Nada Bakos

She graduated from high school with a class of nine students. She attended Montana State University from 1987 through 1991 and transferred to the University of Utah to finish her B.S. in international economics. == CIA career ==

In 2000, at the age of 30, Bakos joined the CIA as an analyst in the Counterterrorism Center. At this point, she met Gina Bennet, who had been analyzing al Qaeda for 20 years and was tracking bin Laden. Bakos' role at this time is portrayed in the PBS Frontline episode, The Secret History of ISIS, as well as the Emmy Award-winning HBO documentary, Manhunt: The Search for Bin Laden.She was part of the team of CIA analysts studying the relationship between Iraq, al Qaeda, bin Laden, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It is the role that inspired Bakos' book, The Targeter: My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House. She chronicles her time as part of the CIA's analytic team studying Iraq before and during the Iraq invasion. The Targeter describes conflicts with the White House when their analysis faces push back, Iraq war zones, the inner workings of the CIA, the world of the intelligence community following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, working with US Special Operations Forces while tracking Zarqawi and other terrorists, and Bakos' personal view of female government leadership as well as what problems women face in male dominated career fields. == Post-CIA career ==

After 10 years at the agency, Bakos made the decision to leave. In addition, she has been a commentator and resource for CNN, ABC, FOX, MSNBC, BBC, CBC, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and a number of other international and national media organizations. She is also a senior fellow in the Program on National Security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. In the lawsuit, she argues that the CIA is infringing on her First Amendment right to publish unclassified information. CIA employees are required to submit their work for approval by the agency for the rest of their lives, however, by law, there is supposed to be a response provided within 30 days of submission. It was in fact revealed the laptop contained no evidence of Russian disinformation, and portions of its contents have been verified as authentic. On January 20, 2025, Nada lost all of her federal security clearances through an executive action issued by President Trump. == Published works ==

• The Targeter: My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House. Little Brown and Company. 2019. . == Awards ==

• 2018 Templeton Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute == In popular culture ==

• Instinct, TV series (2018–present) – Bakos was a technical consultant • PBS Frontline: The Secret History of ISIS (Season 34, Episode 10) – Bakos portrays herself • Manhunt: The Search for Bin Laden (2013) – Bakos portrays herself == References ==