Who Watches the CIA Watchers?

Katrina vanden Heuvel

In the cloak and dagger, smoke and hall of mirrors that is the CIA, we have more evidence that it’s dangerous to be a whistleblower, even if that happens to be your job. The CIA’s own inspector general, John Helgerson, is being investigated by CIA Director Michael Hayden regarding his investigations into CIA torture allegations.

According to the New York Times, “The review is particularly focused on complaints that Mr. Helgerson’s office has not acted as a fair and impartial judge of agency operations but instead has begun a crusade against those who have participated in controversial detention programs.”

Thus, the investigator into torture is being tortured by an investigation–the bureaucratic equivalent of water boarding–into his crusade against the crusaders. And ’round and ’round we go.

But if Hayden is watching Helgerson who is watching Hayden and the CIA, is anyone watching over this mess? Who would benefit from a cowed CIA? Who needs evidence that Iran is up to no good to justify another war? Dick Cheney, perhaps? Who knows? No one watches over him. Not even Google Maps.

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