This Man Should Not Be in Charge of National Intelligence

By The Editorial Board

The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.

In the 20th century, Americans learned how government abuse of secrets can threaten liberty. It happened during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, the McCarthy era and J. Edgar Hoover’s long reign at the F.B.I. After the Watergate scandal, however, Democrats and Republicans joined forces to put in place new rules and procedures to prevent federal officials from using sensitive information to harass political opponents. That system, while never perfect, largely succeeded in preventing the politicization of law enforcement and........

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