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.
