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A new whistleblower is alleging that threats were downplayed in order to suit President Donald Trump’s agenda. Top political appointees in the Department of Homeland Security repeatedly told career officials to modify certain intelligence assessments.
The whistleblower alleges that DHS appointees were repeatedly told to downplay Russian efforts to interfere in the United States election. Not only that, but they were also told to downplay the threat posed by White supremacists.
Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf allegedly instructed officials to “cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference.” Instead, they were told to focus their efforts on gathering information related to activities related to Iran and China.
Trump, along with several top national security advisers, have repeatedly pushed more emphasis on the threat posed by China. While doing so, they downplayed the intelligence community’s ongoing warnings about Russian interference in the 2020 election.
Trump appointees Wolf and Ken Cuccinelli also allegedly told officials to change intelligence assessments so that they’d match up with comments made by Trump about “anarchist” groups and Antifa.
Both Wolf and Cuccinelli reportedly tried to alter a report to downplay the threat posed by White supremacists. Instead, they focused on emphasizing the role of leftist groups over concern of how focusing on the former would reflect on the President.
Related: Trump’s Blundering Response to New Russian Election Interference
Brian Murphy, who previously oversaw the intelligence division at the DHS department, was reassigned this summer. He claims the reassignment was retaliatory and motivated by political considerations.
Murphy said Wolf instructed him to report on China and Iran instead of Russian election interference, but he told Wolf he wouldn’t comply because he felt doing so would “put the country in substantial and significant danger.”
Allegedly, this would amount to an abuse of authority by Wolf. It is yet another example of Trump officials minimizing intelligence that doesn’t align with the administration’s political priorities.
“The whistleblower retaliation complaint filed by former Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis Brian Murphy outlines grave and disturbing allegations by that senior White House and Department of Homeland Security officials improperly sought to politicize, manipulate and censor intelligence in order to benefit President Trump politically.
“This puts our nation and its security at grave risk,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, of the allegations.
“Mr. Murphy’s allegations are serious — from senior officials suppressing intelligence reports on Russia’s election interference and making false statements to Congress about terrorism threats at our southern border, to modifying intelligence assessments to match the President’s rhetoric on Antifa and minimizing the threat posed by White supremacists.
“We have requested Mr. Murphy’s testimony before the Committee, pursuant to subpoena if necessary, alongside other already scheduled interviews with other DHS officials,” said Schiff.
Related: Trump Gets Angry, Admits Russians Helped Him Win Presidency
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