S9 Ep28: Shane Harris on the US Intelligence Community in Crisis

Secrets and Spies Podcast: Current Affairs | Geopolitics | Intelligence

The Trump administration’s national security team is in place, and the intelligence community is feeling the shock. Elon Musk’s "Department of Government Efficiency" has infiltrated federal agencies, intelligence officials are resigning or being purged, and US allies are questioning how much they can still trust Washington. In this episode, The Atlantic’s Shane Harris joins Matt to assess the state of the US intelligence community one month into Trump’s second term. They discuss the FBI shake-up under Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, Musk’s DOGE operatives posing an unprecedented counterintelligence risk, and whether Five Eyes can survive another four years. Plus, is the intelligence community still a viable career path for those who believe in its mission?
Read Shane’s work at The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/shane-harris/

Follow Shane on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shaneharris.bsky.social
Follow Shane on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/shaneharris

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/G50obIZatz0

Shane’s reporting discussed in the episode:

"Trump’s Military Purge Has Washington Asking 'Who’s Next?'" by Shane Harris & Jonathan Lemire: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/02/cq-brown-joint-chiefs-chairman-fired/681804/

"This Is What Happens When the DOGE Guys Take Over" by Michael Scherer, Ashley Parker, Matteo Wong & Shane Harris: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/02/doge-musk-federal-agencies-takeover/681744/

"Elon Musk Is Breaking the National-Security System": https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/02/doge-intelligence-agencies-harm/681667/

"The Spies Are Shown the Door": https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/02/trump-intelligence-agency-buyouts/681589/

"FBI Agents Are Stunned by the Scale of the Expected Trump Purge": https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/01/trump-fbi-revenge-firings/681538/
"Trump’s First Shot in His War on the 'Deep State'": https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/01/trump-executive-order-security/681423/

"The Rise of John Ratcliffe": https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/01/ratcliffe-dni-cia-trump/681197/

"Trump’s 'Deep State' Revenge": https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/intelligence-agencies-trump-loyalists/680625/

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Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Each episode unpacks global events through the lens of intelligence and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and analysts.