Former Biden Deputy Attorney General and former Obama national security aide Lisa Monaco is facing a referral to the Justice Department after the American Accountability Foundation accused her of shielding Microsoft from cybersecurity enforcement actions before joining the company in 2025 as President of Global Affairs.
The referral alleges the Biden DOJ failed to pursue major action against Microsoft despite multiple cyber intrusions between 2019 and 2023 tied to Russian and Chinese hackers that reportedly compromised sensitive U.S. government systems. The foundation noted Monaco oversaw the DOJ’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative, which targeted other contractors for less serious alleged misconduct, while no comparable case was brought against Microsoft.
The complaint also points to several former Biden administration cybersecurity officials who later took jobs with Microsoft or firms connected to the company, including former DOJ official John P. Carlin and former FBI cyber official Bryan A. Vorndran.
The group asked DOJ inspectors general to investigate whether Monaco and other officials violated ethics, recusal, or revolving-door restrictions, and whether Microsoft could face liability under the False Claims Act for representations made to federal agencies about the security of its systems.
