The Intel Czar’s Kumbaya Moment
In an exercise that left some officials in the field scratching their heads, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair earlier this month summoned a small group of senior CIA station chiefs to a conference at his headquarters in Virginia. The meeting occurred as top administration officials, including Vice President Joe Biden, were still trying to sort out a turf battle between Blair’s office and the CIA. As Declassified reported previously, Blair wants the power to name people “DNI representatives” in foreign countries, but the CIA believes its station chiefs must retain their authority as the top U.S. intel representatives abroad. For now, the two sides appear to have agreed that CIA station chiefs will be encouraged to call themselves “DNI representatives.” So why the spooky powwow? One former intel official, who stays in touch with colleagues but didn’t want to be named discussing internal politics, said some of the station chiefs called to the meeting were baffled about its purpose. Other former and current officials characterized the Blair conference as a routine effort to bond with CIA spies. Wendy Morigi, a spokeswoman for Blair, said: “Every DNI has made it a practice to speak regularly with his representatives in the field. From the beginning, Director Blair established strong working relationships with DNI reps and made it clear that he wants to hear their views about current successes and challenges and what additional tools they may need to execute their authority.”
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Mark Hosenball joined Newsweek as an investigative correspondent in November 1993, covering a range of issues for the National Affairs department. Most recently, he has written and reported numerous stories on terrorism and the Sept. 11 attacks on America. He has also covered campaign finance, the Monica Lewinsky controversy, the death of Princess Diana, Whitewater, the crashes of EgyptAir flight 990 and TWA flight 800, as well as related air safety issues.
Hosenball came to Newsweek from "Dateline NBC," where he worked as an investigative producer. He also worked extensively as a print journalist, writing for a number of British and American publications, including the London Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard, Time Out, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic. In addition, he has done commentaries for American Public Radio.
Hosenball has been honored with a number of prestigious awards. Most recently, along with a team of Newsweek correspondents, he was awarded the Overseas Press Club's most prestigious honor, the 2002 Ed Cunningham Memorial Award for best magazine reporting from abroad for Newsweek's coverage of the war on terror. His reporting and that of his colleagues earned Newsweek the prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002 for its coverage of September 11 and its aftermath. And a story he co-authored was highlighted in a citation Newsweek received by the White House Correspondents' Association when it awarded the magazine the 2002 Edgar A. Poe Award for "excellence on a story of national or regional importance. "Newsweek's September 11 coverage started long before the attacks. An article in the magazine's February 19, 2001 issue warned with chilling accuracy: 'The threat posed by (Osama) bin Laden is growing -- and coming ever closer to home."
Hosenball was a contributor to the CANAL + TV documentary, "L'Argent de la Drogue" (Drug Money), which was awarded the "Sept D'Or," the French equivalent of an Emmy. He also contributed to NBC News' coverage of the BCCI scandal, which earned a 1991 Peabody Award.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania and Trinity College in Dublin. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and son.
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