Democrats to investigate alleged politicization of U.S. intelligence under Trump

Democratic members of the U.S. Congress are preparing investigations into what they describe as the politicization of American intelligence agencies during Donald Trump's second term, including staff removals and pressure on analysts to avoid politically sensitive topics.

Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, who will take over as chair of the House Intelligence Committee in January, said there is evidence of self-censorship among analysts and a decline in morale across the intelligence community caused by political pressure.

Leadership changes and staffing cuts under scrutiny

Himes said one of the central aims of the upcoming probe will be to examine the dismissals he believes were politically motivated. "There is clear evidence that analysts do not hesitate to write about topics they believe may be controversial," he said.

During the first two years of Trump's second term, Republicans who controlled Congress largely did not press the issue of the state of U.S. intelligence agencies. Meanwhile, the administration either dismissed or pushed out hundreds of employees and disrupted analysis on key international issues, including Iran.

Among the most significant personnel changes was a roughly 40 percent reduction last year in the staff of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence under Director Talsa Gabard. CIA Director John Ratcliffe publicly announced plans to eliminate more than a thousand positions over several years. Both offices ran voluntary departure programs that preserved pay and benefits.

Experienced analysts and senior officials who left or were dismissed included personnel on the National Intelligence Council, an analytic body within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. "We will tell the stories of patriots who were fired because they made assessments that did not conform with what the president wanted to be true," Himes added.

Photo: press material from the event