Veteran officer Jonathan Bank is placed on
leave amid a rebellion against his management style, current and former officials
say.
March 16, 2014, 7:54
p.m.
WASHINGTON — The CIA's chief of Iran operations was placed on paid
administrative leave and sent home from agency headquarters after an internal
investigation found he had created an abusive and hostile work environment that
put a crucial division in disarray, according to current and former officials.
Officers and analysts in the Iran operations division,
which coordinates spying on Iran and its nuclear program, were informed at a meeting last week
at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., of the decision to suspend Jonathan Bank,
a veteran officer and member of the senior intelligence service.
Three former officials said the Iran operations division
was in open rebellion to Bank's management style, with several key employees
demanding transfers.
"Iran is one of most important targets, and the
place was not functioning," one of the former officials said.
In 2010, Bank was pulled out as CIA station chief in
Islamabad after newspapers in Pakistan, India, England and elsewhere published
his name in connection with a court case, and the agency said he had received
death threats. U.S. officials believe Pakistan's intelligence service leaked
the name in a dispute over CIA drone attacks in the country's tribal belt.
Bank, now 46, previously served at CIA stations in the
Balkans, Moscow and Baghdad, former agency officials said. He also was a top
assistant to James Pavitt, who from 1999 to 2004 headed the CIA's operations
arm, now known as the National Clandestine Service.
The former CIA officials spoke on condition of anonymity
to discuss a personnel matter. Bank is technically undercover, but his name has
been public since the 2010 incident. He did not respond to email messages
requesting comment.
Dean Boyd, the agency's chief spokesman, said he could
not comment on a personnel issue.
"As a general matter, the CIA expects managers at
all levels to demonstrate leadership skills and foster an environment that helps
their employees perform at the highest levels to achieve agency
objectives," Boyd said. "Whenever that doesn't happen, we examine the
situation carefully and take appropriate action."
Several former CIA officials said they could not remember
a senior manager being suspended over workplace issues, but management problems
are a recurring challenge at the agency.
According to a Los Angeles Times report in
July, an internal CIA workplace survey in 2009 found that those who
left the spy agency frequently cited bad management as a factor, particularly
in the clandestine service. In interviews, former officers said they felt poor
managers suffered no consequences.
