In the wake of the September 11 terror attacks, the American government implemented a wave of overt policies to fight the nation's enemies. Unseen and undetected by the public, however, another set of tools were brought to bear on the domestic front. This riveting book shows how these "subtle tools" imperiled the very foundations of democracy, from the separation of powers and transparency in government to adherence to the Constitution. Taking readers from Ground Zero to the Capitol insurrection, Subtle Tools paints a troubling portrait of an increasingly undemocratic America where disinformation, deception, and disdain for the law became the new norm, and where the subtle tools of national security threatened democracy itself.