Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division joins NSI to discuss Department of Justice’s approach to nation state threats
Arlington, VA — On Wednesday, February 23, 2022, from 3:00-4:00 PM ET, Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division at the Department of Justice will be giving remarks at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School on the Department of Justice’s views and plans to approach the new range of threats from nation state actors, including China, Iran, and more. Immediately following his remarks, Mr. Olsen will be having a fireside chat with John Lipsey, Director of Policy at NSI, to further discuss how to counter espionage, trade-secrets theft, and cybercrime – all of which pose significant dangers to U.S. economic and national security interests, as well as on American innovation.
Both in-person and virtual attendance will be available for this event. To register, please click here.
NSI has worked extensively on addressing the threats posed by China’s emergence as a global superpower in our project, China’s Rise: Confronting China’s Challenge to the World Order. To learn more about the project, click here.
Bios of speakers:
Matthew Olsen: Matthew Olsen is the Assistant Attorney General for National Security. In that capacity, he leads the Department of Justice’s mission to combat terrorism, espionage, cyber crime, and other threats to the national security.
From 2011 to 2014, Olsen served as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Prior to leading NCTC, Olsen was the General Counsel for the National Security Agency.
For 18 years, Olsen worked at the Department of Justice as a career attorney and in a number of leadership positions. He served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General for national security and was Special Counselor to the Attorney General. In 2006, Olsen helped establish the National Security Division and served as the first career Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
For over a decade, Olsen was a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. He also served as Special Counsel to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, supporting the post-9/11 transformation of the FBI. Olsen began his public service career as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
Olsen was a law clerk to the Honorable Norma Holloway Johnson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He graduated from Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia.
John C. Lipsey: John C. Lipsey serves as Director of Policy at the National Security Institute and Assistant Professor of Law at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, overseeing the production of NSI’s policy publications and other contributions by NSI experts.
John served in the U.S. Senate from 2008-2015, most recently as Chief Counsel for Senator Bob Corker and as Deputy Chief Counsel for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he led the drafting of the first State Department Authorization legislation approved by the Committee in five years, which ultimately became the first such authorization to be enacted since 2002.
During his tenure, John worked on a range of significant foreign policy matters, including the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, AUMFs against ISIS and al Qaeda, and the 2013 AUMF against the Government of Syria in response to its use of chemical weapons. He also led consideration of International Human Rights Treaties. And in 2013, John led negotiations over the Corker-Hoeven Amendment to the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.
John holds a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and was formerly Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for S&P Global.
About the Scalia Law School
The Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University is defined by three words: Learn. Challenge. Lead. Students receive an outstanding legal education (Learn), are taught to critically evaluate prevailing orthodoxy and pursue new ideas (Challenge), and, ultimately, are well prepared to distinguish themselves in their chosen fields (Lead). It has been one of America’s top-ranked law schools for the last fifteen years.
About George Mason University
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 33,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility.