Spy story

Double-Edged Source: Why Alleged Kremlin Mole May Pose Danger to IC & Top Obama Officials

The latest spy story, broken by the CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Monday, is growing more and more detailed with one question remaining unanswered: Why did the US mainstream media rush to expose a former CIA mole in the Kremlin whose life, by their account, was in danger?

According to the stories told by CNN, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, the CIA extracted its "highly valuable" source in 2017.

These three flagships of the US MSM cited different reasons behind the move. While CNN and WaPo insisted the intelligence agency had been driven by the fear that President Trump might accidentally expose the asset, The New York Times revealed that the plan to evacuate the source had emerged under Barack Obama's presidency. The CIA later denounced CNN's version of the events as being "misguided" and simply "false".

...Commenting on the possible reasons behind the sudden exposé, Philip Giraldi, a former CIA counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer, does not rule out that it could be an intentional move by the White House and the CIA.

"The deliberate leak of the Smolenkov story is intended to provide cover for another, much more high level American spy in the Kremlin", the CIA veteran suggested. "The US government hopes that the disappearance of Smolenkov will end the search for a mole in Moscow, protecting the spy in place".

As for the coverage by the media, Giraldi continues, "it is to be expected that they would use the story to embarrass Trump".