SECRECY & THE SECURITY STATE - page 16

An internal inspector general gave high marks to the Department of Justice for correcting its classification procedures, and cutting down on the number of secrets it creates. The watchdog described “significant improvements” at the department, which reduced its original classification decisions down to zero in 2015 from 4,455 in 2013, when the IG conducted its first audit. The dramatic drop was primarily a result of DOJ officials having a “better understanding” of the classification process. In its prior 2013 audit, the IG noted that individuals…

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Reports that the Obama administration is considering cleaving off US Cyber Command from the National Security Agency (NSA) have roiled the Chairman of the Senate Armed Service Committee. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) threatened the White House on Tuesday, saying he would do all he can to block a nominee to head any new agency created by ending the “dual-hat” role of the NSA chief. US Cyber Command, formed in 2009, resides within the NSA, sharing the same networks and resources as the intelligence gathering agency.…

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The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) ran stings in at least two cities that often relied on teenagers dealing stolen guns, according to the Department of Justice’s Inspector General. The discovery was included in a review of the ATF’s use of undercover storefront operations–establishments masked as retail stores or tattoo parlors, staffed with federal agents looking to gather criminal intelligence and lure illegal activity. At one ATF operation disguised as a clothing store in Wichita, Kan., the DOJ watchdog found that agents relied on…

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The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper informed a spy summit in Washington that US systems are under constant barrage from foreign cyber intruders. The admission comes amid heightened suspicions that Russia was behind high-profile hacks in recent months that targeted political organizations like the Democratic National Committee and statewide electoral systems in Arizona and Illinois. Clapper did not assign Russian culpability to those particular attacks, but spoke broadly on the state of affairs in the cyber realm. “The Russians hack our systems all the…

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Amid a presidential campaign rife with stories about undue foreign influence, the Justice Department is asking Congress to enhance its legal authority to investigate those violating foreign lobbying disclosure laws. The department’s National Security Division “is currently pursuing civil investigative demand (CID) authority from Congress,” according to an inspector general report published Wednesday, specifically to subpoena those believed to be violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). “With regard to potential legislative improvements, NSD officials stated that a major difficulty is a lack of authority to…

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President Obama will not rule out the possibility of the United States conducting a first nuclear strike, keeping intact a policy that has been in place since the Cold War. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Obama won’t attempt to revise the so-called “First Strike” doctrine before leaving office in January 2017. The paper noted he had faced criticism, including some from “former senior aides,” over unfulfilled campaign and first-term promises, to work towards “a world without nuclear weapons.” “For months, arms control advocates have…

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The last remaining cluster munitions maker in the US dropped out of the business ahead of a report showing that the illegal bombs are still being deployed in war zones around the world. In its seventh annual report, the Cluster Munitions Monitor primarily implicated Russia, Syria, and Saudi Arabia for their ongoing use of cluster bombs, which were banned by more than 100 countries in 2008. The report noted, however, that many of the illegal munitions used–particularly in Saudi Arabia’s air campaign against Yemen–were produced…

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