And in 2015, the Ministry of State Security was discovered to be the mastermind behind the theft of the digital security clearance files of 22 million federal employees and their families—part of a broader campaign by China to understand every detail and vulnerability of the American elite. For many in the national security apparatus, it seemed like a breaking point. After all, what the Chinese had stolen was their personal information, down to medical and financial histories, and details about children and past relationships.
