The CIA's Latest CYA Maneuver

On Monday, the AP reported that the CIA has increased its legal liability insurance to cover two-thirds of all CIA personnel, not just the ones who are subject to lawsuits accusing them of unlawful torture, harsh interrogation techniques, and extraordinary rendition (all of which violate U.S. and international law). The CYA maneuver is apparently preparation for the new administration that will take power in January, the clearing of President Bush’s fog of spin and double-speak that’s covered the CIA thus far.

Agency Director Michael Hayden on Monday announced that he had expanded the pool of those eligible to be reimbursed for insurance to include all employees involved in covert activities, not just those involved in counterterrorism and counterproliferation.

Any agency employee who supervises one or more employees is eligible to be reimbursed as will attorneys, grievance officers, equal employment opportunity counselors, auditors, IG inspectors and investigators, polygraph examiners, recruiters or hiring advisers and security officers.

Does this mean that, apart from the torture of prisoners in its custody, the CIA was involved in other illegal activity that has not yet come to light?