In this episode of Cyber Space, Sue Gordon, the former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, joins John Carlin to discuss her pathbreaking 40-year career in intelligence, her experience briefing five of the last six U.S. presidents, and why she decided to resign under President Trump.
Cyber Space is the newest podcast for members of CAFE Insider. Every other Friday, John Carlin, who led the Justice Department’s National Security Division, explores issues at the intersection of technology, policy, and law with leaders who’ve made an impact in the world of cybersecurity.
Cyber Space is produced by CAFE Studios.
Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Senior Editorial Producer: Adam Waller; Audio Producer: Nat Weiner; Editorial Producer: Sam Ozer-Staton
John Carlin: From CAFE welcome to Cyber Space. I’m your host, John Carlin. Every other Friday I explore issues at the intersection of tech, law, and policy with guests who’ve made an impact in the world of Cybersecurity. My guest this week is Sue Gordon. She spent nearly 40 years in government intelligence, a position in which she briefed five of the last six US presidents. From 2017 to 2019 Gordon was the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence where she advised President Trump. Today she advises companies in the areas of technology, strategy, and leadership, including Microsoft where she is a consultant on matters related to both National Security and Cybersecurity.
Before we turn to the interview I did want to quickly share some thoughts about the news that broke after we taped my conversation with Sue. On Wednesday evening Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Chris Wray announced that Iran and Russia have obtained Americans voter registration data in an effort to influence the public about the upcoming election. Ratcliffe called out Iran for sending fake emails to voters. These emails purported to be from the far right neo-fascist group known as the Proud Boys.
Speaker 3: First we have confirmed that some voter registration information has been obtained by Iran and separately by Russia. This data can be used by foreign actors to attempt to communicate false information to registered voters that they hope will cause confusion, sow chaos, and undermine your confidence in American Democracy. To that end we have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters, insight social unrest, and damage President Trump. You may have seen some reporting on this in the last 24 hours or you may have even been one of the recipients of those emails.
John Carlin: New York democratic Senator Chuck Schumer disputed DNI Ratcliffe’s claim about the target of those emails.
