Opinion ID: 2448
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ms. Wilson's Retirement Discussions with Representative Inslee and the CIA's February 10, 2006 Letter

Text: Perceiving that disclosure of her covert status with the CIA significantly restricted her eligibility for future Agency assignments and promotions, Valerie Wilson decided to retire. Before serving formal notice of retirement, Ms. Wilson and her husband had discussions with Representative Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), to explore the possibility of a private bill that would permit Ms. Wilson to receive full retirement benefits despite the fact that she had not reached the requisite age. On November 3, 2005, Rep. Inslee's Chief of Staff, Brian Bonlender, sent Mr. Wilson a draft of such legislation, which proposed to reference his wife's years of Agency service, information that was classified: In January 2006, Valerie Plame Wilson will have been employed by the Central Intelligence Agency for 20 years and will be 42 years of age. E-mail from B. Bonlender to J. Wilson, attachment at 2 (Nov. 3, 2005). The draft bill further stated: Valerie Plame Wilson should be able to receive retirement benefits from the Central Intelligence Agency after having been employed for 20 years without meeting the minimum age requirement. Id. [7] The record also reveals that, in responding to Rep. Inslee's office the following week, Ms. Wilson herself did not hesitate to discuss the classified fact of her years of Agency service: I resign on 2jan06 with [redacted] years of service. E-mail from V. Wilson to B. Bonlender (Nov. 15, 2005) (redaction in copy filed with district court). In this same e-mail, Ms. Wilson advised Mr. Bonlender that she wanted to have a final decision from the Agency regarding her retirement benefits PRIOR to submitting any legislation in order to demonstrate that all other avenues of recourse have been attempted, etc. Id. (emphasis in original). Two weeks later, Ms. Wilson reported that she pretty much [had] final word from the agency that she would not be eligible to receive her retirement benefits early, but that the agency will give me an `official' memo to that effect. E-mail from V. Wilson to B. Bonlender (Nov. 28, 2005). Valerie Wilson formally resigned from the CIA effective January 9, 2006. One month later, on February 10, 2006, Karen F. Tumolo, then Chief of the CIA's Retirement and Insurance Services Division, sent Ms. Wilson a letter regarding her retirement benefits (the February 10 Letter or Letter). The Letter was written on CIA letterhead, sent via first-class mail, [8] and contained no classification markings. It set forth the dates of Ms. Wilson's service with the CIA and explained that, by statute, Wilson was not yet eligible to receive her deferred annuity. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Wilson reported to Rep. Inslee's Chief of Staff that she had received an official letter from the Agency regarding her retirement benefits, and she offered to fax [him] the actual letter, if it would be helpful. E-mail from V. Wilson to B. Bonlender (Feb. 26, 2006). The record does not indicate precisely when Ms. Wilson forwarded the February 10 Letter to Rep. Inslee's office, but it is undisputed that she did so. No legislation pertaining to Ms. Wilson's retirement benefits was introduced in 2006, however, and plaintiffs surmise that this was because of the unlikelihood of enactment by the then-Republican-controlled Congress.