United States Central Intelligence Agency
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Illustration on Obama administration outing the CIA station chief in Afghanistan by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times
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** FILE ** This undated file photo released by his family via FreeAmir.org shows Amir Hekmati. The former U.S. Marine convicted of criminal charges in Iran after being accused of working for the CIA will appeal for a new trial after already seeing his sentence reduced once, an Iranian news agency reported Sunday, May 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Hekmati family via FreeAmir.org, File)
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In this photo provided by NBC, Katherine Heigl portrays CIA agent Charleston Tucker in NBC's new series, "State of Affairs." (AP Photo/NBC, Michael Parmelee)
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The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by General Atomics and used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Initially conceived in the early 1990s for reconnaissance and forward observation roles, the Predator carries cameras and other sensors but has been modified and upgraded to carry and fire two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles or other munitions. The aircraft, in use since 1995, has seen combat over Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bosnia, Serbia, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia. The USAF describes the Predator as a "Tier II" MALE UAS (medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system). The UAS consists of four aircraft or "air vehicles" with sensors, a ground control station (GCS), and a primary satellite link communication suite. Powered by a Rotax engine and driven by a propeller, the air vehicle can fly up to 400 nmi (460 mi; 740 km) to a target, loiter overhead for 14 hours, then return to its base. Following 2001, the RQ-1 Predator became the primary unmanned aircraft used for offensive operations by the USAF and the CIA in Afghanistan and the Pakistani tribal areas; it has also been deployed elsewhere. Because offensive uses of the Predator are classified, U.S. military officials have reported an appreciation for the intelligence and reconnaissance-gathering abilities of UAVs but declined to publicly discuss their offensive use. Civilian applications have included border enforcement and scientific studies, and to monitor wind direction and other characteristics of large forest fires (such as the one that was used by the California Air National Guard in the August 2013 Rim Fire).[6] (U.S. Air Force photo)
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FILE - In this March 5, 2014, file photo, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. The CIA does not give up its secrets easily. Under pressure from a Senate committee to declassify parts of a congressional report on harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists, the CIA is shadowed by its reluctance to open up about its operations and its past. The CIA officials who decide which secrets can be revealed have wrestled with Congress, archivists, journalists, former CIA employees and even a former CIA director. Wyden said he worries the CIA is playing "stall ball," deliberately drawing out the declassification process. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
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George Tenet, former CIA director, listens during an interview in New York in this April 30, 2007, file photo. (AP Photos/Bebeto Matthews, File)
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FILE - In this April 3, 2014, file photo, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. arrives to make a statement after a closed hearing to examine certain intelligence matters in Washington. The CIA does not give up its secrets easily. Under pressure from a Senate committee to declassify parts of a congressional report on harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists, the CIA is shadowed by its reluctance to open up about its operations and its past. The CIA officials who decide which secrets can be revealed have wrestled with Congress, archivists, journalists, former CIA employees and even a former CIA director. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File)
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U.N. Ambassador Susan E. Rice appeared on Sunday talk shows after the Benghazi attack using CIA talking points that deflected any failure of administration policy. (NBC via Associated Press)
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Karl Rove was deputy chief of staff in George W. Bush's White House. (Associated Press/File)
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FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011 video frame grab image made from the Iranian broadcaster IRIB TV, U.S. citizen Amir Hekmati, accused by Iran of spying for the CIA, sits in Tehran's revolutionary court, in Iran. The semiofficial ISNA news agency reported Saturday, April 12, 2014 that an appeals court has overturned a death sentence of an American man convicted of working for the CIA, instead sentencing him to 10 years in prison. Iran charged Hekmati with receiving special training and serving at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged mission. Hekmati's father, a professor at a community college in Flint, Michigan, has said his son is not a CIA spy. (AP Photo/IRIB, File) IRAN OUT TV OUT
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FILE - This undated file photo released by his family via FreeAmir.org shows Amir Hekmati. Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine being held in Iran over the past two years on accusations of spying for the CIA. The semiofficial ISNA news agency reported Saturday, April 12, 2014 that an appeals court has overturned a death sentence of an American man convicted of working for the CIA, instead sentencing him to 10 years in prison. Iran charged Hekmati with receiving special training and serving at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged mission. Hekmati's father, a professor at a community college in Flint, Michigan, has said his son is not a CIA spy. (AP Photo/Hekmati family via FreeAmir.org, File)
