Sources: CIA's No. 3 official to quit

Kyle "Dusty" Foggo directs the CIA's day-to-day operations. From CNN

This is off CNN.Com:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The third-highest official at the CIA, under investigation over ties to a defense contractor linked to a Capitol Hill bribery inquiry, has decided to step down, intelligence sources told CNN Monday.

Kyle "Dusty" Foggo was plucked from relative obscurity by CIA Director Porter Goss to become the CIA's executive director, the agency's No. 3 position. As such, Foggo was in charge of day-to-day operations at the spy agency.

Goss announced his resignation Friday after what intelligence sources described as a power struggle with National Intelligence Director John Negroponte.

Intelligence officials said Foggo's departure would be "pretty standard" because the executive director "tends to follow the CIA director's career trajectory."

I like how intelligence officials are now saying that Foggo's departure is standard, considering that CIA Director Porter Goss decided to leave the CIA last Friday.

But there is more here to this story than we've been told. First, we still don't know why CIA Director Goss decided to quit last Friday. The Bush White House never gave an explanation as to Goss' resignation. It is only now that we start to learn about the connection between Goss' number three man Foggo, and the Duke Cunningham bribery scandal. Consider this from the CNN story:

Foggo is being investigated by both the FBI and the CIA's inspector general over ties to a defense contractor linked to the bribery case against former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California.

The investigations stem from Foggo's relationship with defense contractor Brent Wilkes. The two men have reportedly been friends since childhood.

The CIA's inspector general is now looking at a contract Wilkes had with the CIA, awarded by Foggo, to see if there was anything improper in the deal.

The contract, valued at $2.4 million, was for providing water and household items to CIA agents operating in war zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

In addition, federal law enforcement sources told CNN the investigation continues into "outstanding issues" in the Cunningham bribery case, and that Foggo is part of those issues.

After media reports surfaced last week alleging Wilkes provided Cunningham with limousines and prostitutes at two Washington hotels, Foggo said he had attended poker parties thrown by Wilkes at the hotels.

So Foggo was childhood friends with Wilkes, who was bribing Duke Cunningham with cash and poker parties with prostitutes, in exchange for exclusive defense contracts from the congressman. And not only did Foggo partake in some of these Wilkes-sponsored parties, but Foggo also awarded CIA contracts to Wilkes. What did Foggo get in return from Wilkes for approving this contract? This is a direct connection between the Republican corruption scandal and the CIA, leading straight up to Goss via Foggo. What did Goss know of this corruption scandal, or the possible CIA contracts to Wilkes' business, or even to Shirlington Limousines, whose CEO Chris Baker procured prostitutes, and delivered them to these parties. And don't forget, the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $21 million contract to Shirlington Limousines to provide shuttle services--even though Baker is a convicted felon.

Is it no wonder that the Bush administration was anxious to get rid of Porter Goss?