Navy Veteran Suing CNN for Defamation Was CIA Agent—and Left-Wing Network Gave Him Just 2 Hours To Confirm His Agency Affiliations, Messages Show
PANAMA CITY, Fla.—The Navy veteran suing CNN for defamation revealed Thursday that he was a CIA officer, a fact that the left-wing network asked him to confirm on a two-hour deadline prior to running a story he says was full of "libel."
The plaintiff, Zachary Young, denied then-senior national security correspondent Alex Marquardt’s claim that the reporter called him before a November 2021 segment aired alleging that he operated in an illegal "black market" profiteering off Afghans trying to flee their home country as the Taliban took control. Instead, Marquardt sent the veteran a detailed list of questions and only gave him two hours to respond, Young testified.
"What is your relationship with the CIA? You told one person you were a former case officer, you told another you are a current NOC," Marquardt asked Young in a Signal message. A NOC, or non-official cover, is a CIA intelligence officer who operates clandestinely under a cover identity that is not traceable to the agency.
That question alone would have required more than two hours since he needed to seek guidance on how to answer it, Young testified Thursday. He said he would identify himself as a former "Agency C/O" in LinkedIn messages to vet people, since only others in the industry would understand that to mean Central Intelligence Agency case officer.
He told Marquardt "That's definitely not a realistic deadline," and that "some of your facts/assertions are not accurate," according to court proceedings revealed Wednesday. He threatened that he would seek legal damages.
After the segment ran on The Lead with Jake Tapper, Marquardt was promoted to CNN’s chief national security correspondent. It’s unclear whether Young’s ties to the CIA are related to his efforts to help Afghans flee the country or how they will affect his case against CNN.
Young is now suing CNN for $1 billion in damages, alleging that the segment and anchor Jake Tapper’s portrayal of him irreparably harmed his reputation and destroyed his company, Nemex Enterprises. In earlier proceedings, Judge William Henry allowed Young to use CNN’s disparaging coverage of Fox News's $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, and jurors during Monday’s selection process appeared open to forcing CNN to cough up a 10-figure payout to Young.
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