Excerpt:
Kent Clizbe has a warning for voters in the primary Tuesday to fill the Virginia House of Delegates' newly created 87th District seat in Loudoun County: Caveat emptor - let the buyer or, in this case, the electorate, beware.
That is sound advice under all circumstances in a democracy like ours. Mr. Clizbe feels a particular concern, however, about the lack of proper vetting of one of the candidates for the Republican nomination, David Ramadan. An interview he conducted in person with Mr. Ramadan a few weeks ago, which was chronicled in a report he posted at BigPeace.com, only reinforced the sense that the candidate may be hiding facts about his personal history, associations and agenda that would be disqualifying if publicly known.
Kent Clizbe has considerable expertise with respect to the need for and techniques involved in such vetting. He was a case officer for the CIA in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe in the 1990s, a position that required exacting care in selecting and recruiting foreigners as agents and sources. After he left the agency's clandestine service, he returned as a contractor to help with counterterrorism-related matters, earning the Intelligence Community Seal Medallion, its highest decoration for such non-employee personnel. In addition, Mr. Clizbe has employed his vetting skills in the private sector, working as a professional headhunter.