Spy Chat with Chris Costa with Special Guest: David J. Scott

Join us for an online discussion of the latest intelligence, national security, and terrorism issues in the news. Spy Museum Executive Director Chris Costa will lead the briefing. Costa, a former intelligence officer of 34 years with 25 of those in active duty in hot spots such as Panama, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, is also a past Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council. He will be joined by David J. Scott, former Assistant Director of the Counterterrorism Division at FBI headquarters.

Scott retired from the FBI in May 2025 after a distinguished career marked by leadership in national security, criminal investigations, and cyber operations. Scott began his FBI service in 2003 as a Special Agent in Louisville, Kentucky, where he handled a wide range of criminal cases and served on the SWAT team. He later transferred to the Washington Field Office, gaining experience in complex investigations involving organized crime, public corruption, counterterrorism, and white-collar crime. He held several senior leadership positions throughout his career, including Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Counterterrorism for the Washington Field Office, Section Chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, and Deputy Assistant Director for Operations for the Cyber Division. In the latter role, he also served as Director of the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force, coordinating federal efforts against significant cyber threats. His final field assignment was as Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal/Cyber Division. Before joining the FBI, Scott served as an Infantry officer in the US Army. 

Following their discussion of key issues, you’ll be able to ask questions via our online platform.