July 2, 2004

Kirk Admits C.I.A. Connection

Mark Kirk (Republican, 10th District – Illinois) admitted on the floor of Congress that he has been working for the Central Intelligence Agency at the same time he is serving in Congress. Lee Goodman, Kirk’s Democratic opponent, called for Kirk’s resignation from Congress. “The conflict of interest is blatant and appalling,” said Goodman. “Congress has been struggling to investigate intelligence failures by the CIA and now it turns out Kirk is working for the CIA. No wonder Kirk voted not to investigate these failures after 9/11. He is working for the people who didn’t want to be investigated. Any high-schooler who has studied the separation of powers in U.S. history class would recognize the problem.”

Goodman pointed out that until this revelation, Kirk had concealed his CIA connection. “Up until now, all he said was that he was a Navy reservist who was spending some weekends at the Pentagon. Now it turns out he is working with the people who conduct covert operations. Is there any way an agent of the CIA can be expected to function as a legitimate representative of the people in his district? The CIA is an organization that depends on secrecy. Congress is supposed to operate under public scrutiny. The two just aren’t compatible.”

Goodman also said Kirk has a conflict in the ongoing inquiry into the CIA’s role in torturing prisoners at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. “Congress has been looking into prisoner abuse, and Kirk is working for the agency that wrote a manual on torture and that may have been instrumental in the perpetration of these atrocities,” said Goodman. “Now we know why Kirk publicly condoned the torturing of prisoners. If Congress is to have any credibility in these matters, they should toss this guy out on his ear.”

“Kirk’s CIA connection also explains his support for the Patriot Act,” said Goodman. “He works for a surveillance agency. Of course he thinks it’s a good idea for the government to be able to spy on people.”

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