CIA issues new social media guidelines after agent’s pro-Palestinian posts

A senior Central Intelligence Agency analyst posted a pro-Palestinian image on social media, prompting the agency to warn staff against similar actions.

“CIA officers are committed to analytical objectivity, which is at the core of what we do as an agency,” a CIA spokesman said. “CIA officers may have personal opinions, but that does not diminish their commitment, or the CIA’s, to unbiased analysis.”

The agency’s admonition to staff comes after an associate deputy director for analysis shared a photo of a man waving a Palestinian flag on his Facebook page, according to a report by the Financial Timeswhich noted that the staff member was not identified, citing “concerns for his safety.”

The same career analyst posted “a selfie with a sticker that said ‘Free Palestine’ superimposed on the photograph” on Facebook a few years ago. The post and other pro-Palestinian content were reportedly deleted from the senior official’s social media following media attention.

When people noticed, Amy McFadden started deleting. Why I wonder..? pic.twitter.com/JfWQ3UNhBN

— HaroldWren12 (@HaroldWren22) November 29, 2023

Through an internal memo, employees were reminded to avoid political posts on social media in what was “simply a reminder of existing policy,” a US official said. NBC news.

The analyst was said to have “an extensive background in all aspects of the Middle East and this post was not intended to express a position on the conflict,” NBC News reported, citing a “person with knowledge of the situation” who reveal that the employee had not been disciplined for his position.

JUST IN: Senior CIA officer found sharing pro-Palestinian material on social media.

Amy McFadden, the CIA’s associate deputy director for analysis, changed her social media cover photo to a photo of support for Palestine, which came two weeks after Hamas, recognized as… pic.twitter.com/cMlfUXu0oD

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) November 28, 2023

The CIA confirmed to The Washington Free Beacon that the analyst is Amy McFadden, and the outlet reported that “a review of McFadden’s LinkedIn page revealed expressions of support for the anti-Israel International Crisis Group, formerly headed by ‘former White House official Robert Malley.”

“The CIA official’s conduct suggests that even those working in the highest echelons of the federal government’s intelligence services feel comfortable making public statements contrary to the official US position on Israel “. added.

According to the Free Beacon:

McFadden is one of the CIA’s most senior officials and was once responsible for overseeing the president’s “daily brief,” a summary of secret intelligence, the Financial Times reported. In her role as associate deputy director for analysis, McFadden oversees the approval of all agency intelligence.

While McFadden’s particular beliefs about Israel are unclear, he did “like” an International Crisis Group post last week. This post shared an article in Foreign Affairs chastising Israel for “making the total defeat of Hamas its top priority.”

“Mrs. McFadden is the recipient of several prestigious IC awards, including the Intelligence Merit Medal, the CIA Director’s Award, and the George HW Bush Award for Excellence in Combating terrorism,” his LinkedIn profile says, noting that he started at the CIA in 1999.

McFadden’s pro-Palestinian content comes just weeks after a group of State Department officials wrote a dissenting letter urging the Biden administration to push Israel for a cease-fire in its war with Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Senior Staff Writer
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida, where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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