President Trump at a campaign rally.JONATHAN ERNST / Reuters
A senior official in the US Department of Homeland Security has formally denounced being told to stop providing intelligence reports on the threat of Russian interference in the November elections.
His superiors argued that this "gave a bad image of the president," explains the complainant, who also claims to have received pressure to minimize threats from white supremacism and include information on "violent left-wing groups."
The complaint is an extremely detailed account of alleged pressure on reticent career officials to bow to Trump's political agenda.
The complainant is Brian Murphy, who headed the intelligence and analysis office in the Department of Homeland Security, comparable to the Interior Ministry in other countries, until at the end of July he was demoted to a lower position.
His complaint is contained in a 22-page document delivered to the inspector general on Tuesday.
Murphy assures that on two occasions his superiors asked him to stop reporting on the Russian threat, an order that he considered endangered national security.
He also complains that he was asked to modify documents on other matters.
In an annual report on threats to the country, Murphy says, Undersecretary Kenneth Cuccinelli told him that "he had to specifically modify the section on white supremacism so that the threat seemed less serious," and that it should "include information on prominent violent groups. leftist".
Murphy refused to obey orders.
Last May, still according to Murphy's complaint, Secretary Chad Wolf ordered him to stop providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the United States, and to start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran.
Wolf explained that these were "specific instructions" from the National Security Advisor, Robert O'Brien.
Murphy informed him that he would not comply with the orders, as doing so would "put the country in substantial and specific danger."
On July 8, in a meeting with Wolf, he reiterated to Murphy that any dissemination of intelligence reports on Russian disinformation efforts should be "withheld" because it gave "a bad image of the president."
What Murphy accuses Wolf and Cuccinelli, both of whom are Trump nominees who have yet to be confirmed by the Senate, is basically trying to mold the country's intelligence reports to the president's political interests in an election year.
In addition to trying to deny or minimize Russian interference in the elections four years ago, Trump routinely shows reluctance to criticize groups of white supremacists who support him and, in recent months, has made it one of his campaign priorities. criminalization of left-wing groups, such as Black Lives Matter, whom he accuses of sowing chaos in cities.
Trump's clashes with the intelligence services are not new, but Murphy's complaint constitutes an extremely detailed account of alleged pressure on reticent career officials to bow to Trump's political agenda.
Intelligence services have widely documented a massive Russian meddling operation in the elections four years ago, but Trump has repeatedly referred to it as a hoax to undermine the legitimacy of his electoral victory.
Moscow, as the intelligence services have repeated in recent months, continues to try to interfere in the November elections in favor of Trump's re-election.
The Department of Homeland Security rejects the allegations.
"We strongly deny that there is any truth to Murphy's claims," a spokesman said in a statement.
Critics of the president see Murphy's complaint as a new example of how the president tries to politicize the intelligence services.
The complaint, defended by Democrat Adam Schiff, head of the House Intelligence Committee, “describes serious and alarming allegations that senior officials in the White House and the Department of Homeland Security dishonestly tried to politicize, manipulate and censor intelligence to politically benefit President Trump. "
Schiff has called Murphy to testify on September 21 before the committee he chairs.
On July 31, Wolf relegated Murphy from his position as head of the intelligence branch of the Department of Homeland Security, after it was revealed that his office had been collecting reports from journalists and protesters in protests against police violence in Portland (Oregon).
He was relocated to another position in the same Department.
But in his complaint, Murphy defends that the real reason for his dismissal were his complaints about the orders he was receiving from his superiors, and requests to be "immediately reinstated" to his former position.
Subscribe here to the
weekly
newsletter
about the elections in the United States.