Latest in Director of National Intelligence
President Biden has revoked the sanctions President Trump famously imposed on TikTok and WeChat. But they may return, and TikTok still has a CFIUS problem.
Editor’s Note: The acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, distanced himself from the Trump administration’s rhetoric during congressional testimony this past week as he defended the actions of the whistleblower who filed a complaint regarding President Donald Trump’s communications with the Ukrainian government. His predecessor, former Senator Dan Coats, also proved to be professional and unbiased director of national intelligence.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats sent a letter to the congressional leadership on Monday calling for a reauthorization of FISA Title VII, including Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. Among their comments, they request reauthorization "without amendment beyond removing the sunset provision, to avoid any interruption in our use of these authorities to protect the American people." The full letter is included below.
Steve Slick is a clinical professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and directs the Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas-Austin. He was a member of CIA’s clandestine service, and served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and the NSC’s Senior Director for Intelligence Programs and Reform. This essay was reviewed and approved by the CIA’s Publications Review Board.
As Lawfare readers surely know by now, during Wednesday's third presidential debate there was this exchange (Transcript via New York Times):
Today the US government is providing Congress with its annual Worldwide Threat Assessment. That exercise includes the public release of threat assessments from the ODNI, and from the Defense Intellligence Agency. I've often wondered whether what we see is what others see.
Editors Note: This article was cross-posted with the Federalist Society
On Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Clapper announced a plan to implement a new set of transparency principles for the Intelligence Community. This is the latest in a series of Intelligence Community initiatives to disclose more information about how the agencies do business.