Intelligence & Surveillance

Just Security’s expert authors provide legal and policy analysis of intelligence and surveillance activities, focusing on their impact on national security and on civil liberties and privacy rights, and their oversight by Congress and the courts.

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1,807 Articles
Donald Trump and Kash Patel sit across from one another in a hall below a chandelier.

Trump Associate’s Stated Plan to Publicly Release “Declassified” Documents

New revelations "could have significant legal implications for the Justice Department’s ongoing criminal investigation."
People embrace near a memorial for the shooting victims outside of Tops grocery store on May 20, 2022 in Buffalo, New York. 18-year-old Payton Gendron was accused of the mass shooting that killed 10 people at the Tops grocery store on the east side of Buffalo on May 14th and was investigated as a hate crime.

Oversight Reports Raise Questions About Value of DHS Counterterrorism Efforts

Twenty years after DHS was cobbled together in the wake of 9/11, it’s time to seriously examine which of its programs really protect us.
A view of the Russian Central Bank headquarters in downtown Moscow on May 26, 2022. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Politics, Not Law, Is Key to Confiscating Russian Central Bank Assets

The political and legal complications of using such proceeds to compensate Ukraine aren't trivial, but neither are they insurmountable.
A local law enforcement official on a bike drives past the entrance to Mar-A Lago. Palm trees surround the area.

Myths & Misunderstandings Relating to Mar-a-Lago Documents Investigation

Five myths broken down by J. William Leonard who, in government service, was responsible for the oversight of classified information for the entire executive branch.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JULY 08: Counter protestors are held back by riot police as the Ku Klux Klan leaves a staged rally on July 8, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Five Years After “Unite the Right”: Reflections on Charlottesville for Today’s Threat Landscape

Charlottesville was a watershed moment in US politics and a wake-up call to the counterterrorism community. What lessons have been learned on how to counter white supremacist extremism?
Former director of CIA and former commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan Gen. David Petraeus gives a speech in front of a federal courthouse. News microphones surround him.

Lessons from Petraeus’s Guilty Plea for Trump’s Classified Docs Investigation

In the retired general's case, the FBI executed a search warrant at his home and seized notebooks allegedly containing classified material.
A photo of a white male police officer wearing sunglasses and police uniform, standing next to two vehicles in front of the ornate tan and gold gates of Mar-a-Lago, with an American flag flying to the left of the gates. Palm trees wave in the background against a stormy sky.

Expert Backgrounder: Criminal Statutes that Could Apply to Trump’s Retention of Government Documents

The DOJ obtained a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago. What underlying crimes might have justified the search? Experts survey the possibilities.

Biden’s Weak Stand in Saudi Arabia Could Kick MBS’ Repression Machine Into Overdrive – But It’s Not Too Late to Act

The US could still change course to salvage the relationship, advance mutual interests, and expand overlapping values.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: Red paint splattered by abortion rights activists is seen on the sidewalk in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 25, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health overturned the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case and erased a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Retrenchment of the Federal Right to Abortion: How Dobbs Threatens National Security

The Dobbs decision has broad national security implications, increasing the risk of political violence and damaging US standing in the world.
Acting US Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell whispers in US Vice President Mike Pence's ear as US President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 4, 2020. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

US Democracy’s Survival Requires a More Powerful Response to January 6th

Team Trump's shocking efforts to manipulate government institutions to overturn the 2020 election results echo despots abroad.
US President Joe Biden walks through the door of the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on June 21, 2022, as he arrives to speak on Covid-19 vaccines for children under 5. Flags stand on either side of the door.

One Year On: Marking Progress on Biden’s Counter-Domestic Terrorism Strategy

Assessing progress on understanding, preventing, and disrupting threats, and on addressing long-term contributors.
Members of the National Guard, who carry clear shields, keep away a group of demonstrators from the Capitol building at night.

January 6th Intelligence Failure Timeline

The most comprehensive timeline of the intelligence failure preceding the attack on the US Capitol.
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