--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everything the CIA does is deniable. It's…" description: "\"Everything the CIA does is deniable. It's part of its Congressional mandate. Congress doesn't want to be held accountable for the criminal things the C..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/douglas-valentine-52196_american-people_everything-the-cia-does-is-deniable-it-s_2906077.jpg" --- # Everything the CIA does is deniable. It's part of its… ![“Everything the CIA does is deniable. It's part of its Congressional mandate. Congress doesn't want to be held accountable for the criminal things the CIA does. The only time something the CIA does become public knowledge - other than the rare accident or whistleblower - is when Congress or the…” quote by Douglas Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/douglas-valentine-52196_american-people_everything-the-cia-does-is-deniable-it-s_2906077.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/douglas-valentine-52196_american-people_everything-the-cia-does-is-deniable-it-s_2906077.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/douglas-valentine-52196_american-people_everything-the-cia-does-is-deniable-it-s_2906077.jpg) > “Everything the CIA does is deniable. It's part of its Congressional mandate. Congress doesn't want to be held accountable for the criminal things the CIA does. The only time something the CIA does become public knowledge - other than the rare accident or whistleblower - is when Congress or the President think it's helpful for psychological warfare reasons to let the American people know the CIA is doing it.” [Douglas Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-valentine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The CIA operates with deniability, and its actions become public only when politically useful, highlighting issues of transparency and oversight. **In simple terms:** CIA secrecy is used for political purposes, limiting accountability. Key Takeaway Demand greater oversight of intelligence. Themes government secrecy accountability Mood critical inquisitive Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy debates - whistleblowing - media analysis Key Concepts political science ethics Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms ensure intelligence transparency? - How can citizens influence oversight? A Different Perspective Political motives may mask genuine threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Cia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cia/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) [Psychological warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological-warfare/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The essential contradiction at the heart of America's problems: if we were a democracy and if we truly enjoyed free speech, we would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-valentine/the-essential-contradiction-at-the-heart-of-america-s-problems-if-we/) [Douglas Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-valentine/) > [It would certainly be interesting to know what the CIA knew about Oswald six weeks before the assassination, but the contents of this particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-garrison/it-would-certainly-be-interesting-to-know-what-the-cia-knew-about/) [Jim Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-garrison/) > [I know CIA like the back of my hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-haspel/i-know-cia-like-the-back-of-my-hand/) [Gina Haspel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-haspel/) > [I served as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee. Let me tell you, it's tough to find out what the CIA is doing. They led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/i-served-as-chairman-of-the-intelligence-committee-let-me-tell-you-it/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [“What about the role of the CIA in a democratic society? Is that an oxymoron? You could imagine a democratic society with an organization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/what-about-the-role-of-the-cia-in-a-democratic-society-is-that-an/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Just to talk a moment about transparency, of course CIA does have a Twitter account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-haspel/just-to-talk-a-moment-about-transparency-of-course-cia-does-have-a/) [Gina Haspel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-haspel/) > [ What the Agency \[CIA\] does is ordered by the President and the NSC \[National Security Council\]. The Agency neither makes decisions on policy nor… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-agee/what-the-agency-cia-does-is-ordered-by-the-president-and-the-nsc/) Philip Agee > [“Is any of it real? I mean look at this. Look at it! A world built on fantasy. Synthetic emotions in the form of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-esmail/is-any-of-it-real-i-mean-look-at-this-look-at-it-a-world-built-on/) [Sam Esmail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-esmail/) > [“Feelings of any kind are not known to the walking dead. Every form of psychological warfare, from attempts at enraging the undead to provoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/feelings-of-any-kind-are-not-known-to-the-walking-dead-every-form-of/) [Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/) > [A fight is mental, not just physical and psychological warfare is absolutely part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/a-fight-is-mental-not-just-physical-and-psychological-warfare-is/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [None of Ho Chi Minh's colleagues was as dedicated to the use of political struggle, psychological warfare, and diplomatic means as he was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-duiker/none-of-ho-chi-minh-s-colleagues-was-as-dedicated-to-the-use-of/) [William J. Duiker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-duiker/) > [The GRU is used for both tactical intelligence collection in the battlefield in support of Russian military operations and also strategic active measures or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-alperovitch/the-gru-is-used-for-both-tactical-intelligence-collection-in-the/) [Dmitri Alperovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-alperovitch/) > [There was no point in seeking to convert the intellectuals. For intellectuals would never be converted and would anyway always yield to the stronger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/there-was-no-point-in-seeking-to-convert-the-intellectuals-for/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [We have no right ever to forget that psychological warfare is a struggle for winning people's minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/we-have-no-right-ever-to-forget-that-psychological-warfare-is-a/) [Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/) > [We plan to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/we-plan-to-eliminate-the-state-of-israel-and-establish-a-purely/) [Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/) ## More by Douglas Valentine > [Most people have no idea what cops really do. They think cops give you a speeding ticket. They don't see the cops associating with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-valentine/most-people-have-no-idea-what-cops-really-do-they-think-cops-give-you/) [Douglas Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-valentine/) > [The essential contradiction at the heart of America's problems: if we were a democracy and if we truly enjoyed free speech, we would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-valentine/the-essential-contradiction-at-the-heart-of-america-s-problems-if-we/) [Douglas Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-valentine/) > [Suffice it to say that Wall Street investors in the drug industries have used the government to unleash and transform their economic power into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-valentine/suffice-it-to-say-that-wall-street-investors-in-the-drug-industries/) [Douglas Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-valentine/) > [America is a former slave state and a blatantly racist society, so the war on drugs, which is managed by white supremacists, was and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-valentine/america-is-a-former-slave-state-and-a-blatantly-racist-society-so-the/) [Douglas Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-valentine/) > [There are two facets to the CIA's management and control of international drug trafficking, on behalf of the corporate interests that rule America. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-valentine/there-are-two-facets-to-the-cia-s-management-and-control-of/) [Douglas Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-valentine/) > [What's less well known is that the CIA's executive management staff is far more concerned with selecting the right candidates to serve as CIA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-valentine/what-s-less-well-known-is-that-the-cia-s-executive-management-staff/) [Douglas Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-valentine/) [Explore all 7 Douglas Valentine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-valentine/) ## More American people quotes > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-as-much-as-government-can-do-and-must-do-it-is-ultimately-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Given a choice between two bald political candidates, the American people will vote for the less bald of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-gold/given-a-choice-between-two-bald-political-candidates-the-american/) Victor Gold > [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/) [Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [I don't know a politician who enjoys fundraising. 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