Newt’s World, Episode 964: Congressman Rick Crawford on Counterintelligence Reform
Date: April 9, 2026
Host: Newt Gingrich
Guest: Rep. Rick Crawford, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Episode Overview

This episode of Newt’s World features a deep-dive conversation between Newt Gingrich and Congressman Rick Crawford on the urgent need for counterintelligence (CI) reform in the United States. Against the backdrop of both historic achievements (the Artemis 2 moon mission) and significant geopolitical challenges (President Trump's recent speech on Iran), the discussion explores how the modern intelligence landscape, shaped by cyber threats, foreign espionage, and institutional fragmentation, demands new strategies and a reinvigorated national approach. The episode also examines the growing homeland security needs, especially funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the real-world implications of legislative gridlock.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening Reflections: Two Historic Events

• Artemis 2 Moon Mission: Gingrich highlights the significance of the Artemis 2 launch, the furthest manned trip in history, symbolizing a new era in American ambition and technological leadership.
• President Trump’s Iran Speech: Gingrich calls Trump's address “one of the most important speeches of President Trump's career” (01:27), particularly for its assertive stance on preventing a nuclear-armed Iran and shifting more global security burden to U.S. allies.

The Case for Counterintelligence Reform

Threat Landscape Today: A Contested Homeland

• Rep. Crawford details recent incidents—a Chinese national photographing Whiteman AFB, an IED plot at MacDill AFB, and a telecom disruption attempt during the UN General Assembly—to demonstrate adversaries' activity on U.S. soil (07:28).

  • Quote:
    “Our open society has allowed these bad actors—primarily China, Russia, Iran... North Korea, Cuba has been doing this for years... These threats are pervasive... we're probably in our weakest position from a counterintelligence perspective than we've been since the Cold War.” – Rep. Crawford (08:10)

• Crawford argues that the U.S. must recognize "our homeland is now a contested space”—not just a potential target, but an active battlefield for foreign intelligence operations (09:04).

Evolving Cyber Threats

• The rise of cyber espionage is a central challenge:
  • APT41, a Chinese government project, has siphoned off “trillions in intellectual property theft” (10:13).
  • The FBI estimates that theft from counterfeit goods, pirated software, and trade secrets costs the U.S. economy $225–600 billion/year (11:53).
  • Quote:
    “We’re really good at cyber defense—and, quite frankly, we’re really good at cyber offense—but it’s a question of authorities and willingness to use that technology...” – Rep. Crawford (11:39)

Private Sector & Whole-of-Society Approach

• Unlike China, where the state controls the economy, the U.S. cannot compel private industry to act.
• Crawford advocates for proactive public-private partnerships and state-level CI strategies, emphasizing the need for upstream/downstream reporting and engagement from every state (12:20).
  • Quote:
    “Our whole of government approach... is inadequate to match China, because China’s whole-of-society is bearing down on us... The only way we’re going to be able to implement a whole-of-society approach is by being proactive and reaching out into the private sector.” – Rep. Crawford (12:35)

State-Level & Federal Coordination

Domain Awareness & National Guard Involvement

• Domain awareness at the local and state level is essential; locals can recognize suspicious activity more readily than federal agents.

• Crawford recommends leveraging military-trained National Guard units for CI, combining their skills with local knowledge (14:04).

  • Quote:
    “Our military could train our National Guard... so they can get the skill sets they need and combine that with the domain awareness that really lends itself to a more robust CI posture.” – Rep. Crawford (15:10)

• DHS Fusion Centers—federally funded, state-run collaborating hubs—should be fully utilized as nodes connecting federal, state, and local intelligence activities (15:48).

Change Over Time & The Need for Reform

Growing Threats and the SECURE Act

• Threats from China have evolved immensely over Rep. Crawford’s 8-year tenure on the Intelligence Committee, with dramatic increases in cyber attacks and the integration of AI into intelligence gathering and analysis (17:10).

• SECURE Act (Strategic Enhancement of Counterintelligence and Unifying Reform Efforts):

  • Seeks to better synchronize and augment the CI apparatus, which is currently fragmented across multiple federal agencies (18:40).
  • Would create a National Counterintelligence Center with real authority over CI activities and strategy, focusing on detection and mitigation—“getting left of boom.”
  • Emphasizes the key distinction between law enforcement (“assumes the best”) and counterintelligence (“assumes the worst”), and the different desired outcomes for each.
    • Quote:
      “Law enforcement wants to arrest people and prosecute them and throw them in jail. Counterintelligence is about detecting, disrupting, dismantling intelligence networks as they exist... It’s not always the same end state.” – Rep. Crawford (20:00)

• Advocates for leveraging military CI expertise and tasking the “best athlete for the problem set,” while ensuring appropriate roles for agencies like the FBI (22:17–24:52).

Iran: The Persistent Threat

• Gingrich and Crawford concur on the lasting, far-reaching threat from the Iranian regime, drawing on decades of confrontation (26:46–27:46).
  • Crawford emphasizes Iran’s asymmetric capabilities—both their network of proxies and their advances in ballistic missile delivery.
  • Quote:
    “They could deliver fissionable material—that is, a dirty bomb, a long-range delivery. And they could hit European targets, they could hit American targets in the region.” – Rep. Crawford (29:40)
  • Critique: European governments know the danger but are politically constrained from admitting it, instead relying on the U.S. for security (32:16–32:59).
  • Quote:
    “The Europeans would like to be innocent while getting all the goodies.” – Newt Gingrich (32:16)

DHS Funding & Homeland Security

• Crawford explains that failure to fully fund DHS puts the entire homeland at risk, not only through inconveniences like TSA delays but by weakening border defense, Secret Service operations, and FEMA disaster relief (33:58).
  • Quote:
    “We don’t have things like the Secret Service. These guys are not getting paid... It’s a big, big thing. And people don’t fully appreciate the breadth of the DHS.” – Rep. Crawford (34:24)
• Legislative wrangling over DHS funding, especially via reconciliation, is creating additional risks and uncertainty (35:27).
• Gingrich voices amazement at the House’s ability to function with such slim voting margins (37:16–38:14).

Memorable Quotes

• Newt Gingrich:
  “Our homeland is now a contested space.” (09:04, echoing Crawford)
• Rep. Rick Crawford:
  “We are probably in our weakest position from a counterintelligence perspective than we’ve been since the Cold War.” (08:10)
  “The only way we’re going to be able to implement a whole of society approach is by being proactive and reaching out into the private sector...” (12:35)
  “Law enforcement wants to arrest people... Counterintelligence is about detecting, disrupting, dismantling intelligence networks...” (20:00)
  “They could deliver fissionable material... a dirty bomb, a long-range delivery. And they could hit European targets, they could hit American targets in the region.” (29:40)
• Gingrich:
  “The Europeans would like to be innocent while getting all the goodies.” (32:16)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:38 Artemis 2 mission and Trump’s Iran speech overview
• 07:07 Crawford joins; urgency of counterintelligence reform
• 08:10 Recent examples of adversaries operating inside the US
• 10:13 China’s cyber theft and APT41
• 11:53 Economic cost of IP and trade secret theft
• 12:20 Whole-of-government vs. whole-of-society approaches (US vs. China)
• 14:04–15:48 State-level CI, domain awareness, and National Guard potential
• 16:57 How threats, especially from China, have evolved in 8 years
• 18:40 The SECURE Act: goals and structure
• 20:00 Law enforcement vs. counterintelligence—core differences
• 27:46 Iranian threat at home and abroad
• 33:58 Risks of DHS not being funded
• 37:16–38:23 Congressional challenges with narrow margins

Tone and Style

• The conversation is frank, practical, and laden with firsthand experience. Gingrich leans on his historian’s perspective, while Crawford blends military and committee knowledge, making the discussion accessible yet rich in detail.
• Both men share a sense of urgency and frustration with bureaucratic silos, legislative inertia, and the need for a culture of offense rather than complacency.

Conclusion

This episode offers a comprehensive look at the evolving landscape of counterintelligence threats facing the United States—from cyber theft to foreign agents operating inside American borders. Rep. Crawford makes the case for a major structural reform (SECURE Act) to better integrate military, law enforcement, intelligence, and private sector capabilities. The discussion underscores the importance of local domain awareness, fully funding DHS, and political will—while warning that America must adapt or risk falling further behind its adversaries.

End of summary.