WASHINGTON — Sensitive CIA operations overseas will face new scrutiny from the nation’s intelligence director under a plan approved by the White House and outlined in a memo to the espionage workforce last week.
The move marks an attempt by Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair to assert greater authority over clandestine operations at a time of mounting bureaucratic frictions between the CIA and Blair’s office.
Among the activities that could be evaluated are the CIA’s campaign of Predator missile strikes against militant targets in Pakistan, as well as secret paramilitary and spying operations in other countries.
In a memo sent to subordinates Friday, Blair cited new guidance from the White House that his responsibilities “include assessment and evaluation of the effectiveness of sensitive operations.” The majority of those, he said, “are conducted by the CIA.”
But in a sign of the ongoing skirmishing in the intelligence community, other officials dismissed Blair’s memo and said the CIA’s covert-action authorities remain intact.
“Covert action is ordered by the president and carried out by the CIA,” said a U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “That relationship, which involves a single, direct line of command and communication between the White House and the agency, isn’t changing.”
