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Newer News: November 2018

October 2018 Intelligence News

• Victor Marchetti, 88, Dies; Book Was First to Be Censored by C.I.A. by Katharine Q. Seelye, New York Times, October 31. "Victor Marchetti, a former C.I.A. employee and co-author of the first book, about the agency's inner workings, that the federal government sought to censor before its publication, died on Oct. 19 at his home in Ashburn, Va."
• Pentagon Wants to Predict Anti-Trump Protests Using Social Media Surveillance by Nafeez Ahmed, Motherboard, October 30. "A series of research projects, patent filings, and policy changes indicate that the Pentagon wants to use social media surveillance to quell domestic insurrection and rebellion."
• Spy budgets soared in Trump's first year by Steven Nelson, Washington Examiner, October 30. "Overall intelligence spending increased more than 10 percent to $81.5 billion, according to the figures released Tuesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Defense Department."
• DNI Releases Appropriated Budget Figure for 2018 National Intelligence Program, ODNI news release, October 30. "The aggregate amount appropriated to the NIP for Fiscal Year 2018 was $59.4 billion, which includes funding to support overseas contingency operations."
• FY18 Military Intelligence Program Top line budget, DoD news release, October 30. "The total MIP budget, which included both the base budget and Overseas Contingency Operations appropriations, was $22.1 billion."
• Russian National Charged with Interfering in U.S. Political System, Justice Dept news release, October 19. "Today's charges allege that Russian national Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova conspired with others who were part of a Russian influence campaign to interfere with U.S. democracy," said Assistant Attorney General Demers.
• Former FBI agent gets four years in prison for leaking classified documents by Rachel Weiner and Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, October 18. "You want the government to be able to keep legitimate secrets, and you want the press to be able to uncover things that are unnecessarily being withheld. It looks like in recent years the balance has been tipping in favor of law enforcement."
• Former FBI Agent Sentenced for Leaking Classified Information, Justice Dept news release, October 18. "Terry J. Albury, 39, a former Special Agent of the FBI, was sentenced today to 48 months in the District of Minnesota in connection with his unauthorized disclosure and retention of classified national defense information."
• Senior FinCen Employee Arrested And Charged With Unlawfully Disclosing SARs, Justice Dept news release, October 17. "Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, a senior-level FinCEN employee, allegedly betrayed her position of trust by repeatedly disclosing highly sensitive information contained in Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to an individual not authorized to receive them."
• Former U.S. Senate Employee Pleads Guilty to False Statements Charge, Justice Dept news release, October 15. "James A. Wolfe, a former staff employee of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), pleaded guilty today to one count of making a false statement to special agents of the FBI during the course of an investigation into the unlawful disclosure of classified national security information."
• Chinese Intelligence Officer Charged with Economic Espionage Involving Theft of Trade Secrets from Leading U.S. Aviation Companies, Justice Dept news release, October 10. "This unprecedented extradition of a Chinese intelligence officer exposes the Chinese government's direct oversight of economic espionage against the United States," said Assistant Director Priestap.
• U.S. Charges Russian GRU Officers with International Hacking and Related Influence and Disinformation Operations, Justice Dept news release, October 4. "According to the indictment, beginning in or around December 2014 and continuing until at least May 2018, the conspiracy conducted persistent and sophisticated computer intrusions affecting U.S. persons, corporate entities, international organizations, and their respective employees located around the world, based on their strategic interest to the Russian government."