RS: Analyst slips up at D.C. con., gives out secret U.S. intel. budget

[MelissaB]

Analyst slips up at D.C. conference, gives out secret
U.S. intelligence budget: $44 billion: Developing...

http://rawstory.com/

[phusion]

1. bahahah

buhbye security clearance.

[MelissaB]

2. It should at least be interesting.

:popcorn:

[Wilms]

3. Fast Breaking Hard Scoop!!!!: Yesterdays News

:eyes:



This Time We Know Who the Leaker Is

The biggest oops! of the week goes to career CIA officer Mary Margaret Graham, now the deputy director for national intelligence collection. You see, Uncle Sam is very good at keeping secret how much the CIA and 14 other agencies spend on intelligence, even going to court to prevent the figure from spilling out. But at a conference in San Antonio, Graham let slip that the budget is a whopping $44 billion.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/articles/051114/14whisplead.htm

[MelissaB]

4. I hadn't seen that.

Thanks!

[Wilms]

6. I caught the story on DU (where else?) yesterday.

Not sure of that threads source. The one I cited is a google result.

Note, the USNWR says San Antonio conference. Raw says D.C.

We'll see what "develops".

[CTD]

5. That number is largely meaningless

Maybe it does represent the actual budget for the major intel agencies (although IMO it seems very low). However that doesn't begin to account for all intel spending. Non-intel agencies (like the GSA) will issue contracts for work that benefits intel agencies. Or funding issued to non-intel agencies will be transferred to intel activites. Most of these work-arounds occur because an agency wants something done and finds a way to get funding to pay for it. And certainly no one high up in gov't keeps track. And, in this case, it doesn't actually represent a fault on the part of the gov't. There's just a lot going on.

So I doubt anyone in the gov't (regardless of clearance level) has an accurate total figure for annual intel spending. People can have fun with this "slip up" but, really, it's meaningless.