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The DoD's Own Cyber Monday: Defense Department Releases CMMC Assessment Guides

Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.09.20

Fresh off the heels of the DFARS Interim Rule, the Department of Defense (DoD) released Assessment Guides for Levels 1 - 3 of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). These Guides will be used by Certified Assessors to determine whether contractors have satisfied the practices and processes required to attain CMMC certifications at the level needed to be awarded future DoD contracts. These new assessment procedures, which DoD calls “authoritative,” are leveraged from NIST SP 800-171A, the NIST guidance used to assess compliance with NIST SP 800-171. 

A notable inclusion in the Levels 2 – 3 Guide is the assessment criteria used to evaluate a contractor’s implementation of processes for each of the 17 CMMC Domains. Under the CMMC, the DoD has stated that contractors will not be certified at CMMC Levels 2 and above if the contractor has not satisfied both the technical practices and process maturity for the desired level.

These Guides will provide useful insights as contractors prepare for the DoD’s phased implementation of CMMC requirements into all DoD contracts over the next 5 years. 

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 09.15.25

Senate Finance Committee Looking to Take White River to the Train Station, Confirms DOJ Investigation into Tribal Tax Credits

On August 19, 2025, the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance (“Senate Finance Committee”) sent Paul Atkins, Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) a letter calling on the SEC to investigate White River Energy Corp (“White River”). In the letter, the Senate Finance Committee confirmed a criminal investigation into White River related to the sale of so-called “tribal tax credits” that according to both Congress and the IRS, do not exist. The letter further states that White River allegedly earned millions of dollars selling these credits and has not been forthcoming with investors regarding the existence of the criminal investigation. According to the Senate Finance Committee, White River has failed to file financial disclosure documents with the SEC since March 15, 2024, missing six consecutive reporting periods. The letter instructs White River to disclose the existence of the DOJ criminal tax investigation, and calls on the SEC to take action if White River fails to do so....