Intelligence community purge escalates over Venezuela gang assessment

The Trump administration is facing new questions about its relationship with intelligence agencies after reports that officials asked analysts to redo intelligence assessments that disagreed with White House claims. The dispute centers on President Trump’s claim that Venezuela’s government controls the Tren de Aragua gang, an assertion he has used to support plans for sending immigrants to a large prison facility in El Salvador.

According to The New York Times, months ago, the National Intelligence Council, which analyzes secret intelligence and provides reports to government leaders, determined that the Venezuelan government under Nicolás Maduro is not directing Tren de Aragua activities in the United States. This finding directly opposed the story promoted by the administration.

Instead of changing policy to match the intelligence findings, the administration appears to have tried to change the intelligence, as reported by The New York Times. Tulsi Gabbard, who Trump appointed as Director of National Intelligence, responded by firing leaders of the National Intelligence Council. This happened after Trump continued making statements that contradicted what his own administration’s intelligence experts had found.

How Officials Pressed for New Intelligence Reports

New reporting shows that in March, Joe Kent, who serves as Gabbard’s acting chief of staff and is Trump’s choice to lead the National Counterterrorism Center, told a senior intelligence analyst to create a new assessment about the connection between Venezuela’s government and the gang. This request came after the original assessment from February did not support what the administration was claiming.

When a second review reached the same conclusions as the first assessment, the leaders of the National Intelligence Council were reportedly removed from their positions. A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence described this approach as “normal practice” while also complaining about “the deep state.”

These events are happening alongside broader changes affecting intelligence organizations, including reports that Trump is skipping intelligence briefings and implementing what some call a “major reduction” in US intelligence agencies. The administration has also recently fired leaders at the National Security Agency and removed the National Security Council’s director for intelligence. The ongoing tension between the White House and intelligence agencies raises worries about how national security decisions are being made.