Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
Well, Gary Bernson is a ex-CIA officer who I had written a book with 20 years ago called Jawbreaker.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
He was the guy who organized the teams after 9-11 and led the teams that went into Afghanistan
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
to set it up for the military.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
Because the day after 9-11, when President Bush called all his advisors together, he said, I want to go into Afghanistan.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
The Taliban has been protecting these, the Al-Qaeda.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
And I've asked them to turn them over, and they're not doing it.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
So let's go in and punish them.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
And Donald Rumsfeld, who was the Secretary of Defense at the time, said,
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
Mr. President, Afghanistan is a difficult country.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
The Soviets got their butts kicked there, and the British got their butts kicked there.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
We need at least three months to prepare.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
The President Bush wanted to do something right away.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
So George Tenet, who was the head of the CIA at the time, he went,
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
You know, Mr. President, we've had teams in there before working with the Afghan resistance, the Northern Alliance.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
So maybe we can put together something and go in there and kind of prepare the ground.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
I don't know if it will succeed.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
And the president said, yeah, let's do it.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
So they brought this guy in, Gary Bernson, who at the time was the station chief in Uruguay.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
And he had been in Afghanistan.
Danny Jones Podcast
#395 - “I Watched Them Rig Elections In Real Time” Venezuelan Spy Breaks Silence | Ralph Pezzullo
He had met Shah Massoud, who was the head of the Northern Alliance.