Press Releases

Washington, DC – As part of a series of open hearings on the Mueller Report, on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at 9:00 am, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence will hold an open hearing — “Lessons from the Mueller Report: Counterintelligence Implications of Volume 1.” The Committee will hear testimony from Stephanie Douglas and Robert Anderson, both former Executive Assistant Directors of the National Security Branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

During the hearing, the Committee will explore the significant counterintelligence threats to the U.S. democratic system posed by the numerous links and contacts between members of the Trump campaign, transition and administration, and Russia and its proxies, as documented in Volume I of Mueller’s Report. Among other topics, the Committee will seek testimony to:

• Better understand the meaning of counterintelligence in U.S. government investigations, particularly in comparison to criminal investigations;
• Illuminate for the American public facts in the Mueller Report that pose significant counterintelligence concerns; and
• Explore potential legislative and executive branch remedies to alleviate the counterintelligence threat posed by foreign adversaries and their agents, and U.S. persons who willingly or unwillingly fall prey to foreign influence campaigns and outreach.

As part of this series of hearings and testimony, the Committee plans to speak with fact witnesses, national security experts, and others connected to the Special Counsel’s investigation to elucidate the issues and findings in the first volume of the report. This is the second open hearing in the series; the first focused on the Kremlin’s use of oligarchs and money to influence foreign actors. A subsequent hearing will explore the facts discussed in the report about Russian intrusions into U.S. elections infrastructure. The Committee also plans to consider targeted legislative initiatives designed to respond to the counterintelligence concerns highlighted by Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. 

Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) stated: 

“Since the release of the Mueller report, the American public has learned much about the President’s conduct, his campaign’s interactions with Russia and that nation’s interference in our election and affairs. The evidence has been both criminal and non-criminal, and implicated deep counterintelligence concerns over the potential compromise of U.S. persons. Our Committee’s goal will be to explain to the American people the serious counterintelligence concerns raised by the Mueller Report, examine the depth and breadth of the unethical and unpatriotic conduct it describes, and produce prescriptive remedies to ensure that this never happens again. That is a tall task, but it begins with a detailed focus on the facts laid out in the Special Counsel’s report.”

The Committee has invited the following witnesses to attend:

• Stephanie Douglas, former Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Branch of the FBI, current Senior Managing Director for Guidepost Solutions;
• Robert Anderson, former Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Branch of the FBI, current CEO of Cyber Defense Labs; and
• Andrew McCarthy, former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, current Senior Fellow at the National Review Institute, and Fox News contributor. (Minority-invited witness)

Details:

What: “Lessons from the Mueller Report: Counterintelligence Implications of Volume I” (Open Hearing)

When: Wednesday, June 12, 2019; 9:00 am

Where: 210 Cannon House Office Building

Livestream: The hearing will be livestreamed here.

All media wishing to attend this hearing must be credentialed through the House Radio & TV Gallery at (202) 225-5214. All TV camera crews should RSVP to the House Radio & TV Gallery. Media seating will be first come, first serve, and is limited.

Below are the witness biographies:

Stephanie Douglas, former Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Stephanie Douglas currently serves as Senior Managing Director in the San Francisco office of Guidepost Solutions addressing high risk investigations and compliance matters.  Prior to this position, Ms. Douglas served over 23 years at the FBI in a variety of influential roles, most with focus on national security.

Prior to her FBI retirement, she served as Executive Assistant Director (EAD) of the National Security Branch. There she provided strategic oversight of the FBI’s work related to domestic and international counter-terrorism, counterintelligence, weapons of mass destruction and intelligence matters.  Ms. Douglas represented the FBI in discussions of national security policy along with other U.S. Intelligence Community partners and was the Bureau’s Chief Intelligence Officer.  Prior to her time as EAD, Ms. Douglas was the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Francisco Division. 

In addition to a number of other positions at the Washington Field Office and FBI Headquarters, she also served as an FBI detailee to the CIA’s Counterintelligence Center for two years. She is the recipientof the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service and the Presidential Rank Award.

Robert Anderson, former Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Robert Anderson, Jr. currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Cyber Defense Labs. Prior this this position, Anderson also served as a Principal at the Chertoff Group and Managing Director at Navigant Consulting.

Prior to these positions, Anderson served as the Executive Assistant Director (EAD) of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch at FBI Headquarters. In this role, he was responsible for all criminal and cyber investigations worldwide, as well as international operations, critical incident response, and victim assistance. Anderson also served as the assistant director of the Counterintelligence Division; he was previously the division’s deputy assistant director for operations, and as a supervisor in the Counterintelligence Division in 2001 and responsible for overseeing counterintelligence and espionage investigations. He coordinated several major espionage cases that involved the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons laboratories.

Mr. Anderson also managed the program that placed FBI agents in Department of Energy labs. Anderson as served as the chief of the Counterespionage Section. During the next year, he led the Harold James Nicholson/Nathan Nicholson espionage investigation, which resulted in the re-arrest and prosecution of Nicholson and his son for espionage. Mr. Anderson was also detailed for three months in 2009 as the acting special agent in charge of the Albuquerque Division.

Before joining the FBI, Mr. Anderson served as a Delaware State trooper for nearly nine years. 

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