NYCDogs4Trump

3. The interest in SSCI ebbs and flows. But it should be actively watched, *especially* when nobody seems to care. That's when it's hard and boring and sometimes days go by without anything happening. But that's when it's most important.

4. By "actively watching," I don't mean requisite phone calls or big hearings. Pompeo, Brennan, Comey, Stewart, Clapper, or Rogers show/ed up All. The. Time. No fanfare. No cameras. If you're not here in person, you wouldn't know. It's important to see that and ask questions.

5. Respecting and understanding the system has made me better at covering it. By and large, I’ve found SSCI staff to be wicked smart, experienced people who don’t want to lose their clearances. When you make an effort to understand that, it makes you a better reporter (and human)

6. The partisanship of the committee goes in waves. It's good to keep track of that, communicate it and hold them to account about it. Politics and intelligence have historically not mixed well. Neither has its oversight.

7. On that note, be cognizant when you're reading stuff you suspect is leaking from the Hill, regardless of committee. Be able to separate politics from the facts. The number of people fully read into some of this sensitive stuff is infinitesimally small.

8. Even *MORE* important, I've learned to spot the difference between political reporting about intelligence stuff, and intelligence reporting. They're both super important. They're also different. This is especially important on the Russia story.

9. SSCI is a repository for almost every secret program and covert action you can imagine (and those you can't). Russia is far from their only responsibility. They have to oversee more than 17 (17!) IC components. There's way more to SSCI than Russia. That should be covered, too.

10. On Russia and the Hill: There are so many people that know pieces of this Russia story that it's easy to get multiple sources telling you the same wrong (or half-true) info that they totally believe is true. You know reporters are trustworthy when they correct their mistakes.