Intelligence

China Has Increasing Sway in U.S. Science, JASON Report Says

Beijing is using better jobs at home, aggressive intelligence agencies, and a greater financial reach to influence American institutions.

  • Patrick Tucker, Defense One

Viewpoint: The FBI Needs to Be Reformed

The inspector general’s report identified real weaknesses, particularly with the policies and procedures that govern investigations of political campaigns.

  • Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer, The Atlantic

The Education Department is Investigating Foreign Influence at Two Prominent Universities

The agency wants detailed records of what the institutions received from the Russian, Chinese, Saudi Arabian and Qatar governments, as well as Huawei, ZTE and others.

  • Brandi Vincent

Intel and Defense IGs Reaffirm Commitment to Protecting Whistleblowers During 'Searing Time'

“Time will tell whether whistleblowers’ rights and protections will emerge from this period with the same legal, ethical, and moral strength they had previously,” one watchdog wrote.

  • Courtney Bublé

Trump’s Anger With IG Over Impeachment Role Highlights High Watchdog Vacancy Rate

There is “a long history of resistance” to inspectors general from the administrations in which they serve, says Paul Light.

  • Courtney Bublé

Anonymous Complaint Questions Online Donations for Ukraine Whistleblower’s Legal Fees

The whistleblower’s team disputes the allegations.

  • Courtney Bublé

The Government Report That Got Turned Into a Hollywood Movie

How Scott Z. Burns tackled his feature directorial debut, a gripping film about the inquiry into the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” program

  • Todd S. Purdum, The Atlantic

Election Commission Needs More Authority In Face of 2020 Threats, Report Finds

“The federal government regulates colored pencils . . . more strictly than it does America’s election infrastructure,” the nonpartisan Brennan Center notes.

  • Courtney Bublé

ISIS Leader Baghdadi Killed Himself During U.S. Special Ops Raid, Trump Confirms

Trump claims, against the evidence, that killing Baghdadi was administration's "top national security priority."

  • Kevin Baron and Katie Bo Williams, Defense One

IGs Unite Against Justice Legal Opinion That Ukraine Whistleblower Complaint Wasn’t an ‘Urgent Concern’

IG council says the opinion could have a “chilling effect” on future whistleblowers, asks Justice to reconsider. 

  • Courtney Bublé

Analysis: William Taylor Delivers the Smoking Gun

It doesn’t matter what President Trump wants to call it—of course it was a quid pro quo.

  • David A. Graham, The Atlantic

The Intelligence Fallout From Trump’s Withdrawal in Syria

The chaotic withdrawal from Syria will severely weaken U.S. efforts in the country—and could also be a boost for Russia and Iran.

  • Mike Giglio, The Atlantic

The Experts Strike Back

Donald Trump has spent his presidency belittling and attacking career foreign-policy professionals. Now that he’s asking for their loyalty, they don’t seem to feel any.

  • David A. Graham, The Atlantic
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Viewpoint: The U.S. Government Has a Secrecy Problem

American officials classify too much information, from the trivial to the politically inconvenient. The overreliance on secrecy invites abuse.

  • Mike Giglio, The Atlantic

Whistleblower is Vulnerable to Retaliation Due to Limited Intelligence Community Protections

Under the law, the president is responsible for ensuring whistleblowers are protected, but experts say the law never accounted for a president leading the attack on a whistleblower.

  • Courtney Bublé

Allies Defend Kurt Volker, Diplomat Caught Up in Ukrainegate

Former officials say that the characterization of Volker that has emerged in some press reports is untrue.

  • Patrick Tucker, Defense One

Trump’s Intelligence Chief Didn’t Make Anyone Happy

Joseph Maguire did not endorse the explosive allegations of an anonymous whistleblower, but neither did he rise to the president’s defense.

  • Russell Berman, The Atlantic

White House Used Classified System to Hide Trump’s Phone Call: Whistleblower

The IC employee wrote that the July 25 call to Ukraine was not the only time documents had been improperly hidden in codeword-level systems.

  • Katie Bo Williams

Viewpoint: The Problem With the Whistleblower System

As the country learned this week, authorities have too much power to decide the fate of whistleblower claims, especially when they involve the intelligence community.

  • Mike Giglio, The Atlantic

Trump Approves ‘Defensive’ Deployment to Middle East

The U.S. will increase air and missile defenses from Iran at the request of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Pentagon leaders said.

  • Marcus Weisgerber and Katie Bo Williams, Defense One

Justice Department Charges Edward Snowden With Violating Non-Disclosure Agreements

Prosecutors are seeking to prevent the former NSA contractor from profiting from his unauthorized release of classified information.

  • Courtney Bublé