Personal Account / Hayden Center Director / Led White House Situation Room / Fmr CIA Chief of Staff / Nat'l security & intelligence commentator / Speaker
Larry Pfeiffer
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The bottom line: measures exist to discourage and prevent such recordings being done. But as with all security measures, assumptions are made that individuals vetted to access those spaces will remain 100% trustworthy. Sadly, that’s too often been proven not to be the case. /END
As an aside, such a device once reconnected to cell service, WiFi, or Bluetooth would be vulnerable to penetration and exploitation. The recording would not be secure. /4
Thanks @thesteadystate.org for the chance to be on the Sentinel podcast. ⬇️
I used to run the SitRoom. Could meetings there really be recorded? Short answer: yes. Let’s talk. /1
I’d also note that in my time, the SitRoom staff was instructed to turn off any recording capability for very sensitive meetings, like those in which planning for the bin Laden raid was discussed, for example. Just saying. /7
You thought those kinds of devices weren’t allowed in the secure SitRoom. You’re right. But no one is patting down or searching people entering the space. Lockers outside, written and verbal reminders as they enter, and electronic monitoring of the space are effectively used. /5
What about an iPhone? It’s possible, especially if in Airplane mode with all connections turned off. It would then be less likely to be detected by monitoring devices used to catch any phones, tablets, watches, or fitness devices inadvertently carried in. /3
Could SitRoom staff record and then download the recording of the meeting? Possibly, but in a post-Snowden world that would involve some elaborate steps, IT audit trails, and a very unlikely conspiracy by many watch officers and IT support people, all professional career officers. /6
It’s worth noting that the controls and measures in place at the SitRoom to prevent electronic devices from being carried into and used in a meeting would be less elaborate for someone joining the meeting from a remote location like a residence or hotel. /8
The easiest way—a concealed recording device that doesn’t emanate a signal. That’s what Omarosa did with a pen recorder in Trump 1.0 when Chief of Staff Kelly used the SitRoom to fire her. Easy to hide, hard to detect. /2
Larry Pfeiffer
Larry Pfeiffer
Larry Pfeiffer
Larry Pfeiffer
Larry Pfeiffer
Larry Pfeiffer
Larry Pfeiffer
Larry Pfeiffer
Larry Pfeiffer
Larry Pfeiffer
SCOOP: Top White House officials believe NYT reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan obtained audio recordings of Situation Room meetings for their new book.
Such a taped leak would be a shocking breach of one of the most secure settings on Earth.
Our executive director Larry Pfeiffer joined CIA legend Jim Lawler for a conversation on The Steady State Sentinel podcast.
Listen in: steadystate1.substack.com/p/inside-the...
A former CIA chief of staff and White House Situation Room senior director warns that politicized intelligence can weaken national security by chilling truth telling and hollowing out institutions.
