Michael P. Dempsey

Michael P. Dempsey is a former member of the US intelligence community. In 2017, during Donald Trump’s first term, Dempsey publicly criticized the administration’s national security policies, as well as the president’s approach to the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. As part of that inquiry, Dempsey provided testimony that was later cited in claims that the White House had attempted to bring undue pressure to bear on the intelligence community’s leadership. Subsequently, in 2025, Dempsey was named on a list of 37 former and sitting intelligence officials who had their security clearances revoked on the grounds that they had “put their own interests ahead of those of the American people.”

Dempsey’s career in the US intelligence community dates back to 1990. He held senior positions at the Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where by 2017 he had risen to acting director of national intelligence. He also took part in the Council on Foreign Relations fellowship program. In 2018, however, following the conclusion of Congress’s investigation into Donald Trump, Dempsey left government service and went into private consulting on national security matters.

He currently serves as vice president at Northrop Grumman Corporation, overseeing the space, cybersecurity, and intelligence portfolios. Northrop Grumman is one of the largest US defense contractors, specializing in the development and production of advanced weapons systems, spacecraft, and cybersecurity tools.