John Cohen, a contributor to ABC News and former acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security, expressed concern over the recent disclosure of information regarding U.S. citizens employed by intelligence agencies. He warned that such revelations could jeopardize their safety and security.
A former CIA official, who participated in classification review boards, described the incident as a significant breach, particularly if it pertains to sensitive details about the budget and personnel of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). He further emphasized the potential gravity of declassifying such information under executive authority.
Mick Mulroy, a national security and defense analyst for ABC News and a former CIA officer, highlighted the importance of safeguarding classified information, emphasizing the need to protect the size, budget, and identities of individuals within the intelligence community from public exposure. Mulroy underscored the motivation of adversaries to exploit such data to understand U.S. intelligence operations, investments, and personnel for strategic targeting.
The initial report on the data release was published by HuffPost on the Department of Government Employment (DOGE) website. Notably, the DOGE.GOV page explicitly states that workforce data excludes personnel from the military, postal service, White House, intelligence agencies, and other undisclosed entities.
The intelligence community criticized the data release from DOGE, while the Trump administration contended that the information was public data, as reported on abcnews.go.com.
