Ex-Spies Running for Office Toss Deep State's Hat in the Ring

The Democratic Party’s recruitment of former military personnel this cycle to run for office in red and purple states has been well documented. But another political trend — one potentially much more controversial — has gone largely unnoticed: Former intelligence officials are tossing their collective hats into the ring in unprecedented numbers.

Long gone are the days when retired intelligence operatives lived out their lives in the shadows like characters in a John le Carre espionage novel. Today, they openly advertise the skills they acquired while working for alphabet agencies inside the Beltway.