• Susan Hennessey is a legal-political analyst on CNN
• She is also an author, executive and editor of the popular “Lawfare” blog
• She graduated from UCLA with a BA in Italian and from Harvard Law School with a JD in 2011
• Her current net worth is estimated to be around $1 million
• She is an activist against guns and is a frequent critic of the Trump administration
Susan Hennessey is well-known for her frequent appearances on CNN programs as a legal-political analyst. She is also an author, executive and editor; Susan became even more popular for her work on the “Lawfare” blog, which posts various coverage on the US in the field of national security. Let’s find out more about her personal life, husband, salary, family, etc.
Early life and family
Susan Klein was born on 29 August 1985, in Sacramento, California USA, so under the sign of Virgo, and holding American nationality. Her mother’s name is Mary Grad, and her father’s Christopher Klein, both natives of Sacramento, so Susan spent her childhood there in the family mansion, growing up along with her siblings – an older sister Molly Klein (married Cutler) and a younger sister Helen Klein.
Susan is now enjoying the new role of an aunt for her nephew John, Molly’s son. While there’s little information about Susan’s childhood and youth, it’s known for sure that she has a very close and warm relationship with all members of her family. According to Susan’s posts on Twitter, her father, who is also a lawyer, helped her to get her first job, and has always supported all her endeavors. Her mother was also an attorney, but quit her professional activities to take care of the family, and became a housewife.
Educational background
Susan attend her local high school in Sacramento and matriculated from there in 2003.
She then entered the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) graduating in 2007 with a BA in Italian. After that she enrolled at Harvard Law School, where she obtained her JD in 2011.
Career
Susan began her career after Harvard Law School – she was invited to hold the position of an attorney at the National Security Agency in its General Counsel. Among her responsibilities were advising the office about everything related to information assurance, cyber-security and operational elements. Susan developed strong skills in the field of cyber-security legislation, and worked on various information assurance projects as a representative.
She also began working as a Brookings Institute Fellow in National Security and Governance Studies. Working hard in these positions, Susan made her way to the National Security Blog, “Lawfare”. She has several other associations: she’s included to the list of the members of the Aspen Cybersecurity Group. At the Georgetown University’s Science, Technology, and International Affairs, Susan holds the position of an adjunct professor, teaching Cybersecurity Conflict and Policy there as a practicing expert.
In 2021, Susan joined the Department of Justice in the National Security Division. At the moment Susan also holds the position of the legal and national security analyst at CNN.
Lawfare – National Security Blog
Brookings Institute in co-operation with the Lawfare Institute started publishing the “Lawfare” blog in 2010, having among the authors such respected specialists as law professor Robert Chesney, professor Jack Goldsmith, and author and writer Benjamin Wittes.
Debating the issues described within the Mueller report—and not making it into the Barr letter—is “why we have Congressional oversight,” says @Susan_Hennessey. pic.twitter.com/7U7YFhBenf
— Lawfare (@lawfare) March 28, 2019
Personal life, husband Brendan Hennessey
Susan met her future husband Brendan Hennessey in 2004. They dated for several years, eventually marrying in a private ceremony on 20 June 2009, at California’s Point Reyes Station. Right after their wedding they headed off to Phuket, Thailand for their honeymoon. The couple have welcomed two daughters, Isabella and Madeleine.
On her Twitter posts, Susan often praises her husband for being a good and supportive husband, thanks him for spending so much time with his family, and playing with his daughters. She also shared that her family is her main source of inspiration for her success and achievements at work.
Who is Brendan Hennessey?
Not much known about Brendan’ childhood and youth, however, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin, located in Madison. Later he enrolled the University of Notre Dame to get an MD in Romance languages. He also gained his PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles. Starting from 2014, he’s been working as an Assistant Professor of Romance Languages and Literature at New York’s Binghamton University.
Hobbies, favorite things and interesting facts
Susan is a big fan of winter sports, enjoying mountain skiing and ice-skating. Whenever she has some spare time, she prefers to spend it with her family, or reading a book, as she shared that such activities help her to restore the inner source, after a hard working day.
Social media presence
As a political analyst, Susan is very active on her Twitter account,, sharing the thoughts of other lawyers and analysts, or the latest political news in the US and around the world.
The best taco bowls are made in the @BrookingsInst cafeteria. I love Hispanics! pic.twitter.com/BpBVgRUqpF
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) February 7, 2017
Susan doesn’t have an Instagram account, as she doesn’t like to share personal photos and private details of her family life. She may be afraid of the negativity she may get in comments, as she is a frequent speaker on various political and news shows, on which she is persistent in criticizing the Trump administration, and does everything she can to reveal the facts and the information others try to hide or suppress. She is also an activist against guns.
Appearance, clothing style
Susan has middle-length dark brown hair and grey eyes. There is no information about her height, weight and vital statistics, though one can see she has a very slender body.
As to her clothing style, as a classy lawyer, she prefers official suits, strict skirts and white shirts. She wears little make-up.
Net worth and salary
According to authoritative sources, Susan’s current net worth is estimated to be over $1 million, accumulated by working hard on the “Lawfare” blog, as well as holding the position of political analyst at CNN and working in the DOJ. As she is still working on new projects both on CNN and the blog, her net worth is only going to grow in the future.
3 Comments
Shame on you…nary a mention of her radical liberal biases, including peddling the false Russian narrative. She’s just another nobody who only became “relevant” because of CNN’s absurd focus and manufacturing of false tales during President Trump’s administration.
I’d wear that “critique” with honor. It reflects her strong “reality” bias, not the fake reality invented to make money for the fascists of the Fox universe.
Susan Giarrusso, you nailed it. Her reward for lying about Trump and conspiring in the Russia hoax is a senior position in Biden’s Justice Department. There she can help restore the corruption that began under Obama. Look for her to lead Garland’s efforts to kill the Durham investigation.