Apparently CIA operatives don't have enough
on their plates fighting two wars and al Qaeda: Many operatives
moonlight as consultants to financial firms and hedge funds, Eamon
Javers writes in a book excerpt on Politico.
Moonlighting in the private sector is generally allowed for federal
employees if they follow strict guidelines; in the case of CIA agents,
it's seen to counteract the problem of brain-drain to higher-paying
private sector jobs.
CIA agents have especially strong ties to one consulting company,
Boston-based Business Intelligence Advisors. BIA specializes in
"tactical behavioral assessment," a sort of "human lie detector"
analysis that seeks to detect whether people are lying without using a
polygraph. The firm trains clients to conduct TBA themselves—or does it
for them for a fee, often on quarterly corporate-earnings calls.