Trump fires senior CIA analyst on Russia – The Economist

US President Donald Trump has dismissed one of the CIA’s most senior officers, who oversaw the Russia portfolio and was involved in preparing a report on Russian interference in the 2016 US elections.

Source: The Economist

Details: The Economist stated that the officer had spent over 20 years in US intelligence and, as the lead official on Russia and Eurasia in 2016, coordinated work on the report detailing Kremlin interference in the elections that benefited Trump. She later led the CIA unit responsible for analysis and operations on Russia and the post-Soviet space.

Quote: "On 19 August her career came to an abrupt end, when Tulsi Gabbard, America’s director of national intelligence, revoked her security clearance, along with those of 36 other serving and former officials accused of 'betray[ing] their oath to the Constitution'. Mr Trump’s administration has previously used its control over clearances as a political cudgel against retired officials. But the CIA officer in question, along with two others involved in that 2016 report, Shelby Pierson and Vinh Nguyen, are some of the most senior serving career intelligence officials to be purged under Mr Trump. These steps mark a sharp escalation in his war on American spooks."

Details: The Economist found that the dismissal of the officer, who managed hundreds of analysts and other personnel, has alarmed many current intelligence staff. Losing security clearance is a "career ender", said former CIA officer Larry Pfeiffer, whose clearance was also revoked. Many officers rely on their clearance after retirement so they can work in consulting positions.

In April, Gabbard’s assistant reportedly pressured analysts to adjust their assessments of the Tren de Aragua gang to align with Trump’s policies. In June, the president also criticised leaks of intelligence estimates from the US Defense Intelligence Agency that contradicted his claims about the destruction of Iranian nuclear facilities.

Quote: "Many of the 37 targeted officials had worked on Russia only tangentially and a long time ago. Mr Nguyen was the chief data scientist at the National Security Agency (NSA), America’s signals-intelligence service. Weeks earlier insiders had told The Economist that he was 'the most thoughtful person on AI in the federal government'. That agency’s director, General Tim Haugh, and its top lawyer, April Doss, were fired in April and July respectively. Others appear to be on the list for no other reason than their criticism of Mr Trump." 

Background: Gabbard issued a directive prohibiting the sharing of intelligence on Ukraine-Russia talks, even with close allies.

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