London: A seven-page document made public by WikiLeaks purports to show that the US Central Intelligence Agency ordered its spies to gather information on the 2012 French presidential election.
The document, which WikiLeaks published late yesterday and described as "tasking orders," suggest that American spies wanted an insider's take on the race, including details of party funding, internal rivalries and future attitudes toward the United States.
Although WikiLeaks' publication of a purportedly secret CIA document was striking, the orders seemed to represent standard intelligence-gathering.
French media, which are consumed with the upcoming electoral contest only two months away, gave the publication relatively light attention today.
The CIA declined to comment on the release. WikiLeaks did not answer questions about the document's provenance but said in an email that it was authentic.
