CIA No. 3, facing bribe probe, quits

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WASHINGTON, May 8 (UPI) -- CIA Director Porter Goss' No. 3 man at the agency, facing investigation as part of a congressional bribe probe, quit Monday, an official said.

Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, the CIA's executive director, announced his resignation in an e-mail message to agency staff, a U.S. official told United Press International on condition of anonymity.

His departure follows Goss' hasty resignation Friday, which some reports have linked to the broadening bribe probe centered on disgraced former California GOP Congressman Randall "Duke" Cunningham.

The White House denied that Friday. "It is simply not true that (Goss') resignation is in anyway connected with the Cunningham case," White House spokeswoman Erin Healy told UPI.

Last year, Cunningham pled guilty to taking $2.4 million worth of bribes from two defense contractors in return for steering military intelligence work their way. One of those men, Brent Wilkes, still as yet facing no charges himself, also had at least one contract with the CIA, which is now being probed by the agency's inspector general because of his decades-long friendship with Foggo.

Foggo has confirmed through the CIA's office of public affairs that he attended parties at the Watergate hotel suites maintain by Wilkes -- which federal investigators reportedly believe were also used to provide prostitutes to Cunningham and other members of Congress as part of Wilkes' corrupt enterprise.

Wilkes' lawyer has denied the charge and CIA spokespeople insist Foggo was aware of nothing untoward at the events, characterized as "occasional card games with friends."

The U.S. official said Foggo's departure had been "in train before Goss made his announcement Friday," but added that it was "established practice" for each new incoming director to choose their own executive director -- a fact that Foggo had mentioned in his e-mail to staff.

"When you have a director announcing his departure, there is bound to be some turn-over of senior staff," said the official.