"I used to struggle with imposter syndrome, but at age thirty six I refuse to internalize misguided patriarchal ideas of what a woman can or should be. I am tired of feeling like I'm supposed to apologize for the space I occupied rather than intoxicate people with my effort, my brilliance. I am proud of me, full stop."

Is this a quote from a self-help workshop in a "safe space" on a university campus?

No, it's taken from a recent CIA recruitment ad.

What's going on here? What kind of people does the CIA want to recruit?

American national security agencies are charged with protecting the United States and its citizens from foreign threats to our safety and liberties. But it seems that "national security" is no longer just about threats to our freedom from external enemies.

Our national security agencies have been drifting leftward for decades and have become increasingly "woke" and hostile to political adversaries.

Recently former CIA Chief John Brennan declared that political libertarians in America should now be considered domestic terror threats.

How did this happen?

Where do we go from here?

For some answers and to explore these troubling trends are my guests, Fred Fleitz, the President and CEO of the Center for Security Policy, and Dr. Michael Waller, the Senior Analyst for Strategy at the Center for Security Policy.

Social Justice recruiting must not be the mission of the CIA. As Fred puts it, "the CIA does serious work. CIA officers handle extremely classified information, and if used well lives can be saved. If it is misused, people die."

External enemies still abound and it's clear that they now include China. I asked Mike whether we should also worry about the Chinese penetrating our Agencies?

His answer:

"Absolutely."

To learn how this could be happening, join me in this wide ranging and disturbing examination of America's national security establishment.

Episode 135: "A Woke CIA is a Broke CIA" with Fred Fleitz and Mike Waller

The Bill Walton Show

Episode 135: "A Woke CIA is a Broke CIA" with Fred Fleitz and Mike Waller