Had an idle wonderment this am.
What if you were facing some serious charges (murder or somesuch) and you know you’re innocent, but the authorities seem to have put together a good enough case to convict. Your alibi is that you were infiltrating Blofeld’s lair or similar, which you can’t reveal as it is classified?
Would M have a quiet word and make it go away? Are you allowed to reveal some stuff to protect yourself?
Lets make it more interesting, for whatever reason it’s a high profile case, splashed over the tabloids and the public wants blood for this crime. Not so easy to quietly get rid of now.
a bump now the US is awake
I’m thinking that the spooks would have a quiet word with their opposite numbers in the prosecutor’s office. There are certainly civilian types at some level who are cleared for secrecy who could say “don’t bother, I’ve seen the evidence”.
The fact that this scenario is ripe for abuse is a different question.
Sounds like Ollie North and Ronald Reagan to me. You take one for the Gipper and then the Gipper takes care of you.
I would imagine that there would be a government official (not necessarily representing CONTROL or a similar agency) who would be able to provide evidence that Sydney Bristow was on a temporary duty assignment for the US Government at the time the murder occurred. There would probably be a cover story available anyway (Ms. Bristow was assigned to assist the Ambassador of Ubeki-beki-beki-stan-stan from June 1 to 18, 2011) or no further details may need to be offered.
Not in any state or county district attorney’s office. No way.
Well, basically either you or the guy(s) collaring you arrange for communication between your agencies’ next-up-the-chain-of-command guys. I would strongly encourage that to be your one phone-call. Your next-up-the-chain-of-command guy(s) say, “Hands off. Even if he did it, he’s a double-oh, so your case there is nothing more than collateral damage.”
Of course, that doesn’t work if you’re having your KGB assignment coordinator call up Scotland Yard…
Or, if we’re talking highly publicized moralities charges (rape?) the agency pretends they don’t know you.
Or, if we’re talking a crowded public place and The Emperor’s Nephew’s Grandson is the victim, your agency hangs you out to dry as in the above paragraph and also puts out a contract of its own for your eyeballs. Then it calls the locals to tell them “Hands off…” and you don’t get more than a few steps beyond the building exit.
But of course, Mr. Bourne, you knew this before you started your training—or did you somehow forget that?
—G!
“It’s like Watching the Dectives…”
. —Elvis Costello
. Watching the Detectives
I don’t know about murdering a public official at high noon in the town commons, but I can tell you of my experience. We recently inprocessed an inmate who had sold secrets to a foreign government. There was a cry for blood, but it was after the military had done their investigation and he was charged. It wasn’t that the press didn’t want to cover the story from the arrest, but that they were not informed until the charges had been made.
As for the investigation, the investigators had a clearance at least equal to the level of information released. The exact information did not have to be presented in trial. The only thing that had to be presented was he attempted to sell what he thought was classified information to federal agents posing as foreign diplomats.
I know this is not what you asked, but it is to show that there still has to be some evidence of a crime and that the accused committed it.
SFC Schwartz
Uh. . . I’m thinking the Penn State business might actually be a case in point that was successfully buried for a long time until, uh, oops, the lid blew off? :dubious: