The CI-Press Podcast

In this episode of CI Press, hosts Jeremy Clark and Joe Sheridan examine how autonomous AI agents—such as those highlighted in the Hugging Face case—can pursue objectives with little human oversight, potentially exploiting vulnerabilities at unprecedented speed and scale. As these systems become more capable, they introduce new challenges for counterintelligence, insider-risk management, and organizational security.
The hosts break down what AI and autonomous agents are, explore recent incidents and evolving government policy, and discuss the implications for organizations responsible for protecting sensitive information and critical systems. They also share practical steps companies can take, including employee training, stronger access controls for AI systems, continuous auditing, and integrating counterintelligence into AI governance.
The takeaway: As AI capabilities accelerate, organizations must evolve their security practices to protect their people, intellectual property, and critical infrastructure.

Hosts Joe Sheridan and Jeremy Clark examine the alleged insider-threat case involving OpenAI, where a concealed recording device was reportedly discovered behind a television in an executive conference room during a technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM) sweep. They break down the reported investigation and the evidence that allegedly connected the device to an employee.
The conversation explores critical lessons for organizations protecting sensitive information, including the role of TSCM, insider-risk programs, appropriate access controls, and proactive security planning. The takeaway: effective counterintelligence isn't just about responding to incidents, it's about establishing the safeguards, reporting channels, and response procedures needed before a threat emerges.

Can a single state build its own counterintelligence defense, without waiting on Washington? Florida is trying. Hosts Joe Sheridan and Jeremy Clark sit down with Florida State Representative Danny Alvarez to break down Operation Secure Florida, a bold push to build state-level CI capability from the ground up.
Alvarez pulls back the curtain on the gaps in local and state defenses, why 911 systems and law enforcement coordination need a hard modernization push, and how the National Guard and fusion centers are becoming frontline players in a fight that used to be purely federal. He makes the case for why states can't just wait on Washington, how smarter classification and better training can protect critical infrastructure, and why civil liberties safeguards have to be built in, not bolted on, when confronting foreign adversaries and influence campaigns.
This is a rare, practical look at bipartisan state-level security policy in action: educating lawmakers, mobilizing statewide resources, and defending people, technology, and infrastructure from threats that don't respect jurisdiction.
Topics: state-level counterintelligence, critical infrastructure security, foreign influence operations, fusion centers, National Guard, civil liberties, insider risk

What if the real risk window opens long before a formal recruitment pitch? On this episode of CI Press, hosts Dave Turner and Jeremy Clark challenge ten common counterintelligence assumptions and make the case for shifting focus "left of recruitment," to the conferences, LinkedIn messages, academic ties, consulting relationships, and supply-chain exposure where collection, influence, and cyber techniques quietly overlap.
Dave and Jeremy unpack what it really takes to protect corporate and government "crown jewels," why adversary motivations go far beyond money, and how tradecraft and insider-risk programs need to evolve to catch activity earlier, before it becomes a full-blown case. Essential listening for CI professionals, insider-risk leads, and security leaders who want to move from reactive to proactive: recognize, react, report.

Counterintelligence and insider risk are no longer theoretical concerns for business leaders. Organizations face increasingly sophisticated threats, from intellectual property theft and employee exploitation to insider activity and workplace violence, often with significant financial and operational consequences.
In this episode, hosts Joseph Sheridan and Jeremy Clark examine what counterintelligence means for the C-suite and why executives need to understand not only what they are protecting, but who may want it, how they could get it, and how the organization would know it was being targeted.
Listeners will learn practical steps C-suite leaders can take to strengthen their organizations, including:
Identify the organization's crown jewels
Understand who wants them and how they might be targeted
Establish clear reporting, ownership, and response processes
Integrate counterintelligence with existing security and insider-risk programs
Consider fractional CI capabilities when building a full in-house program isn't practical
Counterintelligence isn't just a government function. If your organization has valuable people, information, technology, or relationships, you have something worth protecting.
The question is: Would you know if someone was coming after it?

Why do trusted insiders betray their organizations? In this episode, Joe Sheridan, Scott Sparks, Dave Turner, and Jeremy Clark break down the MICE framework (Money, Ideology, Compromise/Coercion, and Ego) and examine how counterintelligence professionals use it to understand insider motivations.
Through classic and recent case studies, we explore how these motivations can develop, how they manifest through behavior, and how insider threat tradecraft plays out in the real world.
We also discuss the strengths and limitations of MICE, alternative frameworks such as RASCALS, behavioral indicators that may warrant attention, and the critical role of reporting vulnerabilities under SEAD-3. Most importantly, we examine how awareness, training, and a strong reporting culture can help organizations identify and mitigate insider threats before they become a serious problem.
Listen now and join the conversation on one of the most enduring questions in counterintelligence: What makes someone betray trust?

In this episode, hosts Joe Sheridan and Jeremy Clark take a closer look at the 21 July 2026, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) open hearing titled “25 Years After 9/11: Confronting the Next Generation of Threats.” Using the hearing as the foundation for the discussion, they examine the evolving counterintelligence threat landscape and what it means for the United States.
The conversation explores warnings from national security leaders about state-backed threats from China and Russia, the rapid advancement of emerging technologies, and the growing threat of economic and industrial espionage. The hosts discuss how these challenges are increasingly converging across government, industry, academia, and the broader economy.
We also examine what a modern, effective counterintelligence strategy should look like, from developing a true whole-of-government CI campaign and strengthening public-private coordination to expanding local and state-level training and protecting critical AI, research, development, and intellectual property.
The episode ultimately focuses on a central question: Are we adequately organized, resourced, and synchronized to prevent the next major counterintelligence incident, or are we waiting for another incident to expose the gaps?
Drawing directly from the themes raised during the 21 July HPSCI hearing, this conversation explores the need to move beyond awareness and toward a coordinated, properly resourced counterintelligence enterprise capable of addressing the threats facing the United States today.

In this episode, Jeremy Clark and Shawn Michaud sit down with Hollie Noveletsky, a second-generation owner of Novel Ironworks, former U.S. Army Reserve nurse, and congressional candidate, for a wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of American manufacturing, national security, and economic statecraft.
Hollie shares her firsthand experience navigating federal trade cases and confronting the challenges facing America’s steel fabrication industry. She explains how China’s industrial policies, economic statecraft, and transshipment practices have contributed to the erosion of domestic manufacturing capacity and why the consequences extend far beyond the steel industry.
The conversation explores why a strong domestic steel and fabrication base is a national security imperative, particularly when it comes to critical infrastructure, defense, and resilient supply chains. Hollie discusses the importance of Buy American policies, reshoring manufacturing, and building supply chains that are less vulnerable to foreign influence and disruption.
This episode offers a firsthand perspective on what is at stake when America loses the ability to make critical products at home and what it will take to rebuild a resilient, competitive, and secure industrial base.

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.
Originally aired in August 2025

In this episode, join the IXN Team for a fireside discussion on the vital role of the counterintelligence covering agent program. Tune in as they share gripping stories, insider insights, and expert perspectives on how these programs protect equities, outsmart adversaries, and strengthen security in an ever-evolving threat landscape.
This episode originally aired in March 2025.