Important legislation and reforms of the American intelligence complex are set to occur in the coming year. The Patriot Act is set for review along with many other government programs related to information sharing. Yet, despite public outcry that the intelligence infrastructure in the United States is growing to terrifying levels, positions in Congress that oversee American intelligence efforts are being overrun by lobbyists for the intelligence community.
In a recent exposé, The Intercept examined who the new gatekeepers are to the intelligence community and has found that they are overwhelmingly former lobbyists and insiders.
Here’s an overview of what The Intercept found:
Jeffrey Shockey
- Most powerful staffer on the House Intelligence Committee after Chairman Devin Nunes.
- Closely related to multiple lobbying and corruption scandals.
- Lobbied for companies such as Academi (Blackwater), Boeing, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, United Launch Technologies, and United Launch Alliance.
- He will receive over a million dollars in severance for leaving his lobbying firm to become a staffer on the House Intelligence Committee.
Representative Will Hurd
- Appointed to be chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on information technology.
- Worked as an offensive cyberoperations officer with the CIA.
- Former member of the Crumpton Group, “a private intelligence firm led by a former CIA official.
- Helped build FusionX, a cybersecurity company.
Representative John Ratcliffe
- Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity.
- Formerly represented Huntington Ingalls, a large defense contractor.
- He has also worked for Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon.
Read The Intercept’s full report here.
