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PAST EVENTS

Patricia Duff Patricia Duff

Trouble in Paradise: The FBI's Search on Mar-a-Lago

Concealing Top Secret Documents: Last night the DOJ asserted damning new details about the documents at Mar-a-Lago. Did the former President and his associates knowingly obstructed a federal investigation to retrieve government classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort? The FBI and Justice Department seem to think so.

Trouble in Paradise:

The FBI Search on Mar a Lago

with Jeh Johnson and Mike Morell with moderator Patricia Duff

Thursday, September 1, 2022  5:00-6:00 pm EST

The secrets of Mar-a-Lago:  What’s at stake with the classified government documents retrieved in the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago?  Has our national security been jeopardized?  Are our assets in the field at risk?

The Common Good Presents an important virtual briefing with two experts from the very top of their agencies, former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and former acting Director of the CIA Mike Morell. Aired Thursday, September 1st at 5:00 pm EST. 

 

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Jeh Johnson - Jeh Charles Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security, is a partner in the Paul, Weiss Litigation Department and a member of the Firm’s Management and Partnership Committees. Secretary Johnson advises clients, including management teams and boards of directors, on crisis management, government and internal investigations, high-stakes litigation and regulatory matters, and legal aspects of cybersecurity and other security matters. He is also an experienced trial lawyer, and a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Secretary Johnson is on the board of directors of Lockheed Martin. Since leaving government in January 2017, Secretary Johnson has been called upon to testify before Congress on cybersecurity matters three times, and is a regular commentator on national and homeland security on ABC, CBS, NBC, BBC, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN and numerous other outlets. He was the 2018 recipient of the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award, presented at the Reagan Presidential Library and currently serves as a member of The Common Good Honorary Advisory Board. You can read more about Johnson here.

Mike Morell - Michael Joseph Morell is the former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the C.I.A. He worked in the C.I.A. for 33 years. Morell has received multiple awards including the CIA’s highest ranking award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. He is also a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, West Point’s Center on Combating Terrorism, and the Madison Policy Forum. Morell has served as a member of President Obama’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology, and is currently Senior Counselor and the Global Chairman of the Geo-Political Risk Practice at Beacon Global Strategies LLC.

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The Rise and Threat of Right Wing Domestic Terrorism

Understanding the rise and threat of right-wing domestic terrorism with former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, retired FBI agent turned scholar Michael German, Vice President of the Center on Extremism, Oren Segal, and Professor Robert Pape.

ABOUT THE EVENT

According to the Department of Homeland Security, "domestic violent extremism poses the most lethal, persistent terrorism-related threat to our homeland today." Join our stellar group as they discuss this metastasizing threat, and what can be done to fight it.

Thursday, May 20th, 2021

5:00pm-6:00pm EST


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Jeh Johnson, President Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security, The Common Good

Jeh Johnson served as President Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security from 2013 to 2017. Prior to this, he served as General Counsel for the Department of Defense, acting as one of the legal architects for the US military’s counter-terrorism mission.


Michael German, The Common Good

Michael German is a former FBI agent and current fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty & National Security Program. At the FBI, German specialized in domestic terrorism, often going undercover to investigate violent white supremacist organizations.


Robert Pape, Director of the Chicago Project, The Common Good

Robert Pape is the Director of the Chicago Project on Security & Threats, and Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, Pape is considered one of the world’s foremost experts in terrorism studies.


Vice President of the Center on Extremism, Oren Segal, The Common Good

As Vice President of the Center on Extremism, Oren Segal and his team combat extremism, terrorism and all forms of hate in the real world and online. Recognized as the foremost authority on extremism, the Center provides resources, expertise and training which enables law enforcement, public officials and internet and technology companies to identify and counter emerging threats.  


The Common Good is pleased to announce that we’re reteaming with CSPAN to air this event.

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"Longest War - How Do We End It?" with Ret. Col. Christopher Kolenda & Secretary Jeh Johnson

For Nearly two decades America has been in war with Afghanistan. The Common Good was joined by Ret. Colonel Chris Kolenda, the man who pioneered a new approach to counterinsurgency, led soldiers in successful battles against the Taliban and was later hand picked by the US government to be involved in early talks with the Taliban. We covered the impact of the war, how it can be ended, and recent events with our military that have made headlines. Moderated by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.

For Nearly two decades America has been in war with Afghanistan. The Common Good was joined by Ret. Colonel Chris Kolenda, the man who pioneered a new approach to counterinsurgency, led soldiers in successful battles against the Taliban and was later hand picked by the US government to be involved in early talks with the Taliban. We covered the impact of the war, how it can be ended, and recent events with our military that have made headlines. Moderated by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.

Watch the video below:

 

Ret. Colonel Christopher Kolenda, The Common Good

Ret. Colonel Christopher Kolenda recently served as the Senior Advisor on Afghanistan and Pakistan to Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy, and three 4* Generals in Afghanistan. He was decorated with the Department of Defense’s highest civilian award for his work on strategy. In 2007-08, he commanded an 800-solider task force in Kunar and Nuristan provinces where he pioneered an innovative approach to counterinsurgency in one of the most violent areas of the country. His unit is the only one in the history of the war to have motivated a large insurgent group to stop fighting and join the government. His advice has been adopted by three Secretaries of Defense and the President of the United States. He was selected to be the Secretary of Defense’s representative in exploratory talks with the Taliban from 2010-2013. He is the only American to have fought the Taliban in combat and engaged them in high-level diplomacy.

He is the founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, which helps nonprofits and small businesses maximize their impact by developing their Leadership, Culture, and Strategy. He is the editor and coauthor of Leadership: The Warrior's Art, which has appeared on the professional reading lists of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. His most recent book, The Counterinsurgency Challenge, maps the journey of a leader in a difficult and dangerous conflict.

 
Secretary Jeh Johnson, The Common Good

Secretary Jeh Johnson was appointed by President Obama on December 23, 2013, following confirmation by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 78-16.  Between 2013 and 2017 he served as Secretary of Homeland Security. Previously, Secretary Johnson was appointed by President Obama to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 through 2012. In that position, Johnson was one of the legal architects for the U.S. military’s counter terrorism mission during President Obama’s first term.


In 2010, Johnson co-authored a 250-page report that paved the way for the repeal by Congress of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law that prohibited gays from serving openly in the U.S. military. From October 1998 to January 2001, Johnson served in the Clinton Administration as General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force. From 1989 through 1991, Secretary Johnson was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted public corruption cases.

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Coronavirus, economy Samuel Coughlin Coronavirus, economy Samuel Coughlin

The States’ Response to the Coronavirus: How do we re-open?

The Common Good presented the first in a new series of conversations with top U.S. Leaders. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson headed our critical Coronavirus discussion with Governor Ned Lamont. (D-CT) The discussion dove into urgent topics such as the re-opening of the economy, protecting human lives and what our new normal will look like.

The Common Good presented the first in a new series of conversations with top U.S. Leaders. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson headed our critical Coronavirus discussion with Governor Ned Lamont. (D-CT) The discussion dove into urgent topics such as the re-opening of the economy, protecting human lives and what our new normal will look like.

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About Gov. Ned Lamont:

Gov. Ned Lamont, The Common Good

Lamont got involved in public service shortly after college, founding a weekly newspaper in a town hit by the loss of its largest employer. Covering town meetings and the Board of Selectmen, he helped to bring voice and transparency to a community working to recover from job losses and reinvent itself. He would later go on to start his own business, taking on the large and established giants of the telecom industry. Under his vision and stewardship, the company grew to serve over 400 of America's largest college campuses and 1 million college students across the nation.

He received the 2006 Democratic nomination for senator, against incumbent Joe Lieberman. Lamont won the 2018 Gubernatorial election for Connecticut and has started working on his plans to implement electronic tolls on state highways, taxing online streaming services, restoring the property tax credit, increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour, instituting paid family and medical leave,. During this epidemic he holds daily briefings and provides vital updates on how the state is combating COVID-19. 


About Secretary Jeh Johnson:

Secretary Jeh Johnson, The Common Good

Secretary Johnson was appointed by President Obama on December 23, 2013, following confirmation by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 78-16. Previously, Secretary Johnson was appointed by President Obama to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 through 2012. In that position, Johnson was one of the legal architects for the U.S. military’s counterterrorism mission during President Obama’s first term.

In 2010, Johnson co-authored a 250-page report that paved the way for the repeal by Congress of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law that prohibited gays from serving openly in the U.S. military. From October 1998 to January 2001, Johnson served in the Clinton Administration as General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force. From 1989 through 1991, Secretary Johnson was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted public corruption cases.

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Democracy, Cyber Threats, Intelligence, Investigation Miffy Chengthomas Democracy, Cyber Threats, Intelligence, Investigation Miffy Chengthomas

The Russia Investigation with Congressman Adam Schiff and Secretary Jeh Johnson

Newsmaker and rising congressional leader, Congressman Adam Schiff, appeared with special host & TCG Honorary Board Member Secretary Jeh Johnson for an elegant luncheon and briefing. Congressman Schiff, the Ranking Minority Member on the House Intelligence Committee and Russia Investigation Task Force, gave the latest on the Russia election interference probe, the growing threat to liberal democracies from a rise in authoritarianism, prospects for the Midterm elections, and many other consequential topics.

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Newsmaker and rising congressional leader, Congressman Adam Schiff, appeared with special host & TCG Honorary Board Member Secretary Jeh Johnson for an elegant luncheon and briefing. Congressman Schiff, the Ranking Minority Member on the House Intelligence Committee and Russia Investigation Task Force, gave the latest on the Russia election interference probe, the growing threat to liberal democracies from a rise in authoritarianism, prospects for the Midterm elections, and many other consequential topics. Financial advisor Peter Maroney and TCG Founder Patricia Duff co-hosted the event.

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Congressman Adam Schiff is the ​Ranking Minority Member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and spearheads the Russia Investigation Task Force. As the U.S. Representative for California’s 28th District, Schiff has focused on growing the economy, bolstering national security, strengthening our communities, helping small businesses, and improving education, safety and health care. In his 9th term, Schiff served as State Senator for California’s 21st District, chairing the Judiciary Committee, the Select Committee on Juvenile Justice and the Joint Committee on the Arts. Before serving in the Legislature, Schiff served with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in LA for six years.

Former Secretary Jeh Johnson has distinguished himself in both public service and private corporate law practice. He served in the Obama cabinet as Secretary of Homeland Security (2013-2017) with vast responsibilities for homeland security, immigration, natural disaster relief, and many other critical policy areas. Prior to becoming Secretary of Homeland Security, Johnson served as General Counsel of the Department of Defense (2009-2012) and General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force under President Clinton (1998-2001). Earlier in his career, he was Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (1989-1991). Currently, he is a partner with the law firm of Paul Weiss. We are honored to have added Secretary Johnson to The Common Good Honorary Advisory board this year.


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Past Events

The Common Good has been hosting events since 2006 that cover important issues of today, highlighting speakers who have worked to bolster our democracy and can provide great insight on the issues that matter.