Intelligence/ Leaks on Iranian nuclear program and Operation Merlin

In a trial that whistleblower advocates have called “damage control” for the CIA, federal prosecutors are pursuing espionage charges against whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The case stems from the agency’s attempts to feed Iran flawed nuclear schematics.

Sterling’s trial has come to symbolize proxy fights over whistleblower rights, freedom of the press, and the CIA’s behavior across the globe. High-profile witnesses such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have taken the stand to defend the CIA’s power in the face of criticism and revelations featured in New York Times journalist James Risen’s 2006 book, State of War.

“A lot of it is an effort by the US government, through the prosecution, to make the case that the CIA doesn't make mistakes, that it had a superb operation called Operation Merlin, and that James Risen's book unfairly tarred the reputation of the CIA,” Norman Solomon, who is covering the case for the Institute for Public Accuracy, told RT.

CIA pursues 'damage control' amid whistleblower trial over flawed Iranian nuclear designs