CIA Depicted with Conservative Biases

Liberals and conservatives both have been very critical of the CIA at times, and their actions are often reflective of the administrations they serve. Liberals are wary of the CIA for factual things like torture and illegal arms deals that occurred under Republican presidents. Republicans are wary of the CIA because of factual things they do not like such as Russian election interference and also because they have been conditioned to distrust and hate anything attached to the federal government.

So, any negative portrayal of the CIA on screen -- whether from the left or the right -- won't really change liberal minds, but it will contribute to conservative distrust of federal government agencies.

Many conservatives will also side with the CIA when they take actions that are contrary to liberal beliefs such as torture and overly aggressive drone strikes.

Overall, the CIA is portrayed in ways that helps conservative ideology. Anytime it is depicted negatively, it sows more trust in the federal government by a segment of the Republican base. Anytime it justifies faulty conservative policies, it helps other segments of the Republican base promote their ideology.

We'll show and explain scenes that propagate conservative views of the CIA below.

• 13 Hours (2016)
  The movie portrays the CIA and American government as a bunch of inept and patronizing elites who prevent the hero private contractors from doing their job. It also gives credence to a number of conspiracy theories that have been debunked, most importantly the allegation that the CIA station chief in Benghazi issued a stand-down order to the soldiers at the compound.
  Historical Context
  A movie falsely critical of Hillary Clinton was released as the 2016 Presidential campaign was ramping up.
• The Bourne Identity (2002)
  The entire movie follows a team of CIA assassins trying to hunt down and kill Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) after he failed at an assassination attempt on an exiled Nigerian dictator.