Political scientists and foreign policy experts have used the term deep state for years to describe individuals and institutions who exercise power independent of—and sometimes over—civilian political leaders. Institutions such as the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, etc. are considered part of the Deep State. Presidents come and go but these powerful institutions are always there. Many times in recent history these institutions have operated as unelected governments and been caught doing illegal and unethical operations, and been used to push political agendas.
Even measured academics began to describe a dual-state system in the United States, the focus of Tufts University international law professor Michael J. Glennon’s 2014 book, National Security and Double Government. Glennon observed that Obama had campaigned against Bush-era surveillance and security policies in 2008 but gave in to many of them as president—suggesting a national-security apparatus that holds sway even over the elected Presidents in charge of it.
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