him. Why bracket yourself into narrow American definitions of Democrat or Republican and fight each other over these silly labels?
Aren’t we agudas achas and no matter how increasingly outrageous this Presidency is, we daven that all yidden will benefit and our host countries prosper?
You’re clearly a Democrat
To # 16 – Ash.
After reading your stupid comment I realized that you misspelled your name. Remove the h and add an s. It would be more appropriate for you and your comment.
Was he fired or given opportunity to resign. Every new president clears house of appointees Trump is doing this to slowly get rid of the ubet leftists that are trying to destroy this country
In years to come, your grandchildren won’t beleive that yidden insulted each other over their vote for a goyshe leader.
As a non American, this all seems very odd.