The Looming Shadow Of The CIA (Cofer Black)

Cofer Black is an American former CIA officer who served as director of the Counterterrorism Center in the years surrounding the September 11th attacks, and was later appointed Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the State Department by President George W. Bush, serving until his resignation in 2004. Prior to his roles combating terrorism, Black served across the globe in a variety of roles with the Directorate of Operations at the CIA. It was reported that Black while at the CTC and the Bin Laden Issue Station, did not share important intelligence reports about two Al Qaeda operatives living inside the United States to the FBI. After the attacks of September 11th 2001, Black was present during a high level meeting with members of the "war council", a restricted group of the National Security Council, chaired by President Bush at Camp David on September 15, 2001. During the meeting Black was said to have conducted a speech in which he outlined a plan to attack Al Qaeda, to which he memorably replied to the President, "When we're through with them they will have flies walking across their eyeballs." Black retired from the CIA after 26 years of service in 2008.