24 - Marc Cesarini

The media refers to it simply as ''24'' - the biggest scandal to rock the Central Intelligence Agency ever. ''24'', of course refers to the number of hours Agent Jack Bauer of the CIA's elite Counter Terrorism Unit fought to thwart an assassination attempt against the then presidental candidate David Palmer, to root out not one but two moles within the agency and to rescue his wife and daughter, who were kidnapped by the same conspirators!

Herewith is the complete report from the closed hearings of the US Congress House Special Subcommittee formed to investigate the alleged misconduct in the CIA among other high-level government agencies. Leaked to investigative journalist Marc Cerasini by a source close to the committee, this report names names, wags fingers in some surprising new directions, and may even serve to clear some well-positioned scapegoats of culpability.

Accompanied by further evidentary documentation gathered by Cerasini as well as commentary from Washington D.C. insiders and keen political pundits, the report was well placed in the journalist's hands. Not since the New York Times published the Pentagon Papers has the public been afforded so rare and detailed a glimpse into the workings of key US government agencies. Never before have the people been so well apprised of covert activities undertaken by US special operations forces in key hotspots around the world.

An indictment of the American system, or a tribute to the dedication of some of the agency's finest? It's the kind of drama you only expect to see on TV.