Mike German — Senior Fellow
Mike German is a recognized expert in terrorist group behavior, counter-terrorist operations, and right-wing extremism. He has appeared on Dateline NBC, Paula Zahn Now, CNN, and MSNBC and his commentary has been published in the National Law Journal and the Washington Post. Mike lectures frequently on counter-terrorism and intelligence matters, appearing most recently as a featured speaker at a symposium on the legal response to terrorism at the University of Virginia's John Bassett Moore Society of International Law.
Mike served for sixteen years as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is one of the few agents credited with actually having prevented acts of terrorism before it became the FBI's number one priority.
In the early 1990s, Mike successfully infiltrated white supremacist groups in Los Angeles that were engaged in a bombing campaign against racial minorities and stockpiling weapons in preparation for a race war. In the late 1990's, after the Oklahoma City bombing, he again went undercover against right-wing militia groups that were conspiring to harm federal agents. Both cases disrupted multiple terrorist cells, leading to criminal convictions that prevented terrorist acts. Mike's undercover work gave him unique insights into the way terrorist groups organize, recruit and operate.
Mike has a Bachelor's degree in philosophy from Wake Forest University and a Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law. Mike's last assignment before leaving the FBI in June of 2004 was as a counter-terrorism instructor at the FBI National Academy.
CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY:
- "Whistleblower Retaliation at the FBI: Improving Protections and Oversight," U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Mar. 4, 2015. http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/whistleblower-retaliation-at-the-fbi-improving-protections-and-oversight
- "The Permanent Provisions of the PATRIOT Act," U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, March 30, 2011. https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/ACLU_Testimony_Before_the_HJC_Regarding_the_Patriot_Act.pdf
- "Treasury and Transparency," U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, May 26, 2010. https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/House_Committee_on_Financial_Services_Subcommittee_Testimony.pdf
- "The USA Patriot Act," U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Sept. 22, 2009. https://www.aclu.org/files/images/general/asset_upload_file921_41067.pdf
- "The FBI Whistleblowers: Corruption and Retaliation Inside the Bureau," U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, May 21, 2008. https://www.aclu.org/files/images/general/asset_upload_file419_35426.pdf
- "National Security Whistleblowers in the Post-9/11 Era: Lost in a Labyrinth and Facing Subtle Retaliation," U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, Feb. 14, 2006. http://fas.org/irp/congress/2006_hr/whistle.html
PUBLICATIONS:
Book:
- Thinking Like a Terrorist: Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent, Potomac Books, published January 2007. http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Like-Terrorist-Insights-Undercover/dp/1597970263
- Imperium, Co-written with Dan Ragussis, Director, 2015. Currently in post-production. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4781612/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ql_1
Book Chapter:
- Patriots Debate: Contemporary Issues in National Security Law, (Chapter 5: National Security Letters, with Michelle Richardson), American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security, July 2012. http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/national_security_letters_building_blocks_for_investigations_or_intrusive_t
Articles/Reports:
- "Squaring the Error," (symposium monograph) Law vs. War: Competing Approaches to Fighting Terrorism, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, July, 2005, http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ssi/pubs/display.cfm?PubID=613
- "Trying Enemy Combatants in Civilian Courts," (symposium monograph), George Washington University Law Review, Volume 75, August 2007, http://docs.law.gwu.edu/stdg/gwlr/issues/pdf/GWLR75_5-6_German.pdf
- "What's Wrong with Fusion Centers," with Jay Stanley, American Civil Liberties Union, November 2007, http://www.aclu.org/files/pdfs/privacy/fusioncenter_20071212.pdf
- "Reclaiming Patriotism: A Call to Reconsider the Patriot Act," with Michelle Richardson, American Civil Liberties Union, March 2009), http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/safefree/patriot_report_20090310.pdf
- "Drastic Measures Required: Congress Needs to Overhaul U.S. Secrecy Laws and Increase Oversight of the Secret Security Establishment," with Jay Stanley, American Civil Liberties Union, July 2011, http://www.aclu.org/files/assets/secrecyreport_20110727.pdf
- "Unleashed and Unaccountable: The FBI's Unchecked Abuse of Authority," American Civil Liberties Union, September 2013. https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/unleashed-and-unaccountable-fbi-report.pdf
- "Strengthening Intelligence Oversight," (editor), forward by Vice President Walter F. Mondale and Senator Gary Hart, endorsed by 17 members of the Church Committee staff, January 2014. https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/publications/Church_Committee_Web_REVISED.pdf
Web Projects:
- "Rethinking Intelligence," A project designed to broaden the national conversation about intelligence reform through a series of video interviews with former intelligence officials, academics doing research regarding the effectiveness of intelligence activities, and advocates working for open and accountable government, December 2014 - present. https://www.brennancenter.org/rethinking-intelligence-enterprise
- "Mapping the FBI: Uncovering Abusive Surveillance and Racial Profiling,"
- A public education project designed to expose evidence of FBI abuses of authority by creating a searchable database of FBI documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, and issuing alerts and other written materials commenting on the information received, October 2011 - October 2013. https://www.aclu.org/mapping-fbi-uncovering-abusive-surveillance-and-racial-profiling
Other:
- LAW VS. WAR: COMPETING APPROACHES TO FIGHTING TERRORISM July 2005
- An FBI Insider's Guide To The 9/11 Commission Report By Mike German
- Behind the Lone Terrorist, a Pack Mentality By Mike German, The Washington Post Sunday, June 5, 2005; B01
- Fighting Terrorism Takes Gavels as Well as Guns By Mike German, The Washington Post Sunday, November 7, 2004; Page B04
