SpyTalk

Share this post

CIA Officer Became ‘Formidable Foe’ of U.S. Government

www.spytalk.co

CIA Officer Became ‘Formidable Foe’ of U.S. Government

Janine Brookner took on the KGB, sexist rivals and Justice Department lawyers alike during a pioneering career as a spy and lawyer

Jeff Stein
May 14, 2021
11
1
Share this post

CIA Officer Became ‘Formidable Foe’ of U.S. Government

www.spytalk.co

Share

Janine Brookner, who battled communist spies and boorish male bureaucrats alike during a pioneering career as a CIA officer and later became a fierce advocate for women and whistleblowers in the intelligence community, died May 11 after a long struggle with kidney disease, “fueled at the end by a highly aggressive cancer,” according to her longtime companion Colin Thompson. She was 80.

Janine Brookner, daughter-in-law Frances (L) and grandaughter Caitlin (family photo)

“She was an exemplary CIA case officer and then a lawyer who represented men and women employees of the U.S. government, often successfully, seeking redress from a government that had treated them unethically and unfairly,” Thompson,  a retired former senior CIA officer himself, told SpyTalk. Recently, Brookner had been representing victims of the so-called “Havana Syndrome,” a mysterious disease thought to be caused by some kind of directed energy weapon targeting State Department and CIA officers.

“She was as hard as nai…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to SpyTalk to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2023 Jeff Stein
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing