intelligence

The Intelligence Strategy Behind Russia's Outreach

At 448 pages, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election feels definitive, but it's hardly the final word on the subject. In fact, a recent court filing in a related...

By John Walcott April 25, 2019

The 2020 Campaigns Are Still Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

Most Americans aren't yet paying a lot of attention to the 2020 presidential campaign. The same can't be said for Russian spies. Aides and advisers to the vast field of Democratic hopefuls are ringing alarm...

By Philip Elliott April 19, 2019

Mueller Report Shows Russian Outreach to Trump

In his highly-anticipated, 448-page report released on Thursday, special counsel Robert Mueller laid out in painstaking detail the Trump campaign’s willingness to engage with Russian officials on a wide range of politically sensitive matters. Dozens...

By Vera Bergengruen and W.J. Hennigan April 18, 2019

Read the Transcript of Andrew McCabe's 60 Minutes Interview

In a "60 Minutes" interview, McCabe recalled discussions about using the 25th Amendment

By Casey Quackenbush February 18, 2019

Inside President Trump's Troubled Intelligence Briefings

In the wake of President Donald Trump's renewed attacks on the U.S. intelligence community this week, senior intelligence briefers are breaking two years of silence to warn that the President is endangering American security with...

By John Walcott February 2, 2019

Has the U.S. Done Enough to Stop Election Meddling?

The Trump Administration has confidence in its plan

By W.J. Hennigan November 5, 2018

A Hidden Lesson in the Carter Page Warrant, According to an FBI Historian

Today’s FBI may still have problems, but it is substantively different from the historical FBI in how it conducts national security investigations

By Douglas M. Charles, Pennsylvania State University / The Conversation July 26, 2018

How Mariia Butina Allegedly Used Guns, Sex and Billionaires

A woman charged with carrying out a years-long conspiracy to work covertly in the United States as a Russian agent was ordered to remain jailed by a federal magistrate judge ahead of her trial after...

By W.J. Hennigan July 18, 2018

White House: President Trump Did Not Say Russia Is No Longer Targeting the U.S.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that President Donald Trump did not intend to say that Russia is no longer targeting the United States during a Cabinet meeting earlier Wednesday. During a meeting with...

By Abigail Simon July 18, 2018

Here's Who Found That Russia Meddled in the 2016 Election

When President Donald Trump appeared to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials of Russian meddling in the 2016 election Monday, he wasn't just breaking with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. He was also disagreeing with U.S....

By Abby Vesoulis and Abigail Simon July 16, 2018

Will Trump Challenge Putin?

Sunday morning was bustling at the Market Square in Helsinki. Orange tents dotted the harbor looking out to the Baltic Sea as local merchants sold vibrantly colored fruits, carved wooden trinkets and reindeer pelts in...

By Tessa Berenson / HELSINKI July 15, 2018

Russians Charged in 2016 Hacking

The Justice Department charged 12 Russian intelligence officers with hacking the Democratic National Committee, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and state election systems, as part of the special counsel's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016...

By Abby Vesoulis July 13, 2018

Inspector General's Report Criticizes James Comey

A Department of Justice report found that former FBI Director James Comey and other top officials did not follow standard procedures in their handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server, but did not...

By Abby Vesoulis and Abigail Simon June 14, 2018

Here's Why Donald Trump Is Criticizing Former CIA Director John Brennan

President Donald Trump harshly criticized former CIA director John Brennan in a series of tweets quoting a guest on "Fox & Friends" just hours before he swore in the agency's new director. Over the course...

By Maya Rhodan May 21, 2018

CIA Nominee Gina Haspel Will Face Tough Questions on Torture

Ever since President Donald Trump tapped Gina Haspel as his choice to lead the CIA nearly two months ago, a fierce debate has engulfed Washington over her suitability to run the agency. Haspel, a 33-year...

By W.J. Hennigan May 8, 2018

Retired Military Leaders Raise Concerns About CIA Director Nominee Gina Haspel

Over her ties to a former torture program

By Maya Rhodan April 23, 2018

Anti-Torture Groups Are Pushing Congress to Block Trump's Nominee to Head the CIA

Outside groups are upping the pressure on Senators to reject President Donald Trump's controversial nominee to direct the Central Intelligence Agency, Gina Haspel, ahead of her May 9 confirmation hearing. Republican Sen. Richard Burr and...

By Maya Rhodan April 19, 2018

What Mike Pompeo Has That Rex Tillerson Didn't

Pompeo is "the perfect consigliere" to Trump

By Elizabeth Dias March 13, 2018

Meet Gina Haspel, Trump's New Pick for CIA Director

President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that he will nominate Gina Haspel to become the new CIA director, replacing Mike Pompeo, who will be nominated as the next Secretary of State. If confirmed, Haspel would...

By Tessa Berenson March 13, 2018

Top Spies Contradict White House on Key Issues

Disagreements between the White House and the intelligence community persist

By Tessa Berenson February 13, 2018

Russia Is Already Trying to Undermine the 2018 Elections, Top Spies Say

The nation’s top spies spoke to Congress

By W.J. Hennigan February 13, 2018

Trump Claims New GOP Report on FBI Is a 'Bombshell'

The report renews questions about bias in the Obama administration's handling of the case

By Steven T. Dennis / Bloomberg February 7, 2018

The Nunes Memo Release Is an 'Extraordinary Event' in the History of Intelligence Oversight

An expert on the history of intelligence oversight explains why

By Lily Rothman February 2, 2018

CIA Director Warns Russia Will Target Midterms

"The Russians have been at this a long time, and I fully expect they’ll continue to be at it," Pompeo said

By Eli Meixler January 29, 2018

Donald Trump Once Claimed He Doesn't Need Daily Briefings. Here's How He Gets Them Now

"He finds value"

By Elizabeth Dias January 23, 2018

Congress May Postpone Vote After Trump Tweeted Against His Own Bill

He may have been watching Fox News

By W.J. Hennigan January 11, 2018

There's No Such Thing as a Gifted Child

These are today's best ideas

By The Aspen Institute December 22, 2017

Should Lying to the FBI Be a Crime?

The law under which Michael Flynn was charged is a controversial one.

By Austin Sarat, Amherst College / The Conversation December 18, 2017

Harvard: Chelsea Manning Can Visit, Just Not as a Fellow

Harvard's back-pedalling follows protests from U.S. intelligence leaders

By Kevin Lui September 15, 2017

That Time the CIA Tried to Train Cats to Be Spies

On the 70th anniversary of the act creating the CIA, here's a look at one of the agency's odder moments

By Olivia B. Waxman July 26, 2017

Here's One Way a Bird Is as Smart as You Are

Only the best brains are capable of making plans

By Jeffrey Kluger July 13, 2017

Intel Chiefs Say They Haven't Been 'Pressured'

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said he has "never been pressured" to intervene in an ongoing investigation, but he would not say whether President Trump asked him to influence the FBI's investigation into former...

By Maya Rhodan June 7, 2017

Britain's Theresa May to Confront Trump on Manchester Intel Leaks

British officials were reportedly "furious" with U.S. over leaked information

By Kevin Lui May 25, 2017

How More Trump Leaks Can Save America

The Washington Post recently raised eyebrows when it emblazoned the slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness” beneath its front-page logo. It “sounds like the next Batman movie,” joked New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet. But...

By Ben Wizner May 16, 2017

Ousted FBI Director James Comey Spotted at Performance Of Hit Musical

"It was the best thing they could have picked for their first outing"

By Jennifer Calfas May 14, 2017

NSA Collected 151 Million Phone Records, Report Says

The NSA had warrants to spy on only about 42 terrorism suspects in 2016, but it collected 151 million records

By Mark Hosenball / Reuters May 2, 2017

FBI Director James Comey Says There's 'No Evidence' Obama Wiretapped Donald Trump

"I have no information that supports those tweets"

By Ryan Teague Beckwith March 20, 2017

British Spy Service Says Claim That It Wiretapped President Trump Is 'Utterly Ridiculous'

President Donald Trump's boldest effort at political misdirection is threatening to become a foreign policy mishap. Struggling to justify Trump's charge that he was wiretapped by his predecessor, the White House repeated Thursday allegations that...

By Zeke J Miller March 16, 2017

CIA Contractors Likely Source of WikiLeaks Dump: Officials

The CIA has so far been silent on the authenticity of the documents

By John Walcott and Mark Hosenball / Reuters March 9, 2017

No New Intelligence Has Yet Emerged From Yemen Raid: Report

The White House and the Pentagon say the mission was a "success"

By Feliz Solomon February 28, 2017

The Damage Intelligence Leaks Can Cause

A case study from 1979 shows how leaks of misleading information can damage national security

By David Foglesong / History News Network February 24, 2017

Here's What Was in the First-Ever Daily CIA Brief to a U.S. President

Intelligence officials gave JFK the first of the precursors to the President's Daily Brief in 1961

By Julia Zorthian February 16, 2017

Flynn Leaks Show White House Strain With Intelligence Community

Once again, the Trump Administration is facing embarrassing questions after leaks that appear to have come from the intelligence and diplomatic communities. The latest leaks revolve around White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who...

By Sam Frizell February 13, 2017

Treasury Department Adjusts Sanctions on Russia's Intelligence Agency FSB

It makes exceptions to President Obama's previous measures

By Joel Schectman and Dustin Volz / Reuters February 2, 2017

Trump Set for Visit to CIA

After weeks of acrimony between Trump and the intelligence community

By Zeke J Miller January 21, 2017

intelligence

ISIS Fighters Are Gaining Strength After Trump's Syria Pullout, U.S. Spies Say

Trump Ignored U.S. Intelligence Report on Ukraine

Warning on Trump’s Pick for Top Spy

The Danger in Prosecuting Assange