Looks like the CIA got caught with their pants down.

[Baitball Blogger]

I wonder how often the CIA conducts secret missions?

American missing in Iran since 2007 was on CIA mission

WASHINGTON — An American who vanished nearly seven years ago in Iran was working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence-gathering mission that, when it came to light in the government, produced one of the most serious scandals in the recent history of the CIA — but all in secret, an Associated Press investigation found.

The CIA paid Robert Levinson's family $2.5 million to head off a revealing lawsuit. Three veteran analysts were forced out of the agency and seven others were disciplined.

The U.S. publicly has described Levinson, a retired FBI agent, as a private citizen.

"Robert Levinson went missing during a business trip to Kish Island, Iran," the White House said last month.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-missing-man-in-iran-was-on-cia-mission-20131213,0,3105195.story

[Blue_Tires]

1. We were discussing it back when he vanished

and LOL'd at the "retired private citizen on a business trip" bullshit that press spokesman hacks kept spewing....

[FarCenter]

2. It was called a "rogue CIA operation" by one of the news channels this morning

He was being paid as a consultant to do work for an analyst. The analysis part of the CIA is not supposed to collect intelligence or run operations in foreign countries. A few CIA analyst types have been fired for exceeding their authority.

That doesn't mean that there aren't other rogue CIA operations.

And the CIA is probably just a cover for the "real" intelligence operation. If its in the news, it is probably not a secret organization. For years the CIA, NSA, and NRO were not publically acknowledged.