>> WASHINGTON – How did a former undercover CIA operative who spent more than eight years fighting terrorism get branded as a teacher at “Terror High?"
The strange ordeal for Abigail Spanberger, a Democratic House candidate, began when U.S. Postal Service employees wrongly delivered her confidential personnel file to Republican operatives. Those operatives seized on Spanberger’s stint teaching Bronte and Shakespeare as a way to sink her campaign against GOP Rep. Dave Brat in Virginia.
... The willingness of a super PAC aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan to publicize at least part of Spanberger's improperly released security clearance application raises questions about what information is fair game in today’s political climate. “What is Abigail Spanberger hiding?” a voice asks in a GOP attack ad. “Spanberger doesn’t want us to know that she taught at an Islamic school nicknamed ‘Terror High,’ a terrorist breeding ground.” << --- Political Ad Brands Veteran of CIA as "Terror Teacher"
The strange ordeal for Abigail Spanberger, a Democratic House candidate, began when U.S. Postal Service employees wrongly delivered her confidential personnel file to Republican operatives. Those operatives seized on Spanberger’s stint teaching Bronte and Shakespeare as a way to sink her campaign against GOP Rep. Dave Brat in Virginia.
... The willingness of a super PAC aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan to publicize at least part of Spanberger's improperly released security clearance application raises questions about what information is fair game in today’s political climate. “What is Abigail Spanberger hiding?” a voice asks in a GOP attack ad. “Spanberger doesn’t want us to know that she taught at an Islamic school nicknamed ‘Terror High,’ a terrorist breeding ground.” << --- Political Ad Brands Veteran of CIA as "Terror Teacher"
This is (was) an English teacher, being smeared because she taught literature at a DC-area school that serves the families of diplomats, who's had her personnel records, right down to her Social Security number, stolen and distributed. Ironically before joining the CIA she worked with the same postal service that broke her security:
>> Particularly troubling was the release of her security clearance application, which is supposed to be protected by the Privacy Act. The 100-plus-page document includes her Social Security number and full medical and work history. Mark Zaid, a national security attorney, said he "can't even fathom" an exception to the law that would allow a third party to get an unredacted copy.
“Someone needs to be disciplined,” Zaid said. “The system failed and when this happens, there’s no way to take it back.”
More than 200 national security veterans signed an open letter in August noting it would be “peculiar” for the first victim of such an error to be Spanberger, a Democrat running in a competitive congressional race.
“The concern is that there will be a chilling effect on people who are interested in pursuing these careers in public service if they are to believe that this information, whether by simple human error or something more sinister, could see the light of day,” said Ned Price, a former CIA analyst and National Security Council spokesman under President Barack Obama. <<
“Someone needs to be disciplined,” Zaid said. “The system failed and when this happens, there’s no way to take it back.”
More than 200 national security veterans signed an open letter in August noting it would be “peculiar” for the first victim of such an error to be Spanberger, a Democrat running in a competitive congressional race.
“The concern is that there will be a chilling effect on people who are interested in pursuing these careers in public service if they are to believe that this information, whether by simple human error or something more sinister, could see the light of day,” said Ned Price, a former CIA analyst and National Security Council spokesman under President Barack Obama. <<
Dirty politics, writ large.