Spy Uncovered in White House: First Case of Espionage in Modern History

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the case of Leandro Aragoncillo, alleged to be the first spy uncovered in the White House in modern history. Participants explore the implications of his actions, the context of espionage, and potential connections to broader political issues, including the Plame affair. The conversation touches on themes of intelligence gathering, political maneuvering, and the nature of espionage within the U.S. government.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that Aragoncillo worked undetected for nearly three years and question the implications of his espionage activities.
  • There is speculation about whether Aragoncillo could serve as a fall guy for the Plame affair, with differing opinions on the plausibility of this scenario.
  • Participants express skepticism regarding the utility of outing a double agent and question the motivations behind such actions.
  • Concerns are raised about the nature of information gathered on foreign leaders and the potential for blackmail or political leverage.
  • Some argue that the connection to Cheney and the timing of revelations related to the Plame affair create a complex narrative that warrants further examination.
  • There are discussions about the public perception of espionage and how narratives can be shaped to serve political ends.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with no clear consensus on the implications of Aragoncillo's actions or the potential connections to the Plame affair. Speculation and skepticism coexist, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the complexity of intelligence operations and the potential for misinformation, but the discussion does not resolve the various assumptions or implications raised.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in political espionage, intelligence operations, and the interplay between government actions and public perception may find this discussion relevant.

Ivan Seeking
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Oct. 5, 2005 — Both the FBI and CIA are calling it the first case of espionage in the White House in modern history.

Officials tell ABC News the alleged spy worked undetected at the White House for almost three years. Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, was a U.S. Marine most recently assigned to the staff of Vice President Dick Cheney. [continued]
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1187030&page=1
 
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In 2000, Aragoncillo worked on the staff of then-Vice President Al Gore. When interviewed by Philippine television, he remarked how valued Philippine employees were at the White House.

"I think what they like most is our integrity and loyalty," Aragoncillo said.

I wonder if he was being intentionally ironic.
 
Wow. That's amazing.

He was most recently with Cheney, if my skim of the article was accurate (questionable.)

I wonder if this will ultimately provide a fall guy for the Plame issue? I know, wild speculation.
 
It said that he claims to have started out with Clinton and Condi Rice back when she was National Security Advisor, and worked his way up to the Vice President's office when Gore was in, then remained on with Cheney. Just imagine all the different checks he must have had to pass.

I doubt he'll be a fall guy for Plame, though. He was providing damaging information on the Filipino president to opposition leaders. He didn't seem to be taking any interest in US or middle eastern issues.

On a side note, I have to wonder why the president's office has top secret damaging information on the Filipino president. Do they keep naked pictures of world leaders around in case someone needs to be blackmailed or something? This almost seems farcical.
 
loseyourname said:
I doubt he'll be a fall guy for Plame, though. He was providing damaging information on the Filipino president to opposition leaders. He didn't seem to be taking any interest in US or middle eastern issues.

If we wanted a change in leadership in the Phillipines at the time, he was possibly sending info on the Phillipine president with Cheney's knowledge.

On a side note, I have to wonder why the president's office has top secret damaging information on the Filipino president. Do they keep naked pictures of world leaders around in case someone needs to be blackmailed or something? This almost seems farcical.

Information gathered on foreign leaders includes anything and everything that you could possibly imagine. If you have ever attended an anti war rally, either for or against the war, there is a folder on you.
 
solutions in a box said:
If we wanted a change in leadership in the Phillipines at the time, he was possibly sending info on the Phillipine president with Cheney's knowledge.

That sounds pretty far-fetched thus far. I can't see the utility in the White House outing its own double agent and this guy doesn't seem to be accusing anybody in the administration of helping him.

What that has to do with Plame I can't tell, though.

Information gathered on foreign leaders includes anything and everything that you could possibly imagine. If you have ever attended an anti war rally, either for or against the war, there is a folder on you.

That doesn't make it any less comical.
 
loseyourname said:
That doesn't make it any less comical.

How true :smile:
 
I am thinking more along the line of the administration "fixing intelligence" to implicate this guy after the fact, thus allowing Rove and Libby to look innocent.
 
How, though? It would be so implausible - what possible interest would this man have in outing an operative in Nigeria? If you're going to pick a fall guy, I would think you could find one that at least makes sense.
 
  • #10
You're right. I have no idea how. Also, there are probably plenty of more plausible "fall guys" they could pick from - if they wanted to go that route.

The spy's connection to Cheney on the heels of Miller's revelation of the Libby connection in the Plame thing, made me temporarily go "huh."
 
  • #11
He should be executed as should the other three slugs. Plea bargain...puh-LEEZE! At the very least he has divulged information that can pinpoint how we gather information and depending on the circumstances, who did it. If the latter is the case you can kiss at least one more operative goodby. :mad:
 
  • #12
pattylou said:
You're right. I have no idea how. Also, there are probably plenty of more plausible "fall guys" they could pick from - if they wanted to go that route.

The spy's connection to Cheney on the heels of Miller's revelation of the Libby connection in the Plame thing, made me temporarily go "huh."

Then again a large percentage of the American people will believe anything that is presented to them in the proper manner. The average public even seems to have a tendency to fill in the blanks for themselves. The number of people who thought Iraq had a connection to 9/11 is a good example.

For John Q public a spy in the Whitehouse = someone to point a finger at for everything wrong that has happened, ie intellegence failures, or outing of a Cia agent. A spy originally from a foreign country who was attached to the WhiteHouse previous to the Bush administration, and who also had acess to computers cointaining intellegence data, would be the perfect fall guy.

Am I rantng again or what? :smile:
 

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