Life as an Intelligence Officer in the Age of Twitter

By Marc Polymeropoulos

Marc Polymeropoulos served 26 years in the CIA before retiring from the Senior Intelligence Service in June 2019.  His positions included field and headquarters operational assignments covering the Middle East, Europe, Eurasia and CounterTerrorism.  He is the recipient of the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the Intelligence Commendation Medal, and the Intelligence Medal of Merit. 

There has been much concern and consternation in the media— some perhaps understandable after two plus years of tweets and “off the cuff” statements by the President — that the national security apparatus that has helped keep this country safe for more than half a century has come unglued under the current administration.

Whether you watch Fox News or MSNBC, the President is either under attack by the “deep state” after disloyal bureaucrats engineered a “coup,” or conversely, the Intelligence Community (IC) is being subject to unprecedented attacks by the White House that is destroying morale and damaging our national security institutions.

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