Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have uncovered a an email between a Georgia Institute of Technology researcher and intelligence agency employees suggesting a government plan to spend resources investigating aspects of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) networks.
In response, the senators have drafted a letter to the head of the agency, Dr. Stephanie Tompkins. She leads the secretiveDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
A DARPA employee referred to the project as “sensitive stuff . . . worth doing.” Further, senators say the email appears to suggest that this examination was to be conducted without notifying Democrat or Republican party leaders in advance. It's unclear what, specifically, the project would entail. But the email suggests the government officials thought foreign adversaries might want to infiltrate the political party networks and so it warranted DARPA inserting itself into the equation.
“This email exchange raises questions about the work of the [Enhanced Attribution] program and government employees responsible for it,” the senators wrote in their letter to DARPA Director Tompkins.
This letter follows the senators’ April 28, 2022 letter to DARPA about its reported collaboration with Georgia Tech related to the 2016 DNC server hack attribution.
DARPA has failed to fully respond to this inquiry, according to the senators.
On May 12, 2023, Special Counsel John Durham referred to two DARPA-related matters to the Defense Department Inspector General and the Defense Intelligence Agency for further review – one involving a Georgia Tech contract and one involving “irregular conduct in 2016 of two former employees of the Department of Defense.”
The full letter can be found here and is also pasted below.
August 9, 2023
VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION
Dr. Stefanie Tompkins
Director
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 675 North Randolph Street
Arlington, VA 22203
Dear Dr. Tompkins:
On April 28, 2022, we wrote to you requesting records related to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and work related to the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).1 In September 2022, DARPA sent a response but failed to provide email communications and subsequently failed to make available relevant DARPA employees connected to the Enhanced Attribution (EA) program for interviews.2 On May 12, 2023, Special Counsel John Durham referred two matters to the Department of Defense Inspector General and the Defense Intelligence Agency, including “[o]ne matter involv[ing] the execution of a contract between DARPA and the Georgia Institute of Technology...” and a “separate matter involv[ing] the irregular conduct in 2016 of two former employees of the Department of Defense.”3 As part of our continued oversight of DARPA’s taxpayer-funded work with Georgia Tech, we have uncovered an email suggesting DARPA signed off on a project related to the Republican National Committee (RNC) and DNC networks.4
In a September 25, 2020, email between Georgia Tech’s Dr. Manos Antonakakis, who worked on DARPA’s EA program, and DARPA employees, with the subject “RNC and DNC Related networks,” Dr. Antonakakis appears to request DARPA sign off on the research to examine networks related to the RNC and DNC.5 Further, Dr. Antonakakis’ email appears to
1 Letter from Ron Johnson, Ranking Member, Permanent Subcomm. on Investigations and Charles E. Grassley, Ranking Member, Committee on Judiciary, to Stefanie Tompkins, Director, Defense Advanced Research Project, Apr. 28, 2022.
2 Letter from Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, U.S. Department of Defense to Ron Johnson, Ranking Member, Perm. Subcommittee on Investigations and Charles E. Grassley, Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary. Sept. 25, 2022. (On file with the Committees); Email between Committee Staff for Sen. Johnson and Sen. Grassley and DARPA staff. Feb. 7, 2023.
3 Report on Matters Related to Intelligence Activities and Investigations Arising Out of the 2016 Presidential Campaigns, Special Counsel John H. Durham, May 12, 2023, https://www.justice.gov/storage/durhamreport.pdf at 45.
4 Email from Manos Antonakakis to DARPA, Sept. 25, 2020 (on file with staff).
5 Id.; Jerry Dunleavy, Durham related emails prompt DARPA to deny involvement in attributing 2016 DNC hack to Russia, Wash. Examiner, Mar. 14, 2022, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/durham-relatedemails- prompt-darpa-to-deny-involvement-in-attributing-2016-dnc-hack-to-russia.
Dr. Stefanie Tompkins August 9, 2023
Page 2
suggest that this examination was to be conducted without the prior knowledge of the RNC or DNC.6 Dr. Antonakakis wrote:
Folks, last night as I was thinking what we can study, I also realized that we do not know much about the RNC and DNC networks out there. Wrote a job that run [sic] over night and I know [sic] have 292 *hand verified* at this point networks that are linked with RNC, DNC, and all local/state committee networks around the US. An adversary would find those networks interesting for a number of reasons. So, I think we should run a reverse Pythia and see what we can see.
If you approve this, [DARPA employee], I would like from you to think how we will break any bad news to these people? If you cannot think of a clear and clean way to inform them (is this DHS’s role or FBI’s or USCC’s?), perhaps we should let them remain infected.
Thanks, Manos7
On the same day the DARPA employee responded to Dr. Antonakakis:
“Sensitive stuff but yes, I know who to talk to if we find anything. Worth doing.”8 Dr. Antonakakis responded to the DARPA employee:
“OK, then. I will work with these networks and see what I can come up with.”9
This email exchange raises questions about the work of the EA program and government employees responsible for it. We request that you respond to our April 2022 document demands for email communications and interview requests. In addition, please provide the following information:
1. Did Dr. Antonakakis conduct any work related to RNC and DNC networks?
- If yes, did DARPA inform the RNC and DNC of this work? If not, why not?
- Was this work conducted as part of the EA program? If not, what program wasthis work conducted under?
- Did DARPA employees discuss this work with other agencies? Please list theagency and when those discussions occurred.
- On September 25, 2020, a DARPA employee wrote, “I know who to talk to if wefind anything.” Did this DARPA employee talk to any individual outside DARPA related to the RNC and DNC work? If so, who, when and what was discussed?
6 Email from Manos Antonakakis to DARPA, Sept. 25, 2020 (on file with staff). 7 Id.
8 Id. Emphasis added.
9 Id. Emphasis added.
Dr. Stefanie Tompkins August 9, 2023
Page 3
- Please provide all records10 related to all work DARPA and Georgia Tech conducted related to the RNC or DNC, including but not limited to, all records related to the project Dr. Antonakakis proposed in his September 25, 2020, email.
- What actions has DARPA taken related to Special Counsel Durham’s December 14, 2022, referral connected to the Georgia Institute of Technology and the separate matter relating to “irregular conduct” by former Department of Defense officials?11
- Is DARPA fully cooperating with the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) related to Special Counsel Durham’s December 14, 2022 referral? Please explain in detail.
a. Has DoD OIG requested that DARPA provide the DoD OIG all records connected to DARPA and Georgia Tech? If so, has DARPA provided those records to DoD OIG? If not, why not?
- What other networks did DARPA approve Dr. Antonakakis to examine as part of the EA program? Please list those networks and provide all records related to those projects.
- Please provide all records referring or relating to the EA program, including but not limited to, all communications with Dr. Antonakakis.Thank you for your attention to this request. We request you respond to this letter no later than August 23, 2023.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley Ranking Member Committee on the Budget
10 “Records” include any written, recorded, or graphic material of any kind, including letters, memoranda, reports, notes, electronic data (e-mails, email attachments, and any other electronically-created or stored information), calendar entries, inter-office communications, meeting minutes, phone/voice mail or recordings/records of verbal communications, and drafts (whether or not they resulted in final documents).
11 Report on Matters Related to Intelligence Activities and Investigations Arising Out of the 2016 Presidential Campaigns, Special Counsel John H. Durham, May 12, 2023, https://www.justice.gov/storage/durhamreport.pdf at 45.
Ron Johnson
Ranking Member
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
Dr. Stefanie Tompkins August 9, 2023
Page 4
cc: The Honorable Richard Blumenthal Chairman
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
The Honorable Sheldon Whitehouse Chairman
Committee on the Budget
The Honorable Robert P. Storch Inspector General
Department of Defense
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This is the stuff that makes the hair on your neck stand up. Top secret, black budget agencies involved in investigating political parties private networks. While I absolutely believe that all political parties have too much power and control over our government, I have to wonder what thinking places the investigative role in the hands of DARPA.
It seems as if Georgia Tech keeps popping up as being involved in all sorts of seedy intelligence operations.