WH: Outing of CIA station chief inadvertent
White House Counsel Neil Eggleston concluded this week that the release of a CIA station chief’s name during President Obama’s Afghanistan visit last month was made “inadvertently,” a White House spokesman said Wednesday evening.
Eggleston briefed White House chief of staff Denis McDonough on Tuesday night about the investigation following the disclosure of the name, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.
{mosads}No action was taken against officials, and no one was fired or punished because of the release of the name, Earnest said.
After concluding the investigation, Eggleston made some recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future, including having the White House press lead clear the names and titles of meeting participants with the National Security Staff, before the White House distributes names to the press.
White House scheduling and communications staff will also receive additional training to “enhance awareness and improve handling of sensitive information.”
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