Michael German is a retired American
FBI agent
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
, scholar, and writer. He is a fellow in the
Brennan Center for Justice
The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is a nonprofit law and public policy institute. The organization is named after Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Generally considered liberal, the Brennan Ce ...
's Liberty and National Security program.
Life
During his 16-year career as a Special Agent in the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
, German spent many months undercover, first among
white supremacist
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...
s and then among right-wing
militants. German left the FBI in 2004 as a whistleblower, alleging misconduct and mismanagement in counterterrorism cases. German reported this mismanagement to Congress.
His 2008 book, ''Thinking Like a Terrorist: Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent'', was about his experiences as a special agent. He spent seven years as a Senior Policy Counsel at the
ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". ...
’s Washington Legislative Office, working on issues relating to national security policies and civil rights. German joined writer and director Daniel Ragussis in creating the screenplay for ''
Imperium
In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic ...
'', starring
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. He rose to fame at age twelve, when he began portraying Harry Potter in the film series of the same name; and has held various other film and theatre roles. Over his career, Rad ...
as an undercover FBI Special Agent under an FBI case agent played by
Toni Collette
Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, inclu ...
.
His work has appeared in the ''Guardian'', ''Time'', ''The Cipher Brief'', and ''Defence One''.
Works
*''Thinking Like a Terrorist: Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent,'' University of Nebraska Press, 2008.
*''Disrupt, Discredit, and Divide: How the New FBI Damages Democracy,'' The New Press, 2019.
References
External links
*
Michael German on Religious Terrorism ''Amanpour & Co''. 04.29.2019
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents
Experts on terrorism
People in counterterrorism
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