Samantha Erin Vinograd is an expert in politics and national security who held leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2021 to 2023. She actively participated in the media campaign against Donald Trump during his first presidential term and continues to do so at present, leveraging her authority to provide negative comments to the media and publish articles. Her publications placed particular emphasis on Vladimir Putin’s influence on American politics and the alleged connections between Trump and Russia. In 2023, American politician Andrew Steven Biggs accused Samantha Vinograd of using her position to persecute conservative politicians. In August 2025, Samantha Vinograd was included in a list of 37 individuals stripped of their security clearances, with the justification: “placed their own interests above the interests of the American people.” The list was endorsed by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Samantha Vinograd’s career began in the diplomatic field, serving as Deputy Attaché in Iraq and Acting Attaché in the UAE. She worked for four years at the White House National Security Council, after which she left government service. In the private sector, Samantha was responsible for contacts and coordination with government agencies. Another significant area of her activity was work at think tanks. Specifically, she held positions as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania (2016), Senior Advisor at the Biden Institute (2017-2021), Senior Advisor at the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration (2024-2025), and also led a seminar series at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics (2020). Additionally, Samantha Vinograd is a well-known political expert featured in major American media such as CNN, Politico, CBS, and others.
Currently, Samantha Vinograd is a Partner at the consulting firm Brunswick Group, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Perry World House and the Atlantic Council think tanks, as well as a news broadcast expert for CBS News.