January 19, 2017

Sources to Search: Exploring the Newly-Expanded CIA Public Archives

The CIA just announced this week that they’ve added almost a million records and over 12 million pages to their CREST (CIA Records Search Tool) library, significantly expanding the data in the tool and providing a lot of fascinating insights into different periods of American history, including notable moments like the Bay of Pigs invasion.

The newly declassified records are over 25 years old, so they only reach into the early 90s. Nonetheless, researchers might still find them interesting, given that they contain records on lots of folks who were in public office and government in the 70s and 80s, and the CIA logged its interactions with legislators, and kept an archive of relevant news clippings, etc. These new records significantly expand the tool, and make it a must-search when doing diligence on anyone with a long public track record.

And some of the records contained are very interesting and relevant today. A cabinet briefing from 1984, for example, contains a lengthy memo from then-deputy U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, titled “Microeconomic Measures to Deal with the Trade Deficit”. It’s a lengthy document, covering trade and tariff policy with dozens of countries, and hitting on a host of policy questions (i.e. “Tariff and licensing problems with Mexico”) which might be of interest given his pending appointment to be the next U.S. Trade Representative, and may offer some additional insights into his policy views.

The archive also catalogues a lot of activity between the agency and legislators, and other government officials at the time. You can search the archive here. In general, you’ll want to use “” around your searches. Find anything interesting? Let us know!

Databases like CREST are integrated into the illumis research platform and be accessed and monitored through the tool. Contact us if you’re interested in a trial.

Please Note: This post was updated in June 2020 to reflect our company’s new name: illumis

ComplySci and illumis: Two regulatory compliance solutions joining together to benefit clients’ regulatory needs

In November of 2021, ComplySci announced the acquisition of illumis, a premier data aggregator and technology provider whose solutions are used by financial services firms to identify and mitigate risk from employee political contributions. While the initial acquisition saw the firms operating as two independent organizations, we are thrilled to announce the merging of the illumis and ComplySci brands. With this initiative, we aim to arm our clients with a more comprehensive solution to mitigating compliance risk, which includes the increased risk associated with employee political contributions.

Why real-time data is essential to helping your investment firm avoid violating pay-to-play regulations, SEC rule 206(4)-5

Political contributions made by firm employees pose a significant threat to investment advisory firms. And even firms with the best compliance teams can be at risk of violating pay-to-play regulations, like the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) rule 206(4)-5, given the complexity of the rules and the myriad of regulations to which firms must comply.

Because of this, investment firms must arm themselves with the access to and support of real-time data, which can help identify potential violations and anomalies in the political donation process.

By leveraging real-time data, investment firms can quickly detect suspicious or unauthorized activities and take prompt action to prevent pay-to-play violations.

Beyond SEC Rule 206(4)-5: A look at state and local political contributions compliance regulations

SEC Rule 206(4)-5 is arguably the most well known regulation regarding political contributions compliance or pay-to-play compliance. However, it certainly isn’t the only regulation to which firms must comply.

In fact, beyond federal regulations, firms which take part in government contracted work must contend with numerous and varied state and local regulations as well. Such regulations present unique challenges because of the various requirements within each, which should they be neglected, can cause significant financial and reputational damage.