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Former Staff

Lydia Dennett

Deputy Director of Investigations

Areas of Expertise

Foreign Influence, Nuclear Security Oversight, Congressional Fellows

Lydia Dennett was POGO's Deputy Director of Investigations in 2019. 

She helped to lead POGO's team of investigators, providing editorial and strategic support. Dennett's investigative work is focused on the intersection between foreign money and U.S. political influence. She also worked on reports detailing how poor contract oversight has compromised the safety and security of nuclear weapons and power facilities. 

Dennett won the 2015 Non-Breaking News award from the DC chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for her work with Department of Veterans Affairs whistleblowers. She earned a B.A. in English Literature and European History from Hartwick College.

POGO highlights:

  • Submitted testimony on foreign lobbying to the Senate Judiciary Committee for a July 2017 hearing  on “Oversight of the Justice Department’s (Non) Enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act: Lessons from the Obama Administration and Current Compliance Practices”
  • Has made three appearances on Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson to discuss foreign influence on the U.S. policy making process: May 2017 - Saudi Lobbying; April 2018 - The Foreign Connection; October 2018 - Saudi Lobbying
  • Co-authored POGO's investigative report, "Loopholes, Filing Failures, and Lax Enforcement: How the Foreign Agents Registration Act Falls Short," which examined the Department of Justice's foreign lobbying records and enforcement failures. 
  • Provided detailed analysis on the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration's history of critical cost breaches in large scale construction projects. Nuke Agency Needs Budget Accountability
  • Testified before Senator Mark Kirk, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, at a field hearing in Chicago on whistleblower retaliation at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Latest Work

  • Mining for Access at the Interior Department

    investigation | September 4, 2019

  • Universities on the Foreign Payroll

    investigation | February 25, 2019

  • Congress (Still) Fails to Enforce Ethics Rules for Fellows

    investigation | November 13, 2018

  • Foreign Influence at the Witness Table?

    investigation | September 12, 2018

  • Comparing Current Foreign Influence Reform Legislation

    analysis | August 9, 2018

  • Justice Department Reveals (Some) of How It Interprets Foreign Influence Law

    investigation | June 15, 2018

  • Congress Pushes Back on Nuke Agency’s Unnecessary Plutonium Buildup

    analysis | June 13, 2018

  • Justice Department to Improve Foreign-Influence Transparency

    analysis | May 31, 2018

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next

In The News

  • U.S. Investigating Universities, including MIT, Over Russian, Chinese Donations

    November 21, 2019

  • The Perfectly Legal Ways Foreign Powers Subvert USDemocracy

    November 12, 2019

  • Nuclear industry urges Trump to open public land, including Grand Canyon, for uranium mining

    September 17, 2019

  • The Foreign Connection

    June 19, 2019

  • Saudi Arabia beheads 37 citizens convicted of ‘terrorism-related crimes,’ including aspiring Michigan college student

    April 24, 2019

  • The First Branch Forecast, April 1, 2019

    April 01, 2019

  • Shining a light on antiquated foreign influence oversight

    March 12, 2019

  • Understanding and Combating Russian and Chinese Influence Operations

    February 28, 2019

  • How to Buy Foreign-Policy Expertise

    February 21, 2019

  • Lawmaker-turned-Saudi lobbyist raises eyebrows with campaign donations

    January 18, 2019

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