The FBI’s Use of Informants Is Full of Problems, but What Happened in “Spygate” Isn’t One of Them
Trump has wrapped a conspiracy theory around a fundamental truth about the agency's misuse of informants.
Trevor Aaronson
Trevor Aaronson is an award-winning investigative journalist. His forthcoming book “Bad Guys,” about the FBI, will be published February 2027 by Grand Central Publishing in the U.S. and Monoray in the U.K. He is the author of “The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism,” and has created several audio documentaries, including the Audible Original series “Pulse: The Untold Story” and the iHeart series “Alphabet Boys.” A Peabody Award winner and two-time Livingston Awards finalist, he focuses on abuses of power in law enforcement and national security.
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The Father of Pulse Attacker Omar Mateen Was an FBI Informant. Did He Convince the Bureau to Stop Investigating His Son?
FBI files suggest that agents consulted Seddique Mateen when trying to determine whether his son Omar posed a security threat.
Nunes Memo Accidentally Confirms the Legitimacy of the FBI’s Investigation
The Nunes memo revealed that FISA surveillance on a Trump campaign staffer was renewed three times — strongly suggesting useful intelligence.
#ReleaseTheMemo Hypocrisy: To Undermine Trump-Russia Inquiry, Republicans Want to Release Classified Information
Six months ago, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said releasing secret FISA information would cause "exceptionally grave damage" to national security.
Trump Administration Skews Terror Data to Justify Anti-Muslim Travel Ban
A new report from the DOJ and DHS appears to understate non-Muslims and U.S. citizens in the latest count of international terror defendants.
Welcome to Law Enforcement's "Dark Side": Secret Evidence, Illegal Searches, and Dubious Traffic Stops
The convoluted and secretive process of building a criminal case without revealing underlying intelligence can deprive the accused of a fair trial.
How the Government Botched the Case Against Cliven Bundy
The mistrial of Cliven Bundy is the latest in a series of embarrassing blunders involving egregious misconduct by federal agents and prosecutors.
The FBI Routinely Abuses Its Powers but the Trump Investigation Has Been By the Book
Republicans are suddenly upset about the FBI invading homes and surveilling citizens. Civil rights groups have complained about this for 50 years.
Snowden Archive
NSA Secretly Helped Convict Defendants in U.S. Courts, Classified Documents Reveal
By withholding evidence of warrantless spying, the government avoided a court challenge to controversial mass surveillance — which is now before Congress.
Long Before the New York Attack, FBI Agents Were Targeting Uzbek Immigrants
The U.S. has charged a number of Uzbek immigrants with terrorism, but data has shown that nationality is a poor indicator of terrorist threats.