Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner 

A new letter from a government watchdog urged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to review the department’s contracts with Microsoft, citing the company’s employment of a former FBI official who once said she was “basically running a shadow government across the FBI.”

Democracy Restored, a self-described nonpartisan watchdog, sent Mullin a letter Tuesday asking the Department of Homeland Security to examine Microsoft’s existing and pending contracts, assess whether former FBI official Nikki Floris has a role connected to DHS work, and take action if the department identifies security concerns, according to a copy obtained by the Washington Examine

Floris gained public attention in mid-July after President Donald Trump‘s speech on U.S. election integrity issues, where he referenced a former FBI official who said she was running a “shadow government” to keep intelligence concerning alleged Chinese election interference from becoming known.

“National security includes data security, full stop,” Democracy Restored Director Houston Keene said in a statement. “Given Ms. Floris’ alleged withholding of critical election information from the President of the United States and claim of running a ‘shadow government,’ as well as Microsoft’s recent issues using China-based engineers to work on Pentagon data, serious scrutiny needs to be given to Microsoft’s contracts with the federal government.”