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Chris Bing

@chrisbing.bsky.social
11K followers 1.5K following 169 posts

Cyber, natsec and foreign affairs. Formers with ProPublica, Reuters and CyberScoop bing-chris.medium.com/how-to-contac…

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Reposted by Chris Bing
Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Blockbuster story about Susan Collins — a shocking, detailed window into the dark side of money in politics.
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Reposted by Chris Bing
Jesse Eisinger @jeisinger.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
And don’t sleep on the part where we bust Cleta Mitchell (yes, that one) for helping to hatch a campaign finance cover-up:
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Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“Kao laid out in devastating detail how his operation worked. He gave agents a 50-page document naming dozens of lobbyists, congressional staffers and members of Congress who he said helped him trade cash for contracts.” www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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William Turton @williamturton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In 2024 the former CEO of a defense contractor made a stunning confession to two FBI agents. He alleged that was the ringleader of a massive pay-to-play operation, bribing senators with campaign contributions in exchange for govt contracts. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Exclusive: In late 2024, FBI agents were looking at Sen. Susan Collins’ role in a massive illegal bribery scheme alleged by a former federal contractor. Then Trump gutted the FBI and DOJ, leaving no one to carry on the investigation – it’s dead. 🧵
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This seems like a pretty big deal: donors made illegal contributions to Susan Collins and then were awarded lucrative contracts after her office intervened with the Navy. An FBI investigation was dropped under Trump. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
To skirt campaign finance laws and conceal the source of the funds, Navatek planned to funnel the donation through a shell company. The CEO wanted assurance that Collins would know where
the money came from. Reed confirmed that she would, the executive said - and that Navatek would get its government contracts.
After the Corner Bakery meeting, Navatek's CEO, Martin Kao, sent an initial $150,000 to the Collins super PAC using the shell company. Two months later, he told Navatek executives that Collins committed to getting the company $32 million in naval contracts, according to an internal company email reviewed by ProPublica.
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Legendary journalism here: We never get to see how the campaign finance system is corrupted. It’s shrouded in everyday DC influence games. Now you can
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Reposted by Chris Bing
ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
NEW: In late 2024, FBI investigators had enough evidence to launch a sweeping bribery probe that could ensnare top lawmakers, including Sen. Susan Collins. Then Trump was reelected and eviscerated the FBI and DOJ teams handling public corruption probes.
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Reposted by Chris Bing
ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
Sen. Susan Collins helped steer millions in federal defense contracts to Navatek, whose CEO illegally funneled thousands of dollars to her campaign. The FBI sought to launch a probe and was eyeing Collins and other lawmakers. Then Trump gutted the unit in charge. THREAD 🧵
Martin Kao, CEO of defense contractor Navatek, poses next to Sen. Susan Collins for a photo. Collins is holding a model of a boat in her hands. Behind them is a large sign with the Navatek logo.
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Group of bipartisan lawmakers ask US government to ban several hack-for-hire firms techcrunch.com/2026/09/09/g...
techcrunch.com
Group of bipartisan lawmakers ask US government to ban several hack-for-hire firms | TechCrunch
The three Indian companies are accused of using hackers to steal information used to sway litigation.
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Reposted by Chris Bing
Raphael Satter @raphae.li · 15/07/2026
New: The alleged "Void Blizzard" hacker being prosecuted in Boston on charges connected to a sweeping spy campaign against US companies and European governments is a former Kaspersky Lab employee, according to data reviewed by and a source who talked to Reuters. www.reuters.com/world/allege...
reuters.com
EXCLUSIVE: Alleged Russian cyber spy in Boston case previously worked for Kaspersky, source says and documents show
A computer expert facing U.S. hacking charges previously held ​a senior position at Moscow-based antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab, according to a person familiar with the matter and records reviewed by Re...
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Can’t have some of your most important players have their worst games in memory… Pulisic, Dest, Freese really rough
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
National Geographic is still so good. A breath of fresh air - with stories of exploration and new mystery. If you haven’t read a copy in a while it’s a great time to subscribe again 🙌
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Saddened to hear the news of the passing of Stewart Baker. Stewart was an important person in my career, providing contrarian view points, smart analysis and the occasional bombastic quote. Even when we disagreed, I learned a lot speaking to him on any number of natsec topics.
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
For once, very good news! So cool www.cnn.com/2026/04/01/s...
cnn.com
4 astronauts launch on historic moon mission | CNN
NASA’s Artemis II will circumnavigate the moon on the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years.
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
The thing about metro-ing an hour into Virginia is you get to see every form of weapons grade depression that exists
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 20/03/2026
NEW: To dramatically increase the amount of energy available to power artificial intelligence, the Trump administration is rewriting thousands of pages of nuclear power regulations while downplaying safety issues and focusing on industry incentives.
propublica.org
DOGE Goes Nuclear: How Trump Invited Silicon Valley Into America's Nuclear Power Regulator
In its rush to boost nuclear energy, the Trump administration is rapidly rewriting rules to ease regulations and provide financial breaks for industry. “The safety culture is under threat,” a former head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
DOGE Goes Nuclear: How Trump Invited Silicon Valley Into America’s Nuclear Power Regulator
In its rush to boost nuclear energy, the Trump administration is rapidly rewriting rules to ease regulations and provide financial breaks for industry. “The safety culture is under threat,” a former h...
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Techmeme @techmeme.com · 12/02/2026
Russia confirms it has blocked WhatsApp, citing Meta's "unwillingness to comply with Russian law", and proposes that Russians switch to the state-owned Max app (Reuters) Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
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Sam Levin @samtlevin.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
After Border Patrol shot two people in Portland, DHS claimed they were "vicious gang members" tied to a past shooting. But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
theguardian.com
DHS’s account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘A smear campaign’
Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Some personal news: Friday was my last day at ProPublica after joining last January. More on what’s next later. It was an incredible journey in that short time. ProPublica’s mission and its ability to attract top talent is what makes it special – the people who work here are really good.
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Ivan the K ™ @ivanthek.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
The reporting I've seen from @startribune.com over the last few days is a great endorsement of the need for quality local journalism, which is suffering from fiscal setbacks across the country.
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
www.nytimes.com/interactive/... impressively reported and deeply embarrassing
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Sean Lyngaas @snlyngaas.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Sources: US officials are telling multiple agencies, including FBI, to pull pple from attending the RSA conference after Jen Easterly, who led CISA under Biden, was named RSAC CEO: www.cnn.com/politics/liv...
cnn.com
Live updates: Trump keeping Machado’s Nobel prize after Venezuelan opposition leader presents it to him | CNN Politics
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, met with President Donald Trump today. Follow for live updates.
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
sharing a theory I am researching below 1.) claims of cyber-related effect in Venezuela darkreading.com/cybersecurit... 2.) potential BGP anomaly event fits timeframe x.com/blackorbird/... 3.) leaked snowden doc suggests possible relevant tooling blog.fox-it.com/2015/04/20/d...
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
FBI Director Kash Patel earlier this year fired a group of FBI employees who had knelt during a confrontation with DC protestors during the George Floyd protests of 2020. Seems he unknowingly fired someone who was actively working the Charlie Kirk case (per new lawsuit)
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
An article that perhaps got lost in the shuffle - on record interviews with senior Dutch intelligence officials where they lament the firing of fmr NSA director Tim Haugh and reveal they are being more careful sharing intel with US partners volkskrant.nl/binnenland/n...
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Reposted by Chris Bing
ProPublica @propublica.org · 17/11/2025
As the FBI’s deputy director, Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau background check is unprecedented, insiders say. By @williamturton.bsky.social @chrisbing.bsky.social
propublica.org
FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff
As the FBI’s deputy director, Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau backgr...
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Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
We’re still reporting on Kristi Noem, contracts at DHS, and the ad deal. If you have any information we should know, my email is joshua.kaplan@propublica.org and I’m on the encrypted messaging app Signal (you can message me at js_kaplan.85)
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 14/11/2025
NEW: FBI Director Kash Patel granted waivers to Deputy Director Dan Bongino and two newly hired senior FBI staff, exempting them from polygraph exams normally required to gain access to America’s most sensitive classified information, officials said.
propublica.org
FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff
As the FBI’s deputy director, Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau backgr...
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Reposted by Chris Bing
William Turton @williamturton.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
New: FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff
As the FBI’s deputy director, Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau backgr...
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Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
As the FBI’s deputy director, Dan Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau background check is unprecedented, insiders say. @williamturton.bsky.social @chrisbing.bsky.social
propublica.org
FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff
As the FBI’s deputy director, Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau backgr...
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Chris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
NEW: Kash Patel granted waivers to Dan Bongino and two other newly hired senior FBI staffers, exempting them from passing polygraph exams normally required to gain access to America’s most sensitive classified information. @williamturton.bsky.social @chrisbing.bsky.social @propublica.org
propublica.org
FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff
As the FBI’s deputy director, Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau backgr...
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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
BREAKING from PP We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens* The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied: Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado www.propublica.org/article/immi... by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
propublica.org
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Spyware maker NSO Group confirms acquisition by US investors techcrunch.com/2025/10/10/s...
techcrunch.com
Spyware maker NSO Group confirms acquisition by US investors | TechCrunch
NSO Group confirmed to TechCrunch that an unnamed group of American investors has taken “controlling ownership” of the surveillance tech maker.
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Sam Nelson @samnelson752.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Support the workers in @propublicaguild.org who do this great work: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...
actionnetwork.org
Fair Contract Now for ProPublica Guild
We, the workers of ProPublica, provide our readers with deeply researched, unbiased news that holds power to account. This work is more important now than ever, but our staff can’t properly contribute...
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
A story in two parts:
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Melody Joy Kramer @mkramer.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Hi! There are two designs circulating. Several people have spotted this one. If you see the other one, can you take a picture of it? Thank you!!!!
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Logan Jaffe @loganjaffe.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Hell yes. And if you want to get @propublica.org’s next big story directly, subscribe to our Big Story newsletter: 💌 www.propublica.org/newsletters/...
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Seen on the DC metro:
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
www.propublica.org/article/ayma...
propublica.org
Ohio Chaplain’s Case Shows How 9/11-Era Terror Rules Could Empower Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
The U.S. government is trying to deport Ohio children’s hospital chaplain Ayman Soliman, alleging tenuous connections to terrorism. If DHS succeeds, experts say it could hand the Trump administration ...
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Reposted by Chris Bing
Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
DOGE, he said, began acting like “a bunch of people who didn’t know what they were doing, with ideas of how government should run — thinking it should work like a McDonald’s or a bank — screaming all the time.” @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/insi...
propublica.org
The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security
DOGE has ignored urgently needed reforms and upgrades at the Social Security Administration, according to dozens of insiders and 15 hours of candid interviews with the former acting chief of the agenc...
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
www.propublica.org/article/insi...
propublica.org
The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security
DOGE has ignored urgently needed reforms and upgrades at the Social Security Administration, according to dozens of insiders and 15 hours of candid interviews with the former acting chief of the agenc...
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Mica Rosenberg @micarosenberg.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
An important heartbreaking story by Avi Asher-Shapiro and @chrisbing.bsky.social about the real world consequences of mistakes made by DOGE that put the lives of innocent people in Afghanistan at risk
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Melissa Sanchez @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
This is such a well-reported, maddening story about the far-reaching, scary consequences of Elon Musk's DOGE and the dismantling of our federal government. Kudos to @chrisbing.bsky.social and Avi Asher Shapiro
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/08/2025
14/ For Halimi and his family, those actions would have far-reaching consequences. Read the full story by @chrisbing.bsky.social and Avi Asher-Schapiro:
propublica.org
DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.
Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family’s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U...
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/08/2025
On the left: Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old DOGE staffer and college dropout. On the right: Mohammad Halimi, a 53-year-old exiled Afghan scholar. This is the story of how DOGE targeted Halimi on social media. Then the Taliban took his family. 🧵
Photo of DOGE staffer Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old white man in a blue pullover, carrying a black backpack.Photo of 53-year-old Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi. He is sitting, wearing white pants and shirt with a brown vest.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/08/2025
NEW: After DOGE outed Mohammad Halimi on social media, Taliban intelligence agents blindfolded and took three of his family members to a remote prison. They were repeatedly beaten and questioned about Halimi and his recently publicized work for the United States.
propublica.org
DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.
Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family’s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U...
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 14/08/2025
Last month, we reported that the IRS was preparing a system that would share millions of taxpayers' data with ICE. Now we can confirm data was officially transferred ⤵️
propublica.org
The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE
ProPublica has obtained the blueprint for the Trump administration’s unprecedented plan to turn over IRS records to Homeland Security in order to speed up the agency’s mass deportation efforts.
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Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
IRS has official passed over taxpayer information to ICE, per court filing storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
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