The CI-Press Podcast

In this episode, co-hosts Jeremy Clark and Scott Sparks sit down with JT Mendoza, a lifelong counterintelligence (CI) professional whose career spans decades of service across government and private sector landscapes. From his early days conducting field operations to his current role as a corporate director leading enterprise-level threat mitigation strategies, JT walks us through his counterintelligence journey and its critical role in both national security and business resilience.

Listeners will hear firsthand how JT transitioned from government service into the private sector, the challenges he faced adapting CI principles to various assignments, and the lessons he’s learned about insider threat, supply chain risk, and organizational culture. He also shares insights into what makes a successful CI program today and how leaders can build a proactive, intelligence-driven security posture in any industry.

This episode offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the human side of CI, as well as actionable advice for security professionals, executives, and anyone interested in the intersection of national defense and business security.

In this gripping episode of the CI Press Podcast, hosts Jeremy Clark and Ryan Rambo sit down with Danny Lewis, a seasoned Army Counterintelligence Special Agent turned Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Leader, to explore his decades-long career combating espionage. Lewis shares riveting stories from the 1980s and 1990s, detailing his role in leading dozens of high-stakes investigations, including the Trofimov arrest, that thwarted foreign intelligence threats to U.S. national security. With a wealth of experience, he provides a firsthand look at the tradecraft, challenges, and ethical dilemmas of counterintelligence work, offering insights into how he tracked and neutralized sophisticated adversaries during a pivotal era of global tensions.

The conversation takes a deep dive into Lewis’s role as an expert witness in the Bradley Manning trial, where he provided critical testimony on the counterintelligence implications of Manning’s massive leak of classified documents to WikiLeaks. Lewis reflects on the complexities of the case, the impact of the leaks on national security, and the lessons learned for modern insider threat programs. Through personal anecdotes and expert analysis, this episode illuminates the critical role of counterintelligence in safeguarding sensitive information and the evolving landscape of espionage in the digital age.

In this episode, hosts Jeremy Clark, Scott Sparks, and Joseph Sheridan discuss the Monica Witt spy case.  In the shadowy world of counterintelligence, few stories rival the jaw-dropping betrayal of Monica Elfriede Witt. Once a member of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), this Texas-born Farsi-speaking specialist served from 1997 to 2008, deploying on classified missions across the Middle East and gaining top-secret access to the identities of U.S. agents and sources.

After leaving the military, she continued as a defense contractor until 2010, consulting on Iranian matters for firms like Booz Allen Hamilton.  But in 2012, Witt's path took a radical turn. She traveled to Iran for the IRGC-sponsored "Hollywoodism" conference – a hotbed of anti-American propaganda – where she converted to Islam and began praising the regime.  Despite an FBI warning that Iranian intelligence was targeting her for recruitment, she defected in August 2013, fleeing to Tehran and vowing to "put [her] training to good use instead of evil."

From there, the allegations explode: Witt allegedly handed over the code name and details of a highly classified U.S. intelligence program, exposed the true identity of a fellow agent (endangering lives), and compiled dossiers on at least eight former colleagues to aid Iranian hackers in spear-phishing attacks via Facebook and email.  Four Iranian operatives were indicted alongside her for the cyber plot, which aimed to implant malware on American systems.

Was it ideology, resentment from her military exit, or something deeper? Join us as we unpack this real-life spy thriller, the U.S. sanctions on Iranian fronts like the New Horizon Organization, and what her case reveals about the vulnerabilities in our intelligence community. Tune in – you won't believe the twists.

In this fun episode of CI Press, Jeremy Clark and Ryan Rambo dive into the shadowy world of espionage in the NFL, college football, and other professional sports, highlighting where competitive advantage meets clandestine tactics.

We unpack key incidents, like the 2007 Spygate controversy, where the Patriots were caught filming opponents’ signals, and other rumored tactics such as bugging locker rooms or hacking communications.

Our discussion examines the impact on the game, the NFL’s response, and whether such practices still lurk in the league today. We’ll reveal how far teams go to outsmart their rivals and what it means for the integrity of professional football while referencing a great book on this topic by Kevin Bryant, Spies on the Sidelines.

And finally, we make recommendations on how NFL teams can protect themselves from espionage!

We look forward to your feedback and hope you enjoy the NFL Season! 

In this episode of CI Press, The Counterintelligence Podcast, Ryan Rambo and guests Brian Velasquez and Bryce Peterson analyze the 2025 ODNI Annual Threat Assessment on Iran. The episode covers Iran’s intelligence apparatus (MOIS, IRGC, Quds Force), proxy networks, cyber operations, and efforts to target U.S. infrastructure, academia, and the defense industrial base.

The hosts discuss historical context, risks to Iranian diaspora, and students, notable espionage cases and assassination plots, and emphasize the need for improved counterintelligence outreach, security integration, and protections for vulnerable communities and research programs.

In this episode, cohosts Jeremy Clark and Ryan Rambo are joined by Dave Snell (aka Doug) who returns to walk through the John A. Walker Jr. espionage case.  Walker was a Navy radioman who handed over cryptographic key material to the Soviets starting in 1967, built a family-and-friend spy ring, and compromised U.S. naval communications for years.

Jeremy, Ryan, and Dave cover the motivations, tradecraft (dead drops, Vienna meetings), the arrest, and the long-lasting impact on counterintelligence practice, plus practical lessons about insider threat indicators, vetting, and reporting.

Hosts Jeremy Clark and Ryan Rambo sit down with Bryce Peterson, the newest member of the IXN Solutions Team, to trace his path from a challenging upbringing and enlistment as a 13F, through multiple Iraq deployments, to advanced CI training and leadership roles at Fort Leavenworth and beyond.

Bryce shares practical lessons like "ask questions", "set your ego aside", "build rapport with partners", and "let intelligence drive operations" along with candid career advice and memorable moments from deployments and the classroom.

CI Press, the counterintelligence podcast hosted by Jeremy Clark and Ryan Rambo, marks its 50th episode with a special fireside chat featuring the team from IXN Solutions. In this milestone episode, our team of CI leaders and seasoned veterans answers listener-submitted questions and dives into the evolving landscape of counterintelligence across both government and industry.

Hosts Jeremy Clark and Ryan Rambo break down the espionage case of Nathan Vilas LAATSCH, a DIA Insider Threat specialist who tried to pass top-secret intelligence to a foreign country because of ideological opposition to the administration. The episode follows the FBI sting, the insider’s methods (handwritten notes, thumb drive, dead drop), and the arrest.

The hosts highlight implications for insider threat detection, security clearance oversight, and lessons for counterintelligence professionals and coworkers to remain vigilant and report suspicious behavior.