SECRECY & THE SECURITY STATE

Lawmakers on Wednesday questioned the whistleblower at the heart of the Cambridge Analytica 2016 election scandal, probing him about allegations the company engaged in “black ops.” The whistleblower, Christopher Wylie, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he repeated previously-made assertions about the company engaging in questionable activities with Russian and Israeli ex-intelligence operatives. Under questioning from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Wylie said he first learned of these operations from Alexander Nix, the now-former CEO of Cambridge Analytica. Nix was suspended by the company in…

Keep Reading

In a secret vote on Wednesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee approved of Gina Haspel to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Ten Senators on the panel supported the nomination, while five were opposed. “No” votes included Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who blasted both Haspel and the committee immediately after the proceedings. “Gina Haspel and the CIA have committed one of the most blatant abuses of power in recent history, aided and abetted by a total failure of Congressional oversight,” Wyden said in a statement. The senator referenced…

Keep Reading

Heading into Wednesday’s confirmation hearing, Gina Haspel knew she’d face probing questions about her involvement in the Central Intelligence Agency post-9/11 torture program. But the nominee to lead the spy service appeared unprepared to answer the most basic question: Was it moral? Haspel resisted several senators’ attempts to pry loose her personal feelings on the agency’s “enhanced interrogation” program. The nominee, a career CIA officer, explicitly said she would not judge the actions of her colleagues at the time, and even implied the methods were…

Keep Reading

The first step of President Trump’s ongoing cabinet shuffle is nearly complete, but there remains doubt about what will follow. Current CIA Director Mike Pompeo looks set to be confirmed as Secretary of State, after dramatically being reported out of committee on Monday. There are, however, still impediments for Pompeo’s nominated replacement, current CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel. Haspel’s selection by President Trump has attracted opposition from Democrats and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)–because of her involvement in the CIA post-9/11 torture program, and the subsequent…

Keep Reading

The company that emerged with the remnants of Yahoo! Inc. was slapped with a $35 million fine because the former internet giant sat for two years on news of a major cybersecurity breach. Altaba agreed to pay the penalty in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission announced on Tuesday by the agency. SEC officials said Yahoo’s senior management had been made aware of the data intrusion “within days,” but the company “failed to properly investigate the circumstances of the breach.” Disclosure of the…

Keep Reading

The Supreme Court has issued yet another decision shielding police officers from excessive force lawsuits. Justices issued a per curiam opinion on Monday, in Hughes v. Kisela, siding in favor of a Tuscon, Ariz. police officer who shot a woman four times after responding to a 911 call about erratic behavior. In issuing their ruing, SCOTUS reversed a Ninth Circuit decision, which said Andrew Kisela should face a civil jury trial brought by the woman he shot, Amy Hughes. Two liberal justices dissented: Sonia Sotomayor…

Keep Reading

A conservative senator is complicating President Trump’s ongoing cabinet shuffle, though the tumult could be smoothed over by compliant Democrats from across the aisle. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Wednesday he will oppose Trump’s bid to name Mike Pompeo, the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, as Secretary of State. The lawmaker said he would similarly vote against the nomination of Gina Haspel to replace Pompeo, as head of the CIA. Haspel is the current Deputy Director of the Agency. Paul hit out at…

Keep Reading

Liberal lawmakers are upping their rhetoric over alleged Russian interference activities, with several senators on the Armed Services Committee describing them as “warfare.” The head of the National Security Agency (NSA) and US Cyber Command, Adm. Mike Rogers, testified before the panel on Tuesday about future funding, but mostly fielded questions related to the 2016 election and Russia’s online activities. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) was the first during the hearing to employ military language, when he described alleged Russian hacking as part of an “ongoing warfare against…

Keep Reading

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials took into account the political opinions of an undocumented activist that they targeted last year for removal from the United States. Maru Mora Villalpando, a Washington-based Latinx community advocate, was placed into deportation proceedings in December. In an order kicking off that process, examining officer Timothy Black told agents: “It should also be noted that she has extensive involvement with anti-ICE protests.” Black had highlighted an interview given by Villalpando, discussing her work and her status as an undocumented resident,…

Keep Reading