Carrie Cordero

Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow and General Counsel

Research Areas

Carrie Cordero is Robert M. Gates senior fellow and general counsel at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). In her research capacity, she leads the CNAS Securing U.S. Democracy Initiative, which focuses on homeland security, the intelligence community, surveillance, cybersecurity, and rule of law issues. She has testified before the United States Congress on homeland security, surveillance law, and foreign influence on democratic institutions. Her writing has appeared across national publications and platforms, including at The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN.com, Politico, USA Today, Defense One, Lawfare, and Just Security, among others.

As general counsel, Cordero provides legal advice and counsel to the CNAS executive team and staff, including on matters of compliance, cybersecurity, privacy, contracts, grants, ethics, employment and all other aspects of managing an independent nonprofit organization conducting national security, foreign policy and defense policy research, and its associated fundraising activities. She also serves as secretary to the Board of Directors.

Outside CNAS, Cordero has been a CNN legal and national security analyst since 2017. She is also a member of the board of advisors of the Tech, Law & Security Program at American University’s Washington College of Law and the Advisory Committee of the ABA’s Standing Committee on Law and National Security. From March 2022–January 20, 2025, Cordero was a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Cordero spent the first part of her career in public service, including as counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security; senior associate general counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and attorney advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice, during which time she handled critical counterterrorism and counterintelligence investigations and appeared frequently before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. At the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, she worked extensively on developing policies, procedures, and processes relating to oversight, compliance, and protection of privacy and civil liberties in the context of government national security investigations and intelligence activities. She also served as a special assistant United States attorney. After leaving government service, Cordero was the director of national security studies at Georgetown Law, where she also served as adjunct professor of law from 2010 to 2020. She was also in private practice, handling matters related to surveillance, law enforcement response, security, and privacy.

Cordero earned her JD, cum laude, from Washington College of Law, American University, and her BA, magna cum laude, from Barnard College, Columbia University.

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Reports
- January 20, 2025
The First 100 Days
By Richard Fontaine, Geoffrey Gertz, Emily Kilcrease, Janet Egan, Paul Scharre, Vivek Chilukuri, Sam Howell, Constanza M. Vidal Bustamante, Stacie Pettyjohn, Carlton Haelig, Becca Wasser, Josh Wallin, Jacob Stokes, Lisa Curtis, Katherine L. Kuzminski, Carrie Cordero, Jonathan Lord & Jim Townsend
Commentary
- January 20, 2025
Coordinate the Interagency to Counter Malign Foreign Influence
By Carrie Cordero
Video
- January 16, 2025
The Clock Is Ticking on TikTok with Potential Ban Coming This Weekend
By Carrie Cordero
Events
- January 14, 2025
Make Room Study Session | The Next Phase of America’s Leadership Transition
By Carrie Cordero & Jacob Ware
Podcast
- December 9, 2024
The Legal Battle Over the TikTok Ban, Explained
By Carrie Cordero