Sometimes (frequently) you want an arms-length/plausibly-deniable relationship so that government can do edgy/illegal stuff but duck the blowback if it all goes

Sometimes (frequently) you want an arms-length/plausibly-deniable relationship so that government can do edgy/illegal stuff but duck the blowback if it all goes pear-shaped or gets exposed to the sanitising light of day. See also extraordinary rendition.