Trump administration first term
480 Articles
Can An Insider Save CIA From Itself?
As confirmation hearings loom for Gina Haspel to be director of CIA, the focus has understandably been on what actions she might have taken in the Agency’s enhanced interrogation…
Just Security Podcast: Mike Breen on the US Abandoning the Iran Nuclear Deal
President Donald Trump announces his decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in the Diplomatic Room at the White House May 8, 2018. (Photo by Chip…
Just Security Podcast: Alex Whiting on Mueller/Sekulow’s 49 Questions
This week, news organizations, led by the New York Times, revealed a list of 49 questions that, depending on which account you read, are what Special Counsel Mueller wants to ask…
“I’m Going to Defend My Guys to My Last Breath” Morell’s Virtual Whitewash on the Destruction of CIA Videos
On Friday, April 20 the CIA declassified a memo, written in 2011 by then-Deputy Director Mike Morell, about the destruction of 92 videotapes of “enhanced interrogations” at…
The First Transfer of a Guantánamo Prisoner By the Trump Administration
On Wednesday, the Trump administration transferred longtime detainee Ahmed al-Darbi out of Guantánamo Bay. Although al-Darbi isn’t going free, this first transfer of a Guantanamo…
Can the Presidency Trump a Special Counsel Subpoena?
The possibility that Special Counsel Robert Mueller might issue a subpoena to President Trump to compel him to testify before a federal grand jury has, understandably, provoked…
Gina Haspel’s Nomination to Head the CIA: Why the Controversy & What is at Stake?
The Senate has recently confirmed Mike Pompeo to be Secretary of State, after Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) dropped his objections and several Democrats indicated that they would support…
DOD’s Guantánamo Report: An Opportunity for Detainees Already Cleared for Release
On January 30, President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing the Secretary of Defense to within 90 days, after consultation with the heads of other relevant…
Trump Administration’s New Weapons Export Policies Stress Benefit to U.S. Economy
After months of anticipation, the Trump administration recently released a new conventional arms transfer (CAT) policy and a new unmanned aerial systems (UAS) export policy. Both…
Travel Ban III: Why the Court Does Not Have to Second-Guess Any (Nonexistent) Presidential National Security Decisions
[Cross-posted at Balkinization.] There’s already been a great deal written about yesterday’s oral argument in Trump v. Hawaii. Most observers have focused on whether, for…
A Tale of Two Branches at Today’s Oral Arguments in the Travel Ban 3.0 Case
Sitting in the packed courtroom for today’s Supreme Court argument in Trump v. Hawaii, our own Joshua Geltzer was reminded of watching a movie in which the plots for two main…
The Politicization of Our Security Institutions
The politicization of the FBI has been swift and extreme. According to Reuters polling, just two years ago, 84 percent of Republicans viewed the FBI favorably. By February 2018,…