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The Department of Homeland Security is supposed to protect the American population from threats on its own soil. According to an insider, what counts as such is controlled by Trump supporters.
Well-colored reports: According to one whistleblower, intelligence assessments should fit the Trump administration’s agenda.
Photo: Evan Vucci (Keystone)
A high-ranking employee of the US Department of Homeland Security claims to have been pressured to color or change his intelligence reports. Brian Murphy wrote in a complaint to the inspector general that his superiors had asked him to omit details that US President Donald Trump might not approve, such as Russian interference in the US elections or the potential dangers posed by white racists in U.S. Ministry. Because he refused, he lost his leadership position in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis.
Democratic Congressman and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff released a copy of the complaint filed by Murphy as an alleged whistleblower on Wednesday. Schiff asked Murphy to testify before Congress on the matter.
Assessments should fit the Trump administration agenda
Specifically, Murphy accused former Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, current Secretary Chad Wolf and Undersecretary Ken Cuccinelli of pressuring him “illegally and inappropriately” to change his intelligence assessments to better fit the Trump administration program. Among other things, he was asked to exaggerate the number of terrorist migrants arrested at the southwestern border of the United States. Nielsen also used too high a number in a pre-congressional poll, Murphy wrote.
Nielsen’s successor Wolf, who has not yet been confirmed for the post by the Senate, asked Murphy, according to the latter, not to give any intelligence assessment on the risk of Russian interference in the US elections, because that made it the president “will look bad.” In connection with the protests following the death of black George Floyd, he was pressured to include information about left-wing groups in his reports, Murphy wrote. Trump had blamed the left-wing anti-fascist movement for the unrest after Floyd’s death.
The National Security Ministry did not initially comment on the accusations at the request of the AP news agency.
