Watch excerpts from the press conference concerning CIA and FBI cooperation:
After the Ames case, as CIA’s Associate Deputy Director of Operations for Counterintelligence, Paul Redmond led the effort in the Agency to greatly enhance counterintelligence in investigations, operations, security and training so spies could be caught quicker. This would be an odd thing to do for a person whom Baer’s book falsely accuses of being a spy. As a former Director of National Clandestine Services said, Paul Redmond put into place the processes to catch the next spy.
Baer’s book says that Redmond shut down the Special Investigations Unit that was focused on catching spies in the Agency. This is wrong. The SIU continued successfully for another 20 years and was instrumental in catching Nicholson and Hanssen.
Baer’s book says senior CIA leadership had no interest in looking for spies. This is wrong. The press conference shows CIA Director Deutch’s personal attention to counterintelligence. Both he and Deputy Director George Tenet were highly interested and involved in espionage investigations.
Baer’s book uses as a main source a person who ran the SIU before it was greatly expanded (and who erroneously claimed the SIU was shut down). This person was removed by the supervisors of the Counterespionage Group (CEG) because she would not cooperate with the Bureau as directed by Presidential Directive after the Ames case. The book erroneously claims she was fired by Paul Redmond. This is wrong.
Watch Full Press Conference: