Ron Paul Criticizes CIA, Brands Them as 'Every Bit as Secretive as the Federal Reserve

(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The retiring Congressman Ron Paul has long made known his opposition to the federal reserve and the CIA. In a recent comment he pulled the two together titling a post on his website as "The CIA Is Every Bit as Secretive as the Federal Reserve."

Paul cited a Washington Post article posted Saturday that described how the Department of Defense's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was sending close to 1,600 spies overseas in the name of national security and thwarting emerging threats. Paul wrote on his website:

Thousands of new DIA spies are to be hired and placed undercover to help foment even more covert wars and coups in foreign lands. Where will it all end?

Greg Miller for the Washington Post wrote with the changes expected for the DIA, it will rival the CIA in size. Here's more from Miller's article on the agency's transformation:

The sharp increase in DIA undercover operatives is part of a far-reaching trend: a convergence of the military and intelligence agencies that has blurred their once-distinct missions, capabilities and even their leadership ranks.

Through its drone program, the CIA now accounts for a majority of lethal U.S. operations outside the Afghan war zone. At the same time, the Pentagon’s plan to create what it calls the Defense Clandestine Service, or DCS, reflects the military’s latest and largest foray into secret intelligence work.

The DIA overhaul — combined with the growth of the CIA since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — will create a spy network of unprecedented size. The plan reflects the Obama administration’s affinity for espionage and covert action over conventional force. It also fits in with the administration’s efforts to codify its counterterrorism policies for a sustained conflict and assemble the pieces abroad necessary to carry it out.

Miller reported a former military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, saying "the stars have been aligning on this for a while."

The "collectors," as Miller reported the agents being called, will be trained by the CIA and work with the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, but have their own assignments for the DOD.

The purpose of the DIA overseas collectors will be to gather intelligence that the CIA is not.

“We are in a position to contribute to defense priorities that frankly CIA is not,” a senior Defense Department official told Miller.

“[It] amplifies the ability of both CIA and DIA to achieve the best results,” said CIA spokesman Preston Golson in the Washington Post.

So where exactly is Paul concerned with the relationship between the two? He sheds more light on this pulling out an excerpt from a 2010 speech he made in Atlanta:

“There’s been a coup, have you heard? It’s the CIA coup. The CIA runs everything, they run the military. They’re the ones who are over there lobbing missiles and bombs on countries. … And of course the CIA is every bit as secretive as the Federal Reserve. … And yet think of the harm they have done since they were established [after] World War II. They are a government unto themselves. They’re in businesses, in drug businesses, they take out dictators … We need to take out the CIA.”

According to Miller, the CIA might might gain advantages to having a closer relationship with the DIA. These might include "assurances that its station chiefs overseas will be kept apprised of DIA missions and have authority to reject any that might conflict with CIA efforts," Miller wrote.

Here's raw footage captured of Paul's speech:

Be sure to check out Miller's full article in the Washington Post for more details on the DIA's changes and what they could mean here.

What are your thought's on Paul's views regarding the CIA? Let us know in the comments below.