Langley Library

CIA gets into the book-review game

For the second time in two weeks, the CIA has departed from standard practice to comment publicly on a book about the agency.

In an unsigned statement released Monday, the CIA said that Tim Weiner’s recently released “Legacy of Ashes” is beset by “selective citations, sweeping assertions, and a fascination with the negative,” while overlooking agency achievements.

“Time and again, Weiner takes things to the darkest corner of the room,” the release continues. “With a strong range of sources, Weiner had an opportunity to write a balanced history of a complex, important subject. But he did not. His bias overwhelms his scholarship.”

Weiner could not be reached for comment.

On July 20, CIA Director of Public Affairs Mark Mansfield issued a similar statement about “Sabotage,” the new book by The Examiner’s Rowan Scarborough. 

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