This is Intelligence Matters with former acting director of the CIA, Michael Morel,

brought to you by Palantir Technologies, foundational software of tomorrow, delivered today.

Elizabeth Williamson is a feature writer for the New York Times and a former member of the Times editorial board.

Elizabeth joins us today to talk about her new book, Sandy Hook, an American tragedy and the battle for truth.

We'll be right back with that discussion after a word from our sponsor. I'm Michael Morel and this is Intelligence Matters.

I'm CBS News Business Analyst Jill Slesinger. Do you know that your money could go further and work harder with help from an expert at FASIT Wealth?

Every advisor at FASIT is a certified financial planner and a fiduciary just like me.

These folks have the best training and they're legally bound to do what's in your best interest. There's no hidden agendas, there's no commissions.

The pros at FASIT are able to go beyond the calculators for retirement or tax planning.

They're able to provide impartial advice about everything your money touches. That means everything from choosing benefits at a new job to buying a new home, all for a clear, fixed fee.

You can call 888-598-3966 for two months free off your first year financial planning. That's 888-598-3966.

FASIT Wealth is an SEC registered investment advisor. This is not investment legal or tax advice. Two months free offer is only valid for an annual fee paid at the time of signing.

Elizabeth, welcome to Intelligence Matters. It's great to talk with you.

Michael, thanks for inviting me. Elizabeth, your author of a new book titled Sandi Hook, An American Tragedy and The Battle for Truth.

It's an amazing read and I think it's a very important book. Congratulations. I know how tough it is to write and get a book published. Congratulations.

Thank you.

So as you know, I'd love to break the discussion down into two parts here. One, the book itself and two, the implications of the Sandi Hook story for national security.

But I want to start by tying the two together right off the bat before we get into the book. So you began your journalism career by reporting from Russia and Eastern Europe.

And I'm really struck by the fact that this part of the world, particularly Russia, has long had a conspiratorial mindset. You know, if you're a Russian, you see sinister forces behind the scenes manipulating pretty much everything.

And I'm wondering when you were there, if you sensed that mindset number one, and do you think your time there in any way made you more conscious of what you eventually saw in the Sandi Hook story? Did it help you see it more clearly? Do you think?

It's a great question. And yes, you know, in thinking back while I was writing my book, I went back to the mid 90s when I was in Vladimir Putin's St. Petersburg and heard my first kind of conspiracy theories around elections as a matter of fact, you know, that there were powerful international forces meddling in elections for the Duma and for president at that time.

And so I did go back and think about that. And at the time, I thought they were kind of amusing. And, you know, just so kooky as to be, you know, so bad. It's a good kind of thing. Just so oddball and unbelievable that you can't believe anyone would take it seriously.

...