National Security

The Mueller Report

Alex Finley is the pen name of a former news reporter and former U.S. intelligence officer, writing occasional analyses of Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s efforts to skew the 2016 presidential election.

The Mueller Report

Published — October 25, 2019

The unraveling of a Don’s family

Analysis: Cascading revelations about Donald Trump’s use of the White House for personal gain are beginning to strip away some of his Teflon

The Mueller Report

Published — April 25, 2019

Putin won the battle, but the outcome of the war is still uncertain

The Kremlin’s election triumph has been undermined by Mueller’s disclosures and by Washington’s renewed strategic wariness. 

The Mueller Report

Published — March 27, 2019

Like any good spy story, the Barr account of the Mueller report contains mysteries

Collusion, cut-outs and covert ops; the dangerous ambiguities on which intelligence agencies thrive. 

The Mueller Report

Published — February 4, 2019

The Trump team’s persistent lying about Russia creates counterintelligence challenge

Roger Stone’s indictment lengthens the list of Trump aides who’ve been accused of trying to hide the campaign’s connections to Russia. 

The Mueller Report

Published — December 21, 2018

Trump got the National Enquirer to bury his secrets. Did he do the same with Putin?

The Mueller Report

Published — October 25, 2018

Russian money and influence have poured through cracks in the U.S. legal wall

Moscow’s intelligence operation against the U.S. has made one thing clear: We need to start looking at the presence of money in politics as a national security issue.

The Mueller Report

Published — September 26, 2018 Updated — September 28, 2018 at 10:10 am ET

Manafort’s guilty plea goes to the heart of the Russian intelligence operation in 2016

Analysis: Sure, it’s about Ukraine. But it tells us a lot about Russia.