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.
1,805 Articles
![A redacted email from Elaine McCuster on August 27, 2019 at 12:02am to Eric Chewning and cc-ed David Norquist and John Rood with the subject line, “RE: [Non-DoD Source] Ukraine (USAI funding).” The text of the email is redacted but there is an attachment listed with the name, “smime.p7s”](https://i0.wp.com/www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Screen-Shot-2019-12-30-at-9.54.22-PM-e1578422584340.png?fit=1024%2C418&ssl=1)
Did the Trump Administration Abuse the Redactions Process?
The so-called deliberative process privilege allows federal agencies to redact internal policy debates, but it is often abused.
ICC Holds Historic Hearing on U.S. Torture and Other Grave Crimes in Afghanistan
While “high crimes and misdemeanors” dominated the news cycle in Washington this month, the focus in The Hague was on grave crimes and mistreatment. Just days before the International…
The Inevitable Day of Reckoning in Syria
President Trump's decision to disengage with the YPG and ultimately side with Turkey was rash and immoral, yet fundamentally inevitable.
The Crossfire Hurricane Report’s Inconvenient Findings
"The Inspector General's report fails to turn up anything resembling a Deep State cabal within the FBI plotting against the president, or deliberate abuse of surveillance authorities…
Barr’s Personal, Ad Hoc Declassification Authority and the Role of Congress
Much of Washington is fixated for varying reasons on the release of the report from Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department’s Inspector General, on the origins of the FBI’s…
Social Media Vetting of Visa Applicants Violates the First Amendment
The Knight First Amendment Institute and the Brennan Center for Justice sued the US government to stop social media vetting of visa applicants.
A Call to Arms: Taking the Russia Threat Seriously
A look at the problem posed by President Donald Trump's affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin from a recently retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service officer.
Clear Goal of Barr/Durham Probe is to Scare Off Intelligence Community
In order for their counter-narrative to stick, President Trump and his associates need to destroy all trust in the Intelligence Community.
Fiona Hill: A “Domestic Political Errand” Eclipsed the “Regular Channel” on Ukraine Policy
Hill’s testimony clarified that what had appeared to be the secretive “irregular” channel actually had sign-off from the president. And while several career officials charged…
Trump and GOP Call to ID Whistleblower Exposes Glaring Gaps in Protections
There are punishments for disclosing a whistleblower's identity in such a case. But the entire system is a patchwork of laws that needs to be rethought.
Highlights of Taylor-Kent Hearing and Connections to Other Witnesses
Key takeaways from the first day of public hearings in the House impeachment inquiry, with crucial insights from top experts on Ukraine, congressional oversight, and rule of law.
A Who’s Who of Ukraine Witnesses
A guide to all of the witnesses who have either testified or have been requested to testify in the impeachment inquiry.