Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Compromised summary
Peter Strzok
Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump
33 mins
Brief summary
"Compromised" by Peter Strzok is a memoir that gives an inside look into the political infighting surrounding the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia and how it affected his personal and professional life.
Table of Contents
Compromised
Summary of 11 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 11
Russia is a master of espionage and intelligence.
By all appearances, Don Heathfield and Ann Foley were ordinary citizens. Their friends knew them as Canadian immigrants who had moved to Massachusetts so that Don could attend Harvard. The couple worked, went out, and took vacations with their two sons.
But Don and Ann had a major secret. Their real names were Andrey Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova. They were Russian intelligence agents known as illegals. They lived their daily lives as normal citizens. But all the while, they were secretly feeding information back to Russia.
Don and Ann were far from the only illegals operating within America. The FBI even had a separate investigation into these illegals known as Operation Ghost Stories. The author, Peter Strzok, was one of the case agents. It was his first time dealing with Russian intelligence and espionage. But Russia’s world-class skill at secret intelligence operations meant it wouldn’t be his last.
The key message here is: Russia is a master of espionage and intelligence.
To fully understand Russia’s intelligence operations, we should first define what exactly intelligence means in this context. According to Strzok, it refers to the secret operations a nation conducts to obtain strategic advantage. Don and Ann’s intelligence work, for example, involved meticulously assessing American citizens and identifying those who could be persuaded to help Russia.
With intelligence comes counterintelligence, the effort to thwart an adversary’s intelligence work. While all nations engage in counterintelligence, Russia is particularly skilled at a form of it known as active measures. This involves using false or distorted information to influence political or social outcomes. Later on, we’ll see how active measures played a role in the 2016 US election.
Along with active measures, the Russians also often employ coercion to manipulate their targets. They do this by collecting compromising material, called kompromat, which might disincentivize a target from acting a certain way. Kompromat can consist of anything that a target might not wish to become public knowledge, like sexual advances or bribes. Once Russia obtains kompromat on an individual, he becomes dependent on Russia to keep his secret. The intelligence community would say that that person is compromised.
Unfortunately, the term kompromat is one all Americans should now know, thanks to the actions of the US president, Donald Trump. But the story begins with a wholly different investigation in 2015 – one that centered around the then secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Want to see all full key ideas from Compromised?
Key ideas in Compromised
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Compromised about?
Compromised (2020) is an inside account of the FBI’s handling of the now-famous Midyear Exam and Crossfire Hurricane investigations concerning Hillary Clinton and the Trump campaign, respectively. It tackles partisan media and White House accusations head-on, from the point of view of a person at the center of it all.
Compromised Review
Compromised (2020) by Peter Strzok examines his role in the FBI's investigations into both Hillary Clinton's private email server and the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- The book offers a unique perspective from someone who was directly involved in the high-profile investigations that dominated the news cycle.
- Strzok's detailed insider account provides an in-depth understanding of the complexities and challenges of these investigations.
- Compromised explores the impact of political pressures and disinformation on the integrity of our democratic process, making it a thought-provoking and timely read.
Best quote from Compromised
The Midyear investigative team was just such a team
—Peter Strzok
Who should read Compromised?
- Politically engaged Americans on both sides of the aisle
- Those who have been exposed to conflicting narratives about the FBI
- Curious followers of current events and politics
Categories with Compromised
Book summaries like Compromised
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
33 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Compromised FAQs
What is the main message of Compromised?
The main message of Compromised is a firsthand account of a high-ranking FBI agent working on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
How long does it take to read Compromised?
The reading time for Compromised will vary depending on the individual, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Compromised a good book? Is it worth reading?
Compromised is a compelling book that provides valuable insights into a significant moment in US history. It's definitely worth reading for those interested in politics and investigations.
Who is the author of Compromised?
The author of Compromised is Peter Strzok.
What to read after Compromised?
If you're wondering what to read next after Compromised, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Mindreader by David J. Lieberman
- The Threat by Andrew G. McCabe
- What Every BODY is Saying by Joe Navarro
- The Art of Reading Minds by Henrik Fexeus
- G-Man by Beverly Gage
- Building Your Money Machine with ChatGPT by Larry Wheeler
- The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
- The Ultimate Introduction to NLP by Richard Bandler
- This Is Why You Dream by Rahul Jandial