That "Brooks Brothers Riot" was More Than a Dumb Stunt

A few words on why Gaetz stunt to storm the SCIF to disrupt Laura Cooper's deposition is a VERY serious national security problem.

Note, I worked in that SCIF for HPSCI and handled cybersecurity issues while there.

— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) October 23, 2019

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Storming the SCIF without respecting the security protocols that require people to leave their electronic devices *outside* the space, is actually compromising our national security.

— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) October 23, 2019

First, the SCIF itself is a secure facility designed to prevent electronic eavesdropping so members of Congress can receive highly classified information about how the nation collects information on its adversaries, and on *very* sensitive intelligence operations.

— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) October 23, 2019

Foreign adversaries are constantly trying to figure out what goes on inside those rooms to figure out what the US knows about them, to out US high-level sources in their governments, to know what the US government knows and use it against us.

— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) October 23, 2019

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Bringing electronic devices into a SCIF, and this SCIF in particular is *very* problematic, especially when done by members of Congress.

Because Members of Congress (and their electronic devices) are high-value targets for compromise by foreign intelligence services.

— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) October 23, 2019

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They also tend to be lax in their security protocols. This means they may not know they have been compromised. For example, their phones can be turned into listening devices without their knowledge. https://t.co/NSCUgd1EjP

— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) October 23, 2019

*skip*

But in "storming the SCIF" without observing the security protocols, Rep. Gaetz et al, endangered our national security & demonstrated they care more about a political stunt than protecting intelligence information.

I cannot emphasize enough how serious this is.

— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) October 23, 2019

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So, to recap:

To disrupt testimony from a DOD official on how the President endangered national security for both the US and Ukraine by withholding military aid, the President's allies further endangered national security by storming the SCIF with their electronic devices.

— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) October 23, 2019

I didn't post the entire Twitter thread; that's what the "*skip*" is all about.  You should read the entire thread (easy to do, just click on a tweet).  This response is also important:

GOP reps are now tweeting from inside the SCIF. https://t.co/RtYGC90ZW9

— Jennifer Hayden (@Scout_Finch) October 23, 2019

These people are fucking idiots.