WTF? CIA sets up 'WikiLeaks Task Force'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Some secret codes at the Central Intelligence Agency are tougher to crack than others. At the behest of its director, the American spy agency has just created a panel to assess what damage may have been done by the cascade of diplomatic cables disseminated by the WikiLeaks organisation. It will operate under the acronym WTF.
Given the deep disdain in which WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange are held by the US government you may surmise what one translation of these three letters might be. But the work at hand is serious and the letters actually stand for the WikiLeaks Task Force.
While the CIA itself has been mostly unscathed by the leaks, there is mounting concern about the harm done to American credibility at all levels of foreign diplomacy.
"The director asked the task force to examine whether the latest release of WikiLeaks documents might affect the agency's foreign relationships or operations," CIA spokesman George Little said. One worry is the CIA might find it more difficult to recruit informants while there is the impression that the US cannot protect its own secrets.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments