US says ex-intel official defected to Iran, revealed secrets

[Peter1469]

US says ex-intel official defected to Iran, revealed secrets

Wow, the FBI was onto her, and even interviewed her prior to her travelling to Iran.

A former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist who defected to Iran despite warnings from the FBI has been charged with revealing classified information to the Tehran government, including the code name and secret mission of a Pentagon program, prosecutors said.

The Justice Department also accused Monica Elfriede Witt, 39, of betraying former colleagues in the U.S. intelligence community by feeding details about their personal and professional lives to Iran. Four hackers linked to the Iranian government, charged in the same indictment, used that information to target the intelligence workers online, prosecutors said Wednesday.

I wonder whether Air Force intel uses life-style polygraphs on its intelligence members.

[DGUtley]

How does this happen?

[Peter1469]

How does this happen?

A few times each generation. That we know about.

[Ethereal]

How does this happen?

From the article:

Witt served in the Air Force between 1997 and 2008, where she was trained in the Farsi language and was deployed overseas on classified counterintelligence missions, including to the Middle East.

I imagine she started out like many who join the military or the intelligence services. Dedicated and idealistic. But after learning more and more about the culture she was directed to hate and subvert, she probably started to realize that most of the anti-Iranian propaganda pushed by the US government is false or misleading. I assume she became disillusioned with her mission and with her government, which left her susceptible to being converted and recruited. I mean, it's not like someone who works for US intelligence for eleven years just wakes up one day and decides to defect to Iran. It's a process that unfolds slowly over time, and which has substantive elements based in genuine concerns. Not that I think she's justified, but that is probably the most likely explanation for why this and similar incidents occur.

[Peter1469]

From the article:

Witt served in the Air Force between 1997 and 2008, where she was trained in the Farsi language and was deployed overseas on classified counterintelligence missions, including to the Middle East.

I imagine she started out like many who join the military or the intelligence services. Dedicated and idealistic. But after learning more and more about the culture she was directed to hate and subvert, she probably started to realize that most of the anti-Iranian propaganda pushed by the US government is false or misleading. I assume she became disillusioned with her mission and with her government, which left her susceptible to being converted and recruited. I mean, it's not like someone who works for US intelligence for eleven years just wakes up one day and decides to defect to Iran. It's a process that unfolds slowly over time, and which has substantive elements based in genuine concerns. Not that I think she's justified, but that is probably the most likely explanation for why this and similar incidents occur.

She probably did get disillusioned. Hopefully we have some assets inside Iran that can disappear her.

[DGUtley]

. . . but to turn on your country rather than to try to change your country?

[mak2]

"despite warnings from the FBI" I think this is the aspect that should be looked into. She had a security clearance and the FBI was concerned...and she went to Iran anyway?

[Peter1469]

"despite warnings from the FBI" I think this is the aspect that should be looked into. She had a security clearance and the FBI was concerned...and she went to Iran anyway?

I fail to understand why they let her leave the country.

[mak2]

Me too. Why wasnt the FBI taken seriously?

I fail to understand why they let her leave the country.

[Max Rockatansky]

She probably did get disillusioned. Hopefully we have some assets inside Iran that can disappear her.

Or just went delusional. Some people do go nuts over time such as adult or late onset schizophrenia.