Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

Understanding an ‘Unprecedented Moment’ for the FBI

Former senior FBI officials hope that a ‘worst-case scenario’ isn’t looming amid heightened threats to the U.S.

A crest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seen 03 August 2007 inside the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, DC. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

EXPERT INTERVIEWS – As part of the Trump Administration’s aim to reduce government payrolls, it has taken several actions involving the FBI. More than two dozen FBI officials and prosecutors have been fired, several thousand employees have been asked to submit answers to questionnaires, and the administration has signaled a pivot of the bureau’s overall approach to focus more closely on illegal immigration, drug trafficking and violent crime. What’s unclear – amid a swirl of conflicting media reports – is how far a downsizing of the FBI may go, and whether the shift in institutional focus will mean less attention paid to the bureau’s counterintelligence and counterterrorism work.

Last week, the administration’s nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, wrote an op-ed saying he would concentrate on “streamlining operations” at the bureau, and while the FBI has been increasingly involved in countering threats from overseas – including terrorism, cybercrime, and Chinese and Russian espionage – Patel stressed domestic concerns during his confirmation hearings. The Wall Street Journal noted that during those hearings, “Patel mentioned China only in passing and didn’t speak about any threat from Russia.” 

Keep reading...Show less
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Related Articles

Former CIA Director on the Priority Intelligence Requirement in Iran

Former CIA Director on the Priority Intelligence Requirement in Iran

EXPERT INTERVIEW – Tehran’s response on Monday to U.S. attacks against its nuclear facilities over the weekend was measured and possibly calibrated [...] More

What Was Trump Thinking When He Ordered the Strike on Iran?

OPINION / FINE PRINT — “I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked [...] More

Will Anything Stop Iran's Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons?

OPINION -- The weekend bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow surprised the leadership in Tehran. It shouldn’t have, given [...] More

A Practitioner’s Guide to Cocktail Tradecraft

A Practitioner’s Guide to Cocktail Tradecraft

Writing a book was something former senior CIA Officer Rob Dannenberg never thought he’d do, but as he started reflecting on the ways he and his [...] More

The Intelligence Behind the Strike: Was Everyone Wrong About Iran’s Nuclear Program?

OPINION — On June 13, 2025, just after midnight, Israel launched a military operation against Iran, citing an urgent need to halt Tehran’s march [...] More

Taking Midway with Martin Dugard

Taking Midway with Martin Dugard

Martin Dugard is an enormously prolific, best-selling author. In addition to ten mega-million selling books co-authored with Bill O’Reilly, He has [...] More

NATO's Critical 1.5 Percent

OPINION -- This week's NATO Summit will focus on the proposal that each member raise its overall defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic [...] More

Ukraine's Defense Export Pivot Is A Game-Changer

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE/OPINION -- Ukraine may have just fundamentally shifted the global defense landscape. On June 21st, Ukraine unleashed its "Build [...] More

Report for Monday, June 23, 2025

9:32 AM America/New York Monday, June 23 [...] More