A new release from Wikileaks has revealed that the CIA took part in a seven-month long spying campaign against every major French political party and candidate before and after the nation’s presidential elections in 2012.
WikiLeaks released a set of documents showing CIA espionage on candidates in France’s 2012 presidential elections.
The documents disclose that all of France’s major political parties were targeted for infiltration by the CIA’s human (“HUMINT”) and electronic (“SIGINT”) spies.
According to Wikileaks, the CIA operation initially ran for 10 months from November 21, 2011, to September 29, 2012, and continued after the April-May 2012 French presidential election and into the formation of the new government.
Specific instructions tasked CIA officers to discover Sarkozy’s private deliberations “on the other candidates” as well as how he interacted with his advisors. Sarkozy’s earlier self-identification as “Sarkozy the American” did not protect him from US espionage in the 2012 election or during his presidency.
The CIA assessed that President Nicholas Sarkozy’s UMP party was not assured re-election and ordered officers to find out Sarkozy’s private deliberations “on the other candidates” as well as how he interacted with his advisors, according to the documents. The agency also reportedly outlined orders specific to the UMP (Union for a Popular Movement), including obtaining the party’s “Strategic Election Plans” and gleaning private thoughts within the party on Sarkozy’s campaign strategies.
RELEASE: CIA espionage orders for the last French presidential electionhttps://t.co/ARd8alUjMS #CIAFrance pic.twitter.com/15Q5ojw4L4
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 16, 2017
2012 CIA France Election by Peter Hasson on Scribd
Press Release (English)
16 February, 2017
CIA espionage orders for the last French presidential election
All major French political parties were targeted for infiltration by the CIA’s human (“HUMINT”) and electronic (“SIGINT”) spies in the seven months leading up to France’s 2012 presidential election. The revelations are contained within CIA tasking orders published today by CIA Vault 7 series. Named the French Socialist Party (PS), the National Front (FN) and Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) together with President Francois Hollande, then President Nicolas Sarkozy, And training presidential candidates Martine Aubry and Dominique Strauss-Khan.
The CIA assessed that President Sarkozy’s party was not assured re-election. The Strategic Election Plans of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP); Schisms or alliances developing in the UMP elite; Private UMP reactions to Sarkozy’s campaign stratagies; Discussions within the UMP on any “perceived vulnerabilities to maintaining power” after the election; Efforts to change the party’s ideological mission; And discussions about Sarkozy’s support for the UMP and “the value he places on the continuation of the party’s dominance”. Specific instructions tasked CIA officers to discover Sarkozy’s private deliberations “on the other candidates” as well as how he interacted with his advisors. Sarkozy’s earlier self-identification as “Sarkozy the American” did not protect him from US espionage in the 2012 election or during his presidency .
The espionage order for “Non Ruling Political Parties and Candidates Strategic Election Plans” which targeted Francois Holland, Information on internal party dynamics and rising leaders; Efforts to influence and implement political decisions; Support from local government officials, government elites or business elites; Views of the United States; Efforts to reach out to other countries, including Germany, Israel, Palestine, Syria & Cote d’Ivoire; As well as information about party and candidate funding.
Significantly, two CIA opposition spying tasks, “What policies do they promote to help boost France’s economic growth prospects?” And “What are their opinions on the German model of export-led growth?” Resonate with a US economic spy order from the same year . That ordered obtaining details of every prospective French export contract or deal valued at $ 200m or more.
The spying opposition also places the weight on the candidates’ attitudes to the EU’s economic crisis, centering around their position on the Greek debt crisis; The role of France and Germany in the management of the Greek debt crisis; The vulnerability of French government and French banks to a Greek default; And “specific proposals and recommendations” to deal with the “euro-zone crisis”.
The CIA espionage “NO-ORDINARY” (“NOFORN”) due to “Friends-on-Friends sensitivities”. CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the US Department of Intelligence and Research Branch.
The CIA is in the process of becoming a member of the CIA.
