Michael Ledeen performed work for the Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Militare (SISMI), including training Italian operatives and conducting intelligence-related activities, for which he received over $100,000 in payments routed to offshore bank accounts. He acted as an agent of Italian intelligence while influencing U.S. foreign policy, raising concerns about divided loyalties, foreign meddling in American national security decisions, and opaque financial flows between U.S. analysts and foreign agencies. These ties, which likely began in Rome, raised questions about foreign influence in U.S. policy during his Reagan-era roles. Ledeen partially admitted to this relationship but downplayed its significance.