CIA Eases Rules on Informants
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WASHINGTON — The CIA has loosened its rules to let field officers recruit informants with violent or criminal backgrounds without prior approval from headquarters, a U.S. official said Friday.
CIA Director George J. Tenet and other senior agency officials changed the policy so officers can get information about terrorists as quickly as possible, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Field officers can now recruit such sources immediately if they have information on terrorist threats. Within a few days, they must inform the head of the CIA’s clandestine service, Deputy Director for Operations James L. Pavitt, who must approve the recruitment.
Since 1995, field officers have had to seek approval from CIA headquarters in Virginia before using someone with a troubled history.
Members of Congress with intelligence oversight have called for a relaxing of the rules, likening these relationships to the informant networks street cops have in a city.
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