During the Cold War, the CIA may have had as much success with books and magazines as with gun-running and spies.

Former CIA Director John Brennan told MSNBC that he had not been alerted that he was being investigated by the FBI before the news dropped on Tuesday.

"Foundation For Freedom Online" founder Mike Benz, with Jesse Kelly, traces Jeffrey Epstein's almost certain connections to U.S. intelligence networks back to the early 1980s and Iran-Contra. "What I'm trying to communicate here is every aspect of the Epstein story ties into the restructuring of intelligence work after the 1970s,

There's a revolving door of talent between the country's premiere intelligence agency and its entertainment industry, with influence often working both ways.