Dead Drop: June 29

Each week, we bring our readers tidbits of gossip from the world of national security and intelligence.  The Dead Drop is a source of fun and intriguing news you may have missed.

YOUR LOYAL CIVIL SERVANTS: According to ForeignPolicy.Com, Mari Stull, a recently-hired political appointee at the State Department, has got some of the striped-pants at Foggy Bottom in a knot.  If FP is to be believed, Stull “has reviewed the social media pages of State Department staffers for signs of ideological deviation.”  According to FP’s sources, Stull is making lists, trying to find out who is naughty and nice – from the Administration’s point of view.  Stull works for the assistant secretary of state for international organizational affairs and, as such, has a world of bureaucrats to keep an eye on.  Appointed to her post just two months ago, Stull was reportedly a former food and beverage lobbyist and a wine blogger who wrote under the name “Vino Vixen.”  (Completely unrelated, but when you think about it – that sounds like a pretty good title for a Stormy Daniels movie.) FP’s shots at Stull have not gone unnoticed among Team Trump.  Breitbart.com last week railed about “career State Department staff” who are leaking “to friends in the press and House Democrats” in order to undermine Stull. Breitbart’s take is that the “deep state” is “weaponizing leaks” against her.

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