The "How Does a CIA Analyst Work?" Edition

This season on Working, we’re speaking to individuals employed in fields potentially imperiled by the Trump presidency. These are the stories of people doing difficult but important jobs—jobs that may get much more difficult and much more important in the years ahead.

Since his election, Trump has been dismissive of the intelligence community, reportedly neglecting briefings and sometimes even insulting the efforts of its members. We wanted to understand what it means to actually work in that secretive world. And while we couldn’t, for obvious reasons, get an active intelligence officer to talk to us, we did score the next best thing. Our guest this week is Aki Peritz, who worked as an intelligence analyst for the C.I.A., focusing for much of his time there on counterterrorism. He talks to Jacob Brogan about what that job actually involved, and about the importance of getting things right. He also tells us about everything from office culture at the CIA to the burden of secrecy. And, of course, he shares some thoughts about Trump.

Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Peritz tells us about Hunted, the reality TV show that he’s working on now. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Email: working@slate.com
Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan