Ari Cohen is an agent of the Eyes of Athena.
That oddly named group is a private organization founded by the fathers of [the United States] that has been around for more than two centuries. "We are the brainchild of Thomas Jefferson himself, who saw a need for a group to run outside the control of the government, politicians, even the President, to safeguard the true values, beliefs, safety and needs of the United States. Jefferson and the men he worked with had learned firsthand about the abuse of power that can come in the role of any 'ruler' while they were under the thumb of good old King George in England. So, shortly after the nation was born - almost before the ink was dry on the Declaration of Independence and the guns were put away from our hard-won fight for freedom - these men came together to form the Eyes of Athena."
It consisted of 13 representatives, one from each of the original colonies. "The secret is passed from representative to representative, and each President of the United States is made privy to some limited knowledge of our existence in case he ... or she ... ever needs to call on us."
The interesting aspect of this explanation is that it was told by the sitting Eye from Massachusetts to Cohen, a long term member of Israel's legendary spy organization Mossad. That 'Eye' told Cohen that they had agents from all over the world, recruiting only the very best, and they had studied Cohen for some time and he more than fit their requirement. Cohen, if he agreed, would not quit Mossad but would be on a long-term loan. Since the tasks that the Eyes of Athena would want him to do would also benefit Israel, Cohen agreed.