Ken Klippenstein

Ken Klippenstein is a D.C.-based investigative reporter who focuses on U.S. national security, surveillance, and the institutional machinery of government secrecy. Known for his aggressive use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), he has pried loose thousands of pages of classified and internal documents.

Klippenstein was a staff reporter at The Intercept, where his reporting on the Department of Homeland Security, domestic surveillance, and national security policy broke critical stories that mainstream outlets often missed. Before that, he was D.C. Correspondent at The Nation and a senior investigative reporter for The Young Turks.

His work has appeared in The Daily Beast, Salon, Newsweek, and other major outlets. He is known for his willingness to challenge both political parties and institutions, and for filing FOIA lawsuits when agencies refuse to release records.

In April 2024, Klippenstein left The Intercept to work independently, launching his own newsletter and continuing his investigative reporting with even fewer constraints. He has been a vocal critic of secrecy culture in Washington and a champion of independent adversarial journalism.