was growing, and with it the upheaval inside the Beltway. Predicting people’s shifting loyalties was becoming impossible as they positioned themselves for what was to come next.
“What was your involvement in sending Mitch Rapp to California to interrogate those drug traffickers?”
Word was that Barnett’s inquiries into that subject had hit a dead end. The further she tracked the chain of command back, the murkier it got.
“As I’ve told you in the past, I had no involvement.”
“If you’re denying that it was you, then who was it?”
It was a question that literally might be the most dangerous in the world. According to Scott Coleman, the president of the United States had not only personally given the order, but had also signed papers giving Rapp carte blanche.
Again, Kennedy leaned into the microphone. “I don’t know who authorized Mr. Rapp’s involvement, though my people are continuing to look into the matter. Has your office’s investigation been able to shed any light on the issue?”
“I’m asking the questions in this hearing!”
Kennedy poured herself a glass of water. The truth was that this meeting served no real purpose. It was a fishing expedition. Barnett was trying to find something explosive for the very public hearing she was undoubtedly planning. But she wasn’t going to get it.
“Let me make another clarification, Senator. Mitch Rapp doesn’t work for the Central Intelligence Agency and hasn’t for some time. He functions as an independent contractor. The last contract the Agency had with him was in relation to tracking Sayid Halabi in Yemen.”
“Is it possible that he acted alone?” another one of the senators offered.
The fury registered on Barnett’s face before she could prevent it. She was there to gather ammunition against Kennedy and the intelligence community as a whole, not just one man.
“It’s absolutely possible,” Kennedy responded, deciding to take the gift. “Mr. Rapp is well known in the upper echelons of law enforcement and intelligence. He could have used his reputation and contacts to convince people that he was operating under the authority of the CIA when that in fact wasn’t the case.”
“In order to murder two drug traffickers, shoot three DEA agents, and steal millions of dollars’ worth of narcotics,” Barnett interjected.
“That appears to be correct, Senator.”
It was an uncomfortable position for Kennedy. Any defense of Rapp could weaken the undercover legend he’d created and get him killed. She wasn’t just there to stand by and let the Senate throw Mitch Rapp under the bus. No, she needed to be behind the wheel pushing the accelerator to the floor.
“And this all relates to his illegal financial dealings?” Barnett said, continuing to probe.
“Our investigation is in its initial stages, but that also appears to be correct. Mr. Rapp had a number of foreign accounts and investments of questionable legality. One of his main investments—a financial services company in Poland—collapsed and came under the scrutiny of EU officials. That created a cascade effect.”
“Meaning the house of cards he’d built came tumbling down, prompting him to steal those drugs in order to put together enough money to run.”
“That’s a reasonable conclusion based on the facts that we have at this time, Senator.”
“Where did he get all the money to invest, Dr. Kennedy? And how long have those investments existed? We all know what the man does for a living and we’re now very aware that he doesn’t have any qualms about shooting innocent people.”
“If you’re suggesting he was taking contract killing jobs on the side, Senator, I doubt that’s the case. Much more likely, he simply siphoned funds from the terrorist organizations he broke up. They themselves have extremely complex financial structures and it wouldn’t be hard to hide those kinds of transactions.”
“But this house of cards he built,” Barnett said, still trying to find her footing. “It was constructed while he was officially working for the CIA. Isn’t that right? While he was under your supervision.”
Kennedy took a sip of water and focused on staying in character. Avoiding personal responsibility and abandoning Mitch Rapp were two things antithetical to who she was. But, for now, there was no other way.
“Obviously, I’m the director of the CIA, so everything that happens there is within my purview. Having said that, the monitoring of our agents is largely the responsibility of an independent division within the Agency. They work under a very specific set of parameters, all of which were adhered to in this case. The problem seems to be that Mr. Rapp covered his tracks extremely well. His money was held