Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A powerful argument against idealizing the F.B.I. and overlooking its troubling record for the sake of short-term political convenience.
--The New York Times Book Review
A former FBI undercover agent and whistleblower gives us a riveting and troubling account of the contemporary FBI--essential reading for our times
Impressively researched and eloquently argued, former special agent Mike German's Disrupt, Discredit, and Divide tells the story of the transformation of the FBI after the 9/11 attacks from a law enforcement agency, made famous by prosecuting organized crime and corruption in business and government, into arguably the most secretive domestic intelligence agency America has ever seen.
German shows how FBI leaders exploited the fear of terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11 to shed the legal constraints imposed on them in the 1970s in the wake of Hoover-era civil rights abuses. Empowered by the Patriot Act and new investigative guidelines, the bureau resurrected a discredited theory of terrorist radicalization and adopted a disruption strategy that targeted Muslims, foreigners, and communities of color, and tarred dissidents inside and outside the bureau as security threats, dividing American communities against one another. By prioritizing its national security missions over its law enforcement mission, the FBI undermined public confidence in justice and the rule of law. Its failure to include racist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and xenophobic violence committed by white nationalists within its counterterrorism mandate only increased the perception that the FBI was protecting the powerful at the expense of the powerless.
Disrupt, Discredit, and Divide is an engaging and unsettling contemporary history of the FBI and a bold call for reform, told by a longtime counterterrorism undercover agent who has become a widely admired whistleblower and a critic for civil liberties and accountable government.
Synopsis
Platform: Mike German is a known commentator on cable television, having appeared on all major network and cable news channels as well as PBS Frontline, NPR, Democracy Now , and C-Span.
OpEds: German will weigh in regularly on FBI-related issues. He has written for the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Herald, The Guardian, Lawfare, the Miami Herald, and Daily Kos
Impeccable Credentials: German was in the FBI for sixteen years, working as an undercover agent specializing in white supremacist groups. He is an expert on the internal culture of the FBI, especially in relation to its treatment of minority employees, as well as the FBI and its relationship to the US Constitution.
Speaking: German regularly appears before Congressional committees about the FBI and takes part in panels on issues of law enforcement.
FBI in the news: As Robert Mueller and Donald Trump go head-to-head, Mike German is uniquely qualified to read the tea leaves for us and tell us what's happening at the nation's key intelligence agency.
Affiliations: ACLU and the Brennan Center will help support the book. Brennan will host a launch event with Bookspan coverage.
Synopsis
Impressively researched and eloquently argued, former special agent Mike German's Disrupt, Discredit, and Divide tells the story of the transformation of the FBI after the 9/11 attacks from a law enforcement agency, made famous by prosecuting organized crime and corruption in business and government, into arguably the most secretive domestic intelligence agency America has ever seen.
German shows how FBI leaders exploited the fear of terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11 to shed the legal constraints imposed on them in the 1970s in the wake of Hoover-era civil rights abuses. Empowered by the Patriot Act and new investigative guidelines, the bureau resurrected a discredited theory of terrorist "radicalization" and adopted a "disruption strategy" that targeted Muslims, foreigners, and communities of color, and tarred dissidents inside and outside the bureau as security threats, dividing American communities against one another. By prioritizing its national security missions over its law enforcement mission, the FBI undermined public confidence in justice and the rule of law. Its failure to include racist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and xenophobic violence committed by white nationalists within its counterterrorism mandate only increased the perception that the FBI was protecting the powerful at the expense of the powerless.
Disrupt, Discredit, and Divide is an engaging and unsettling contemporary history of the FBI and a bold call for reform, told by a longtime counterterrorism undercover agent who has become a widely admired whistleblower and a critic for civil liberties and accountable government.