Former FBI Official James Baker joins Brookings

Washington, D.C.—James Baker has joined the Brookings Institution as a Visiting Fellow in Governance Studies, the Institution announced today. Baker will contribute to Brookings’s scholarship on issues related to artificial intelligence, cyber security, and national security. In addition to his role at Brookings, Baker will hold an affiliated appointment with the Lawfare Institute.

Baker comes to Brookings and Lawfare from the FBI. Throughout his distinguished career, including four years as the agency’s General Counsel, Baker has worked on numerous national security matters, including in particular, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Baker is a recipient of the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism, the CIA’s highest award for counterterrorism achievement, NSA’s Intelligence Under Law Award, the NSA Director’s Distinguished Service Medal, and the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the Justice Department’s highest award.

“We are honored that Mr. Baker will bring to Brookings his years of law enforcement experience and his unparalleled expertise on matters of national security, particularly in an era of heightened concern over cyber security threats from bad actors inside and outside of the United States,” said Darrell West, vice president of Brookings’s Governance Studies program.

Benjamin Wittes, senior fellow in Governance Studies and editor in chief of Lawfare, added, “I can think of no one more qualified than Jim Baker to contribute to Brookings’s ongoing efforts to analyze applications of artificial intelligence in law enforcement and national security and to inform smart cyber security policy.”

During his tenure at Brookings and the Lawfare Institute, Baker will produce research on topics at the intersection of technology, privacy, and security. He will also contribute to Lawfare, the web’s leading authority on matters of national security law, which is published in cooperation between Brookings and the Lawfare Institute.

Baker holds a juris doctorate and master’s degree from the University of Michigan and is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.