Public Service Fellow - Lawfare Adjunct Professor - GWU Former Senior Analyst - CIA Former Director - NSChttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mu5jp5ifxk2eGuys…you just need to ask…28 Aug 2026 14:03 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5jp5ifxk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mu5bd2odvs2iAutonomous killer robots, Iran sanctions, and a Deep State Gay Karaoke Resignation party. I join the Lawfare crew @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org, @scottanderson.bsky.social , and @alexzerden.bsky.social to discuss the latest developments from Ukraine, Iran, and the trade war with Canada.28 Aug 2026 11:33 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5bd2odvs2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mu2qprp5m22qSilence is rational. Michael Feinberg spent nearly 20 years working against Chinese intelligence services, targeted for guilt by association. I resigned after 20 years at CIA, targeted for who I am.27 Aug 2026 11:30 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu2qprp5m22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mtyamvsnt22sThe math doesn’t lie. Everyone knows, and no one is speaking. They’re afraid. They should be. Since January 2025 thousands have been fired. Hundreds from ODNI. 160 NSC detailees the first week. A hundred over a group chat. USAID shredded — 10,000 to a handful turning off the lights.26 Aug 2026 11:37 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtyamvsnt22shttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mtvstipotk2pWhite House Situation Room — November 2024. Ominous music. Bearded men in dresses. “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.” I was a twenty-year CIA officer, a White House official, and now the enemy within.25 Aug 2026 12:25 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtvstipotk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mtt6hj4djk2wStrike, pause, shuttle, repeat. And as the midterms approach, the price rises — and one side is running out of patience, the other is not. Since July the Iran war has looked like a truce failing. It's the deal being priced. https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/fighting-while-talking--the-iran-war-enters-its-bargaining-phase24 Aug 2026 11:15 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtt6hj4djk2whttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mtrama4ijc2kVice President Pence’s remarks this morning were gracious, and I’m grateful for them. As I said to Dana Bash last week: he needed the best intelligence support I could provide him, and I appreciated his dedication to using the intel community the way it was designed. https://x.com/cnnsotu/status/2091549235162349774?s=1223 Aug 2026 16:48 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtrama4ijc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mtlo2ocjbk25CIA's marble wall still reads: AND YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE. After two years of fear — for my family, my calling, my country — I finally told my story this week. I feel free.21 Aug 2026 11:33 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtlo2ocjbk25https://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mtja3y2khs26BERLIN, 1945. An OSS officer named Carmel Offie ran daring operations pulling German scientists out of the Soviet zone. He was among the first recruited into the new CIA. Then he was fired — for being gay. Sound familiar? https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/a-history-of-lgbt-officers---the-central-intelligence-agency20 Aug 2026 12:18 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtja3y2khs26https://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mthjmvluuk27Had a great conversation with @timmiller.bsky.social on @thebulwark.com podcast...life goal unlocked. NSFW for Tim's several well-justified F-bombs on my behalf :) https://youtu.be/34QsCJir_fs?si=re8AAAZn6504QhfS19 Aug 2026 20:03 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mthjmvluuk27https://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mtgmszs34c2rLast night, the White House attacked me for writing about my service. Thanks to CNN's Dana Bash for having me on to discuss the assault on our institutions that keep our country safe. https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/18/politics/video/src-julia-curlee-breaks-silence19 Aug 2026 11:27 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtgmszs34c2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mtgml4k5w22rLast night the White House attacked me, suggesting I was removed because officials are "entrusted with advancing the America First agenda." Intelligence officers should never advance a president's political agenda. Thanks to MS-Now's Peter Alexander for having me on: https://www.ms.now/news/julia-curlee-cia-national-security-trump19 Aug 2026 11:23 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtgml4k5w22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mte3hk7cns2mYesterday I told you my story. Today, my interview with Adam Harris at The Atlantic — how it felt. Thank you to everyone who wrote yesterday, the officers still serving who can't say anything aloud, the parents of trans kids, who only want them to have a future. I read every note. https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/08/ra-trans-cia/688289/?gift=zhsQPnEBq63ATtvW4Sau-5dFHrTAB8vLhjRXTQv2jco&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share18 Aug 2026 11:11 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mte3hk7cns2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mtbsntjo3c2uThe White House fired me for being transgender. In 2013 I became the first CIA officer to successfully transition. I worked for Mike Pence for a year. Then I volunteered to serve the second Trump White House. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/10/trump-white-house-transgender-mike-pence/688284/?gift=zhsQPnEBq63ATtvW4Sau-3X9P0NMW2YQaseZSZHFlJg17 Aug 2026 13:29 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtbsntjo3c2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mt7dav5xms2eMary Geddry has written the best version of an argument I’ve been circling for months — that the attack on our institutions and the purge of the experts running them are the same assault. Tomorrow I'll tell my story, from Iraq to the White House, and what it cost me. https://marygeddry.com/p/tendon-not-fat16 Aug 2026 13:48 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt7dav5xms2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mt4lfcnupc22American power rests on a machine for seeing clearly and an interagency process to force planning and air uncomfortable truths before a decision is made. The Iran war is the clearest consequence. I broke it down with Dominik Presl on Decoding Geopolitics: https://youtu.be/BOZVUj71TMs?si=lcCSk3p63k6KZSJI15 Aug 2026 11:35 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt4lfcnupc22https://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mt23gf2eh222Decline is a choice. China is fielding electromagnetic launch on its newest carriers. Trump ordered the Navy to rip it out of ours and go back to steam. Navy and industry objected, but the President overruled them. This is the cost of the assault on expertise. https://apnews.com/article/trump-aircraft-carriers-steam-catapults-ffa9f3ce102ecd5d6126db03e901a56f14 Aug 2026 11:44 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt23gf2eh222https://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mssjxyithc2aHad the pleasure of joining my friend @breefram.bsky.social on the Steady State podcast. We dive deep into the breakdown of the National Security Council's coordination function, the weaponization of the DNI. When dissent is punished the result is catastrophic decision-making on the global stage. https://youtu.be/wCtWgj6A_mA?si=32Hsb43KJuursTWA11 Aug 2026 11:43 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mssjxyithc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3msq3g4565s2mDear CIA Public Affairs — Punishing critics by stripping clearances and livelihoods is what autocrats do. It doesn’t make the assessments wrong. Mine is public, PRB cleared, and footnoted: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/what-they-want-to-hear--the-politicization-of-u.s.-intelligence Glad to speak to @amymackinnon.bsky.social at the FT. https://as.ft.com/r/ea7bf5fb-cb9f-46b8-82af-b1dd22a0720d10 Aug 2026 12:17 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3msq3g4565s2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mskwl4sqfc2iWhither the DNI, Ahmed Shah Massoud, and Toby the Dog. @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org @hollyfletcher.bsky.social @michael-feinberg.bsky.social https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAJ4hOQB0Rw08 Aug 2026 11:07 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mskwl4sqfc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3msip2r2sjk26This week the war came home — cyberattacks in the US heartland. Horizontal escalation is the term of art. This is when a president needs an IC that tells him the truth, not what he wants to hear. Rational Security this week with @scottanderson.bsky.social @atabatabai.bsky.social, and Natalie Orbett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k71SPxIJEjc07 Aug 2026 13:48 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3msip2r2sjk26https://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3msgo4qnv5c2vThe threat of Iranian cyberattacks on US water systems was as foreseeable as it was foreseen. The IC and the interagency — gutted by this administration — are exactly the bodies meant to prevent the disaster @dustinvolz.bsky.social describes in today's New York Times. [contains quote post or other embedded content]06 Aug 2026 18:26 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3msgo4qnv5c2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3msdghnnacs2nCIA is barred from influencing our domestic politics. Not by custom, not by norm — by law. Congress should demand to know who wrote these docs, when, and who tasked them. Those questions have answers. None are secrets. I break it down with @granthermes.bsky.social and @stevencash.bsky.social https://makeitmakesensepod.substack.com/p/did-trump-use-the-cia-to-lie-about05 Aug 2026 11:31 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3msdghnnacs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3msb7mtvyi22m"Home by Christmas" — the oldest refrain of wars of choice. New Lawfare Daily on the Short War Illusion: Ukraine, Iran, and what Beijing is drawing from both about Taiwan. Check out the podcast with @nkorpett.bsky.social, @atabatabai.bsky.social, and @massdara.bsky.social on @lawfaremedia.org. https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawfare-daily--ukraine--iran--taiwan--and-the-short-war-illusion04 Aug 2026 14:23 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3msb7mtvyi22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3ms6f2ua4n22gTwo CIA ops officers and an analyst walk into a podcast... @johnsipher.bsky.social and Jerry O'Shea had me on Mission Implausible to discuss the NSC purge, the politicization of CIA, and what it will take to rebuild. Plus we declassify what is really in SPAM... Link to Part Two in the comments. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-national-security-council-purge-with-julia-curlee/id1728340033?i=100077838713203 Aug 2026 11:22 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms6f2ua4n22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mrutymgva22jWhite House letterhead doesn’t make it true. The new “fact sheet” identifies no altered votes, no evidence any foreign actor changed the 2020 election. Now agency heads have enlisted their institutions to discredit an election the President lost. I spoke with the Washington Post: https://wapo.st/44XKMT730 Jul 2026 16:23 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrutymgva22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mrrxyi2vkc2wGlad to speak to the NYTimes’s @dustinvolz.bsky.social about DNI Pulte’s final destructive act: “The bill will come due in low morale and in Americans who won’t apply. Congress should demand to know what this is meant to achieve, and which national security functions will go unperformed.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/us/politics/spy-chief-bill-pulte-final-hours.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share29 Jul 2026 12:56 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrrxyi2vkc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mrqa2twq4k22We need to draw the line here. The most powerful intel apparatus on Earth should never be used to message the American people. This is bad. It can get worse. [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 Jul 2026 20:15 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrqa2twq4k22https://bsky.app/profile/juliacurlee.bsky.social/post/3mrpftxbnhc2zDay One of a war over Taiwan would be the largest amphibious operation since D-Day — attempted by a PLA that hasn’t fought a war since 1979. I talked with Sasha Ingber about what Beijing is taking from the Iran war, and why cheap denial tools favor the defender. https://substack.com/@sashaingber/note/p-208694052?r=3bril&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action28 Jul 2026 12:26 +0000at://did:plc:4a7exiveitypv3omv772e2yb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrpftxbnhc2z