Senior advisor @BrennanCenter | Author 'Dark Mirror' & 'Angler' | ex-Atlantic & Wash Post | Contact: bartongellman.com/contact
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Articles by Barton Gellman
What I Learned About Dick Cheney Original
In his final days at the White House, Dick Cheney proposed an epitaph. His, he suggested, had been “a consequential vice presidency.” It was an understatement, and characteristically oblique. Consequential might describe Lincoln or Lenin, Gandhi or Genghis Khan. Cheney was speaking of influence, and for once he acknowledged his own. He knew he had changed the nation’s course, and he professed to have no regrets. After all this time, I’m still not sure whether to believe that.
Dick Cheney, powerful vice president during war on terrorism, dies at 84
Former vice president Dick Cheney, who recast an understudy’s job into an engine of White House power, becoming chief architect of a post-9/11 war on terrorism that involved bypassing restrictions against torture and domestic espionage, died Nov. 3. He was 84. The cause was complications from pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, according to a statement from his family. They did not say where he died.
Dick Cheney, powerful vice president during war on terrorism, dies at 84
Dick Cheney, powerful vice president during war on terrorism, dies at 84 (washingtonpost.com) Dick Cheney, powerful vice president during war on terrorism, dies at 84 By Barton Gellman; Marc Fisher 2025110412021300 Former vice president Dick Cheney, who recast an understudy's job into an engine of White House power, becoming chief architect of a post-9/11 war on terrorism that involved bypassing restrictions against torture and domestic espionage, died Nov. 3. He was 84.
Opinion | Trump’s Stunning Attack on Mail-In Ballots Original
At first glance, President Trump’s Truth Social post alleging voting fraud did not look especially alarming — not, anyway, by this president’s singular standards. Mr. Trump’s long-debunked lies about stolen elections are no less malignant in 2025 than they were in 2020 and 2021, during his concerted effort to overturn his loss at the polls. Still, by now, persistent repetition has diminished the power of those lies to shock.
Opinion | Trump’s Stunning Attack on Mail-In Ballots Original
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Trump’s Stunning Attack on Mail-In Ballots Aug. 24, 2025, 11:20 a.m. ET Credit...Photo Illustration by Tam Stockton for The New York Times; source photograph by Sarah Rice for The New York Times Mr. Gellman is a senior adviser at the Brennan Center for Justice at N.Y.U. School of Law.
Opinion | Trump’s Stunning Power Grab on Elections
At first glance, President Trump’s Truth Social post alleging voting fraud did not look especially alarming — not, anyway, by this president’s singular standards. Mr. Trump’s long-debunked lies about stolen elections are no less malignant in 2025 than they were in 2020 and 2021, during his concerted effort to overturn his loss at the polls. Still, by now, persistent repetition has diminished the power of those lies to shock.
Your Vote Is Secure
This article was originally published by Time. As Nov. 5 approaches, former president Donald Trump has left little room for doubt about his intentions. He will almost certainly declare victory on election night, as the votes are still being counted. He may turn out to be right. But if Vice President Kamala Harris wins, Trump will reject the result as corrupt and launch a scorched-earth campaign to overturn it. This plot is so well telegraphed that it barely counts as a prediction.
Your Vote Is Safe
Credit - Illustration by Richard Mia for TIME As Nov. 5 approaches, former president Donald Trump has left little room for doubt about his intentions. He will almost certainly declare victory on election night, as the votes are still being counted. He may turn out to be right. But if Vice President Kamala Harris wins, Trump will reject the result as corrupt and launch a scorched-earth campaign to overturn it. This plot is so well telegraphed that it barely counts as a prediction.
How the U.S. Elections Will Be Protected From Interference
By Barton Gellman October 24, 2024 7:00 AM EDT As Nov. 5 approaches, former president Donald Trump has left little room for doubt about his intentions. He will almost certainly declare victory on election night, as the votes are still being counted. He may turn out to be right. But if Vice President Kamala Harris wins, Trump will reject the result as corrupt and launch a scorched-earth campaign to overturn it. This plot is so well telegraphed that it barely counts as a prediction.
How to Harden Our Defenses Against an Authoritarian President
This article first appeared in the Washington Post. It is late afternoon on Inauguration Day 2025. Protesters fill the downtowns of American cities, enraging the newly sworn president. Send in the military, he demands. Invoke the Insurrection Act. Federalize the National Guard in all 50 states. Tell the troops to use all the force they need to clear the streets.
Barton Gellman
Barton Gellman is Senior Advisor to the president and executive director of the Brennan Center. His focus is on building safeguards against threats to democracy in the 2024 election and in the presidential administration to come in 2025. Gellman came to the Brennan Center from The Atlantic, where he was an award-winning staff writer. He is the author most recently of Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State and the bestselling Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency.
How Trump Gets Away With It
If Donald Trump regains the presidency, he will once again become the chief law-enforcement officer of the United States. There may be no American leader less suited to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,” as the Constitution directs the president. But that authority comes with the office, including command of the Justice Department and the FBI. We know what Trump would like to do with that power, because he’s said so out loud. He is driven by self-interest and revenge, in that order.
Peter Thiel Is Taking a Break From Democracy
This article was featured in One Story to Read Today, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a single must-read from The Atlantic, Monday through Friday. Sign up for it here. It wasn’t clear at first why Peter Thiel agreed to talk to me. He is, famously, no friend of the media. But Thiel—co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, avatar of techno-libertarianism, bogeyman of the left—consented to a series of long interviews at his home and office in Los Angeles.
A Troubling Sign for the 2024 Presidential Election
Twilight offered welcome concealment when we met at the prearranged hour. “I really haven’t gone out anywhere” since well before the election, Bill Gates, the outgoing Republican chair of the Maricopa County board of supervisors, told me in mid-November. He’d agreed to meet for dinner at an outdoor restaurant in the affluent suburb of Scottsdale, Arizona, but when he arrived, he kept his head down and looked around furtively.
The Impeachment of Joe Biden
Sometime next year, after an interval of performative investigations, Republicans in the House are going to impeach Joe Biden. This may not be their present plan, but they will work themselves up to it by degrees. The pressure from the MAGA base will build. A triggering event will burst all restraints. Eventually, Republicans will leave themselves little choice.
The Impeachment of Joe Biden
Sometime next year, after an interval of performative investigations, Republicans in the House are going to impeach Joe Biden. This may not be their present plan, but they will work themselves up to it by degrees. The pressure from the MAGA base will build. A triggering event will burst all restraints. Eventually, Republicans will leave themselves little choice.
How Six States Could Overturn the 2024 Election
Late last month, in one of its final acts of the term, the Supreme Court queued up another potentially precedent-wrecking decision for next year. The Court’s agreement to hear Moore v. Harper, a North Carolina redistricting case, isn’t just bad news for efforts to control gerrymandering. The Court’s right-wing supermajority is poised to let state lawmakers overturn voters’ choice in presidential elections.
What Happened to Michael Flynn?
Michael Flynn faced the camera with brow creased and lips compressed. He hadn’t been born yesterday, his expression said. He was not going to fall for trick questions. “General Flynn, do you believe the violence on January 6 was justified?” Representative Liz Cheney asked him in a video teleconference deposition for the January 6 committee. Flynn’s lawyer pressed the mute button and switched off the camera. Ninety-six seconds passed. Flynn and the lawyer reappeared with a request for clarification.
Agenda - Disinformation Conference
This conference is made possible by the generous support of Bentivoglio Family Fund, The Joyce Foundation, and the Crankstart Foundation.
Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun
Robert A. Pape's three-bedroom house, half an hour’s drive south of Chicago, became the pandemic headquarters of a virtual group of seven research professionals, supported by two dozen University of Chicago undergraduates. The CPOST researchers gathered court documents, public records, and news reports to compile a group profile of the insurgents.
TRUMP’S NEXT COUP HAS ALREADY BEGUN
January 6 was practice. Donald Trump’s GOP is much better positioned to subvert the next election. By Barton Gellman DECEMBER 6, 2021 Updated at 3:21 p.m. ET on December 9, 2021. Technically, the next attempt to overthrow a national election may not qualify as a coup. It will rely on subversion more than violence, although each will have its place. If the plot succeeds, the ballots cast by American voters will not decide the presidency in 2024.
The Lawfare Podcast: Bart Gellman on Trump's Next Coup
Published by The Lawfare Institute in Cooperation With Barton Gellman is a long-time national security reporter for the Washington Post, for The Atlantic and elsewhere.
Here’s what to read from the left and the right
We live in a partisan age, and our news habits can reinforce our own perspectives. Consider this an effort to broaden our collective outlook with essays beyond the range of our typical selections. FROM THE LEFT From “Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun,” by Barton Gellman in The Atlantic. The context, from the author: Jan. 6 was practice. Donald Trump’s GOP is much better positioned to subvert the next election.
Trump's Next Coup Has Already Begun
Technically, the next attempt to overthrow a national election may not qualify as a coup. It will rely on subversion more than violence, although each will have its place. If the plot succeeds, the ballots cast by American voters will not decide the presidency in 2024. Thousands of votes will be thrown away, or millions, to produce the required effect. The winner will be declared the loser. The loser will be certified president-elect. Read Full Article »
January 6 Was Practice
Technically, the next attempt to overthrow a national election may not qualify as a coup. It will rely on subversion more than violence, although each will have its place. If the plot succeeds, the ballots cast by American voters will not decide the presidency in 2024. Thousands of votes will be thrown away, or millions, to produce the required effect. The winner will be declared the loser. The loser will be certified president-elect. The prospect of this democratic collapse is not remote.
How Donald Trump Could Subvert the 2024 Election
Updated at 3:21 p.m. ET on December 9, 2021. Technically, the next attempt to overthrow a national election may not qualify as a coup. It will rely on subversion more than violence, although each will have its place. If the plot succeeds, the ballots cast by American voters will not decide the presidency in 2024. Thousands of votes will be thrown away, or millions, to produce the required effect. The winner will be declared the loser. The loser will be certified president-elect.
America's Second-Worst Scenario
The next time an insurgent mob arrives to sack the Capitol, if one happens to try between now and Inauguration Day, mere strength of numbers will not overwhelm the defenses. In the 10 days since the January 6 assault on Congress, the Secret Service has overseen the establishment of an instant “green zone,” fortified by eight-foot steel barriers and patrolled by some 20,000 National Guardsmen.
America’s Second-Worst Scenario
The next time an insurgent mob arrives to sack the Capitol, if one happens to try between now and Inauguration Day, mere strength of numbers will not overwhelm the defenses. In the 10 days since the January 6 assault on Congress, the Secret Service has overseen the establishment of an instant “green zone,” fortified by eight-foot steel barriers and patrolled by some 20,000 National Guardsmen.
How Close Did the U.S. Come to a Successful Coup?
Updated at 7:18 p.m. ET on January 17, 2021. The next time an insurgent mob arrives to sack the Capitol, if one happens to try between now and Inauguration Day, mere strength of numbers will not overwhelm the defenses. In the 10 days since the January 6 assault on Congress, the Secret Service has overseen the establishment of an instant “green zone,” fortified by eight-foot steel barriers and patrolled by some 20,000 National Guardsmen.
America's second-worst scenario - HotAir
Here is the nub of our predicament. Donald Trump attempted democracide, and he had help. The victim survived but suffered grievous wounds. American democracy now faces a long convalescence in an environment of ongoing attacks. Trump has not exhausted his malignant powers, and co-conspirators remain at large. I do not mean to be taken figuratively. The president of the United States lost an election and really did try with all his might to keep the winner from replacing him.
Mitch McConnell's Power Over Republican Senators Original
Trump’s staying power—politically, if not in office—is certainly the main factor complicating McConnell’s hold on his conference now. Republicans like Hawley and Cruz have presidential ambitions in 2024 and are making a blatant play for the president’s base in the hope that Trump loyalists will remember their fight in the years ahead.
How Trump Could Attempt a Coup
A wretched presidential campaign has played out at last, but Election Day is not how this story ends. Unable to overtake his opponent in the polls, Donald Trump decided months ago to run against the election itself. That race does not conclude when the ballots are counted. Trump has raged against fictional plots to steal his victory, maligning routine procedures such as voting by mail and counting ballots until there are no more to count. His rage will not diminish if he is defeated.
Versailles on Madison
You may have felt, at times, that objects possess a spirit of their own. From your child’s stuffed animal to your grandfather’s cane, certain possessions accrete a life force. Which is to say that if you have ever walked up Madison Avenue between 63rd and 64th, on the east side of that block, and felt as though you were being watched from one of the many store windows, it is likely because you were.
Letter to the editor: What the Republican Party believes
You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service. We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information. While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective.
L’élection qui pourrait démolir les États-Unis. Comment D. Trump et le Parti républicain pourraient s’emparer du vote (à la Présidentielle) - Presse-toi à gauche !
democracynow.org, 25 septembre 2020 Entrevue avec le journaliste de The Atlantic, Barton Gellman Traduction et organisation du texte : Alexandra Cyr Introduction Alors que le Président Trump refuse de s’engager à respecter le résultat de l’élection présidentielle, nous interviewons le journaliste Barton Gellman de la revue The Atlantic et gagnant d’un prix Pulitzer, à propos de son article portant sur les manigances que le Président pourrait utiliser afin de manipuler les résultats de...
Carnegie Connects: Will Democracy Survive November 3?
For the first time in U.S. history, a sitting president has repeatedly and publicly declared he may not accept the election results. The Department of Justice plans to set up a command center to monitor potential election related violence. The country is deeply polarized and in the midst of a deadly pandemic; and an unprecedented number of Americans will cast their ballots via the mail, not in person. How severe is the danger to our electoral system and to the legitimacy of the results?
Letter to the editor: Election cheating underway
You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service. We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information. While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective.
November 2020 Issue
Bryan Derballa / The New York Times / Redux Bruce Springsteen and the Art of Aging Well David Brooks What the happiest Springsteen album in decades can teach us about Joe Biden, the wisdom of maturity, and the meaning of life I recently saw a photo of Lyndon B. Johnson in the first year of his presidency. He looked like a classic old guy—wrinkled, mature, in the late season of life. It was a shock to learn that he was only 55 at the time, roughly the same age as Chris Rock is now.
How to Preserve American Elections
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump refused to promise a peaceful transfer of power should Joe Biden win the election, telling reporters, “We’re going to have to see what happens,” and, “You know that I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster.” He added, “Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very peaceful—there won’t be a transfer, frankly.
Trump just can’t keep a secret - especially when it comes to his plans to stage a coup
Donald Trump is escalating. Wednesday afternoon, under questioning by Brian Karem of Playboy, Trump offered what the mainstream news outlets are calling a “failure to commit” to a “peaceful transfer of power.” One might also call it “threatening a coup”.
A Worse Outcome Than Trump Denying the Results
There is a cohort of close observers of our presidential elections, scholars and lawyers and political strategists, who find themselves in the uneasy position of intelligence analysts in the months before 9/11. As November 3 approaches, their screens are blinking red, alight with warnings that the political system does not know how to absorb. They see the obvious signs that we all see, but they also know subtle things that most of us do not.
The Election That Could Break America
There is a cohort of close observers of our presidential elections, scholars and lawyers and political strategists, who find themselves in the uneasy position of intelligence analysts in the months before 9/11. As November 3 approaches, their screens are blinking red, alight with warnings that the political system does not know how to absorb. They see the obvious signs that we all see, but they also know subtle things that most of us do not.
Barton Gellman, David Ignatius and Thomas Rid Live Q&A
Date and Location When: Sunday, September 27, 2020 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT Add to calendar This presentation will premiere online with captioning as part of the National Book Festival. Where: National Book Festival - Understanding Our World Part of National Book Festival; 2020 National Book Festival Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov. Join Barton Gellman, David Ignatius and Thomas Rid for a Live Q&A session.
The Election That Could Break America
The Election That Could Break America
The Election That Could Break America
If the vote is close, Donald Trump could easily throw the election into chaos and subvert the result. Who will stop him? This article was published online on September 23, 2020. There is a cohort of close observers of our presidential elections, scholars and lawyers and political strategists, who find themselves in the uneasy position of intelligence analysts in the months before 9/11.
June 2020 Issue
JPL / Cornell / NASA Mars Is a Hellhole Shannon Stirone Colonizing the red planet is a ridiculous way to help humanity. There’s no place like home—unless you’re Elon Musk. A prototype of SpaceX’s Starship, which may someday send humans to Mars, is, according to Musk, likely to launch soon, possibly within the coming days. But what motivates Musk? Why bother with Mars? A video clip from an interview Musk gave in 2019 seems to sum up Musk’s vision—and everything that’s wrong with it.
The Lawfare Podcast: Bart Gellman on 'Dark Mirror'
Published by The Lawfare Institute in Cooperation With Journalist Bart Gellman is the author of the new book, "Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State." Jack Goldsmith sat down with Gellman to discuss the book. They spoke about Gellman's reporting on the Snowden affair, the scope of the National Security Agency's surveillance capabilities and press freedom as it relates to national security reporting.
Inside the NSA's Secret Tool for Mapping Your Social Network
Edward Snowden revealed the agency's phone-record tracking program. But thanks to "precomputed contact chaining," that database was much more powerful than anyone knew. In the summer of 2013, I spent my days sifting through the most extensive archive of top-secret files that had ever reached the hands of an American journalist.
Dark Mirror
From the three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the New York Times best seller Angler, who unearthed the deepest secrets of Edward Snowden's NSA archive, the first master narrative of the surveillance state that emerged after 9/11 and why it matters, based on scores of hours of conversation with Snowden and groundbreaking reportage in Washington, London, Moscow, and Silicon Valley.
Operation Firstfruits
Where is the line between journalism and espionage? And what happens when your own government thinks you've crossed it? “WHAT TIME EXACTLY DOES YOUR CLOCK SAY?” asked the voice on the telephone, the first words Edward Snowden ever spoke to me aloud. (Our previous communications had all been via secure text chats over encrypted anonymous links on secret servers.) I glanced at my wrist—3:22 p.m. “Good. Meet me exactly at four.
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