Intel Community’s Loss of Credibility Is the Real National Security Scandal

The United States faces a profound national security and civil liberties challenge—one driven by a loss of trust in the intelligence community itself, warned Mehek Cooke, The Daily Signal’s senior national security and legal analyst.

“The biggest scandal is the intel community blew up its credibility,” Cooke said on Newsmax TV, arguing that intelligence abuses have placed everyday Americans “in the crosshairs” of surveillance authorities never meant to target them.

While Cooke said she supports strong intelligence capabilities to confront foreign threats and terrorists, she stressed that those powers must come with firm protections for U.S. citizens.

“We want to make sure Americans have some type of warrant and protection,” she said. “These tools are supposed to target terrorists—not law-abiding Americans.”

Cooke addressed the ongoing debate over an 18-month extension of surveillance authorities, noting that temporary extensions alone are insufficient if Congress fails to impose accountability. She warned that civil liberties remain vulnerable if abuses go unpunished.

“If there’s an opportunity to add criminal penalties when civil liberties are trampled, that matters to me,” Cooke said. “What happens in the meantime if somebody is abusing that system?”

According to Cooke, the moment is a defining one for Congress—especially Republicans, who currently control the House. While President Donald Trump supports extending national security authorities, Cooke emphasized that lawmakers must ensure those powers are constitutional and restrained.

She praised the work of Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on the House Judiciary Committee, but said stronger leadership is needed to move reforms forward.

“We have a massive opportunity in national security to do both—protect civil liberties and get terrorists out of our country,” Cooke said. “Congress needs to do their jobs.”

While Iran continues to pose a serious threat to the United States, Cooke said that restoring trust and protecting freedoms at home is inseparable from defending the nation abroad.