CIA Allows Operatives to Moonlight in Corporate World

A new book reveals for the first time that the Central Intelligence Agency allows its operatives to accept side work in corporate security, Politico reports. Active-duty officers often work for hedge funds and financial institutions employing CIA tactics such as "deception detection" -- the use of conversation clues to tell if a person is lying -- to help executives determine if potential business partners are giving them honest information.

The news comes as the CIA faces criticism from lawmakers and government officials for failing to stop an attempted airliner bombing on Christmas Day, another incident among many where the agency has been accused of failing to "connect the dots."
Sources familiar with CIA allowing this type of public-private intermingling said it is intended to prevent "brain drain" at the agency, keeping highly trained operatives from leaving for more lucrative careers in the corporate world by allowing them to supplement their income with outside work.

Government officials said that the side work does not affect the agents' performance at the CIA; they are required to submit detailed explanations of the type of work they will be doing, and they must receive permission from senior agency officials.