HARARE – A shocking breach of protocol has come to light, revealing that a US government official may have inadvertently exposed the identity of a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent in Zimbabwe, according to declassified documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
According to the documents obtained by Bloomberg reporter Jason Leopold under the Freedom of Information Act, also published by Newzwire, the incident occurred in September 2019 at a representational event in Harare.
The official, who was allegedly intoxicated, approached a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) official and stated, “I know who you are, I know what you do. It’s cool. It’s cool. I know who you are.”
The documents reveal that the same official later joked aloud at a public lunch about a USAID officer being a “CIA guy.”
An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found five instances where the identity of the CIA agent may have been potentially disclosed.
“OIG found five instances related to where information related to the identity of (the) covered intelligence officer was potentially disclosed. The investigative findings were referred to USAID/Zimbabwe and USAID’s Office of Security,” the report said.
The investigation also showed that the accused official had a history of excessive drinking and had previously failed to recall conversations they had while intoxicated.
The official admitted to investigators that it was possible they may have revealed the CIA agent’s identity while blacked out.
As a result of the investigation, the employee was placed on administrative leave, stripped of their security clearance, and ultimately retired.
The report does not reveal the identity of the CIA agent or the US government official involved in the incident.
The US Embassy in Harare reported the incident to the OIG, which conducted the investigation.
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