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.
As we enter the month of Av we intensify our traditional mourning for the Holy Temple, but are we really in touch with what we are mourning for? Are we ready...