The Blue State

Foggo is out amid investigation into Watergate prostitution scandal

As expected, Dusty Foggo, Porter Goss' number three man at the CIA, follows his boss into the world of resignation as he is being investigated for attending poker parties involving the lobbyist of recently-jailed Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham.  Worst of all, other than the fact that a few of these parties took place at the Watergate Hotel, reports indicate that prostitutes might have been there as well.

ABC News discusses the issue of a replacement for Foggo:

ABC News' Christopher Isham reported today that a respected veteran CIAofficer — Stephen Kappes — had already been asked to return to theagency as Hayden's right hand. Kappes had left the agency when Goss wasappointed as its head. Insiders told ABC News that the news of Kappes'expected return is likely to be a huge boost to morale.

The excuse that Foggo and Goss left because of infighting with National Intelligence Director John Negroponte is a nice way of trying to preemptively hide a prostitution scandal that is about to unfold any week now.

Video: Porter Goss' deputy and the prostitution scandal

The resignation of Porter Goss is just about as tricky of a matter as it can get.  Why would he resign so suddenly without there being a replacement waiting in the wings.  Something is fishy.  On the outside, it looks as if Porter Goss was simply on the losing end of a jurisdictional battle with Intelligence Chief John Negroponte.  Because the Intelligence Chief, a new cabinet position, has the authority to micromanage all of the intelligence agencies including the CIA, Goss might not have wanted to stick around and remain on Negroponte's leash.

Even though that theory is somewhat damaging for the White House, it is still a theory that the Administration would like the press to believe.  Why so?  When you uncover the situation a little bit further, you find that in a few weeks Porter Goss might find himself and one of his top top deputies, Dusty Foggo, in the middle of a prostitution scandal involving a former lobbyist of recently-jailed Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, partly centered around conduct at the Watergate hotel.  Porter Goss himself is not going to be a suspect.  But Foggo, who Goss randomly propelled to the number three position at the CIA right when Goss took the job, might be.  Foggo is currently under investigation for attending some of these parties where there were allegedly prostitutes.  So by Goss resigning now, the Bush Administration is preemptively acting out of caution just in case the scandal involving Foggo does erupt.

Either you can take my word for it, or watch this video of MSNBC political analyst David Schuster breaking down the whole thing on Friday's edition of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann":

Click to watch clip >>> (Windows Media Player)

DAVID SCHUSTER: "Remember, a lot of officials in the intelligence agency were totally puzzled how it was that this mid-level CIA bureaucrat, Dusty Foggo, suddenly vaulted to the number three position when Porter Goss came in.  A lot of people wondered about the circumstances under which Porter Goss and Foggo met one another.  And the other thing is that the news that Foggo is under investigation in this bribery scandal, and the idea that he was at these parties where there were allegedly prostitutes, even though he says he didn't see them -- that news spread like wild-fire at the Central Intelligence Agency."

So I guess this scandal will soon be added to the never-ending list already in progress: Social Security fallout, Terry Schiavo politicizing, Katrina mess-up, Iraq debacle, Tom DeLay's ethical problems, Bill Frist and his stock advisers, Scooter Libby, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld, and on and on.....