A Rogue's Revenge

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In his lawsuit Wilson is going after a bevy of prominent onetime Justice Department officials, including two who are now federal judges. He is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for his wrongful conviction. "I am a CIA mercenary who was betrayed by the legal system and a government that approved my actions," he told TIME. His legal documents, which were obtained by TIME, do not show that the sale of C-4 explosives for which he was charged was CIA approved. There is evidence that the agency in another instance used Wilson to barter weapons or explosives with Libya for Soviet military equipment that the U.S. wanted to study. His lawyers have offered evidence that the agency, among other things, proposed that Wilson use his consulting firm to help transport handguns and submachine guns to Saudi Arabia. They also say it arranged the testing of body armor for the Shah of Iran and that Wilson kept in almost daily touch with senior CIA officials, proposing agents for recruitment and informing on attempts by Libya to purchase weapons and nuclear technology.

Wilson does not go so far as to claim it was the CIA that asked him to conspire to kill two of his prosecutors, a charge that stands. One of them, Lawrence Barcella, whom Wilson names as a defendant, says, "His latest claims are groundless." As with similar cases in the past, the defendants will probably ask for a dismissal on the grounds that they were acting in their official capacities, for which the law provides immunity in certain cases. Some may argue that Wilson's sale of explosives to Libya was illegal, regardless of whether the CIA was involved. But if the case moves forward, it could force into the open thousands of old and secret government records, which would embarrass the CIA all over again.