Pentagon: Top Intel Official Under Investigation For Connection To Zero Dark Thirty

According to the Associated Press, a Pentagon spokesman said that one of its top intelligence officials is currently under investigation for information he reportedly provided to the makers of Zero Dark Thirty, the upcoming blockbuster film about the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little indicated Tuesday evening that the investigation of undersecretary of defense for intelligence Michael Vickers is currently being conducted by the Pentagon’s inspector general. Vickers reportedly provided only unclassified information to the filmmakers in a session arranged last year by the Pentagon’s public affairs office.

According to Little, however, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has “full confidence” in Vickers, who has long been mentioned as someone who could become the head of the CIA in the future.

Zero Dark Thirty, which is scheduled for national release in January 2013, was a source of controversy during election season, as critics alleged that the movie’s intent was to reflect well upon President Obama and that the filmmakers’ ties to potentially sensitive Pentagon information was a serious breach in national security.

[h/t POLITICO]

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