A senior CIA official posted an image on Facebook appearing to side against Israel in its conflict with Hamas two weeks after the terrorist attack that killed more than 1,400 Israelis.
The agency’s associate deputy director for analysis updated her Facebook cover photo to an image of a man waving a Palestinian flag, the Financial Times first reported. This official was revealed to be Amy McFadden, according to The Washington Free Beacon. In years prior, she also posted a selfie on Facebook with a “Free Palestine” sticker, the Financial Times reported.
The CIA released a statement in response to the story insisting its officials act objectively in their roles.
“CIA officers are committed to analytic objectivity, which is at the core of what we do as an agency. CIA officers may have personal views, but this does not lessen their — or CIA’s — commitment to unbiased analysis,” the statement read, per the Financial Times.
The agency sent out an internal email to its employees after the report was published that directed them to avoid posting political statements on social media, according to NBC News, which cited an official who said the email was “simply a reminder of existing policy.”
McFadden liked a post on LinkedIn last week of an article that criticized Israel for “making the utter defeat of Hamas its top priority,” the Free Beacon reported. The post was from the International Crisis Group, which has faced criticism for its ties to Iran.
The group’s former president, Robert Malley, is under investigation for allegedly mishandling classified material. Malley served as the chief envoy to Tehran under President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama. One of the group’s analysts was ousted in October due to links to a vast Iranian-government propaganda network.
The reports continue a trend of federal officials undercutting the positions of the Biden administration in the escalated Israel-Hamas conflict. The White House has faced several instances of internal pressure against its support for Israel, including a letter from more than 500 federal officials pushing for a cease-fire earlier this month, as reported by The Dallas Express.
