The Central Intelligence Agency recruited a German intelligence official in an apparent quest to get information about Berlin's probe into U.S. spying on the country and its leaders. The German was arrested late last week on suspicion of being a foreign spy and investigators found an encrypted program disguised as a weather app on his computer.
German politicans say he was passing information to the U.S. about the parliament's investigation into Edward Snowden's revelations that the National Security Agency eavesdropped on Berlin, including Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone.
He is suspected of handing over 218 documents since 2012, and allegedly met an American contact in Austria two or three times and received cash payments of $36,000.
The U.S. officials who confirmed the CIA's role spoke on condition of anonymity, and offered no further details.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest declined comment on the dispute.
"The relationship that the United States has with Germany is incredibly important. This is a very close partnership that we have on a range of security issues, including some intelligence issues," Earnest said. "All of those things are high priorities not just to this administration, but to this country. So we're going to work with the Germans to resolve this situation appropriately."
Snowden's revelations last year, which included evidence that the NSA was targeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel's personal cell phone, frosted U.S.-German relations. The White House agreed to stop targeting Merkel, but rejected Berlin's pleas for a wider "no spy" pact.
The latest case risks further straining ties.
CIA chief John Brennan has requested to brief key congressional members on the debacle that is straining already maxed-out U.S.-German relations.
Merkel said earlier Monday that "if the allegations are true, it would be for me a clear contradiction as to what I consider to be trusting cooperation's between agencies and partners.
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