Trump reportedly plans to revamp top intelligence agencies
President-elect said intent on restructuring CIA, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, amid more social media attacks on intel community over Russia hacking assessments
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President-elect Donald Trump, a fierce critic of the US intelligence community in recent weeks, is planning to restructure two top spy agencies once he takes office later this month, people familiar with the planning told US media on Wednesday.
“The view from the Trump team is the intelligence world [is] becoming completely politicized,” an individual who is close to the Trump transition team told the Wall Street Journal. “They all need to be slimmed down. The focus will be on restructuring the agencies and how they interact.”
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Trump is said to specifically be targeting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, an agency established in 2004 to boost coordination across agencies following the 9/11 attacks, and the CIA, with plans to cut back staff at its headquarters in Virginia and to send more employees to field posts.
The move will come after a series of attacks against the intelligence community on social media, amid assessments that Russia interfered in the presidential elections, releasing hacked information through Wikileaks, with efforts to help get Trump elected. The president-elect has dismissed these findings and in one remarkable statement last month, mocked the CIA as the “same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction” in the lead-up to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Trump’s defiance has increased the pressure on intelligence officials to provide decisive evidence of Russian election interference. A full report was ordered by President Barack Obama last month, and Obama will receive the report and be briefed on it Thursday, according to a White House official who wasn’t authorized to speak to reporters and requested anonymity. High-level intelligence officials are heading to New York Friday to brief Trump on the classified findings.
Trump is to be briefed on the hacking report Friday by CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Brennan, in an interview Tuesday with PBS NewsHour, said the report will include “what was collected, what was disclosed and what the purpose and intent of that effort was.”
Trump’s criticism of the US intel community put him in line with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Wikileaks’ Julian Assange, whose organization has been under criminal investigation for its ropole in classified information leaks. Since 2012, Assange has been in the Embassy of Ecuador in London, unable to leave without being arrested for breaching his bail conditions.
In a series of tweets starting late Tuesday, Trump taunted the CIA, FBI and other agencies, suggesting they still don’t have proof Russia penetrated Democratic party computers and gave the documents to WikiLeaks.
“The ‘Intelligence’ briefing on so-called ‘Russian hacking’ was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!” Trump said.
The "Intelligence" briefing on so-called "Russian hacking" was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017
And then early Wednesday, after Assange appeared on Fox News denying the Russian government gave WikiLeaks stolen Democratic documents, Trump followed up: “Julian Assange said ‘a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta’ – why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info!” He followed up with a tweet quoting Assange’s swipe at US media.
Julian Assange said "a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta" – why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017
"@FoxNews: Julian Assange on U.S. media coverage: “It’s very dishonest.” #Hannity pic.twitter.com/ADcPRQifH9" More dishonest than anyone knows
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017
Trump was referring to thousands of emails and documents hackers took from the computers of the Democratic National Committee and from Hillary Clinton campaign chief John Podesta, which were published by WikiLeaks in the weeks ahead of the November 8 presidential election.
The Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have both concluded that the Russian government was behind the hacking, and intentionally divulged the documents via WikiLeaks to disrupt the election.
The intelligence chiefs and Obama have pointed the finger at Putin, saying no such operation could go on in Moscow without the highest level of approval.
On December 29, Obama retaliated, expelling 35 Russian officials from the United States who he said were “intelligence operatives,” placing sanctions on Russian government officials and intelligence services, and alleged hackers.
Trump’s choice to cite Assange against the CIA and FBI roiled officials in both political parties and angered the intelligence community.
In a radio interview Wednesday, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan branded Assange “a sycophant for Russia.”
“He leaks, he steals data, and compromises national security.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also questioned Trump’s choice.
“I don’t believe any American should give a whole lot of credibility to what Mr. Assange says,” he said on CNN.
The former spokesman of the CIA, George Little, blasted Trump, using the acronym for president-elect of the United States.
“No PEOTUS in our history has ever mocked his own intelligence community so openly or so often,” Little said via Twitter.
“Let’s stare this reality square in the face: PEOTUS is pro-Putin and believes Julian Assange over the @CIA. On Jan. 20 we will be less safe.”
The Times of Israel Community.