4 CIA Workers Fired in Chat Room Probe

The CIA fired four employees and reprimanded 18 others for participating in a secret chat room created in the spy agency’s classified computer system to exchange jokes and gossip, agency officials said. The four employees, including one senior intelligence officer, effectively were fired when their security clearances were revoked. Eighteen employees were issued letters of reprimand, and most were suspended without pay for five to 45 days, the CIA said. That group included two senior intelligence officers who were also downgraded one step on the employment scale. The chat room, used mainly to trade jokes, musings, gossip and observations, was created in the mid-1980s and evolved with changes in the agency’s computer system. About 160 employees were involved over the years in the by-invitation-only chat room, which was discovered during routine security checks. The investigation found no unauthorized disclosure of classified information, the CIA said.