The Object of McMaster’s Obsession

Mike Cernovich tries to walk the line between journalist and activist. Can he have it both ways?

By , executive editor for news at Foreign Policy from 2017-2018.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel greets US President Donald Trump  prior to the start of the first working session of the G20 meeting in Hamburg, northern Germany, on July 7.
Leaders of the world's top economies will gather from July 7 to 8, 2017 in Germany for likely the stormiest G20 summit in years, with disagreements ranging from wars to climate change and global trade. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / IAN LANGSDON        (Photo credit should read IAN LANGSDON/AFP/Getty Images)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel greets US President Donald Trump prior to the start of the first working session of the G20 meeting in Hamburg, northern Germany, on July 7. Leaders of the world's top economies will gather from July 7 to 8, 2017 in Germany for likely the stormiest G20 summit in years, with disagreements ranging from wars to climate change and global trade. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / IAN LANGSDON (Photo credit should read IAN LANGSDON/AFP/Getty Images)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel greets US President Donald Trump prior to the start of the first working session of the G20 meeting in Hamburg, northern Germany, on July 7. Leaders of the world's top economies will gather from July 7 to 8, 2017 in Germany for likely the stormiest G20 summit in years, with disagreements ranging from wars to climate change and global trade. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / IAN LANGSDON (Photo credit should read IAN LANGSDON/AFP/Getty Images)

On this week’s first episode of The E.R., FP’s executive editor for news Sharon Weinberger is joined by Elias Groll and Jana Winter, co-authors of the FP exclusive “Here’s the Memo That Blew Up the NSC.” The memo, attributed to now-former NSC staffer Rich Higgins, is a seven-page polemic detailing a vast conspiracy to sideline the Trump White House. A source says the controversy over the memo erupted within the National Security Council when National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster became suspicious of NSC staff he suspected of leaking information to pro-Trump blogger Mike Cernovich.

On this week’s first episode of The E.R., FP’s executive editor for news Sharon Weinberger is joined by Elias Groll and Jana Winter, co-authors of the FP exclusive “Here’s the Memo That Blew Up the NSC.” The memo, attributed to now-former NSC staffer Rich Higgins, is a seven-page polemic detailing a vast conspiracy to sideline the Trump White House. A source says the controversy over the memo erupted within the National Security Council when National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster became suspicious of NSC staff he suspected of leaking information to pro-Trump blogger Mike Cernovich.

Cernovich himself joins the panel to discuss his reaction to the story and his motivations for attacking McMaster.

Critics call Cernovich a vocal promoter of the alt-right, an association he now disavows. But he has made no secret of his displeasure with McMaster, including launching a website soliciting leaks casting the national security advisor in a negative light. But can Cernovich call himself a journalist while actively advocating for McMaster’s dismissal?

Mike Cernovich is a national security reporter, lawyer, and documentary filmmaker. Follow him on Twitter: @Cernovich.

Elias Groll is a staff writer at Foreign Policy, covering cyberspace and its conflicts and controversies. Follow him on Twitter: @EliasGroll.

Jana Winter is an investigative reporter based in Washington DC. She worked previously as a national security reporter at The Intercept and breaking news/investigative reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow her on Twitter: @janawinter

Sharon Weinberger is FP’s executive editor for news. She is the author of The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the WorldFollow her on Twitter: @weinbergersa.

Tune in, now three times a week, to FP’s The E.R.

Subscribe to The E.R. and Global Thinkers podcasts on iTunes

More from Foreign Policy

Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.
Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.

Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak

Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.

Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.
Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage

The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.

A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.
A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.

The West’s False Choice in Ukraine

The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.

Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi
Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi

The Masterminds

Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.