Politico | Whistle-blower says top Trump appointees tried to censor reports on Russian influence, push China and Iran angle

Whistle-blower report by ex-DHS official Brian Murphy says he was told to halt assessments on Russian influence because they were making ‘president look bad’

Some officials have said that administration is trying to draw attention from threat by Moscow, which is trying to aid Trump’s re-election chances

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US President Donald Trump (right) walks past Russia’s President Vladimir Putin as they prepare for a group photo at the start of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018. Photo: AP

Published: 4:34am, 10 Sep 2020Updated: 9:26pm, 10 Sep 2020

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Kyle Cheney, Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman on politico.com on September 9, 2020.

Top Trump appointees at the Department of Homeland Security repeatedly sought to censor or stop reports on Russian influence activities in the United States, according to a whistle-blower report released by the US House Intelligence Committee.

The report, filed by former senior DHS official Brian Murphy, alleges that acting secretary Chad Wolf, his predecessor Kirstjen Nielsen and other senior DHS brass engaged in “a repeated pattern of abuse of authority, attempted censorship of intelligence analysis and improper administration of an intelligence programme related to Russian efforts to influence and undermine United States interests”.

That pattern, Murphy alleged, stretched from March 2018 until last month. The report describes a series of additional alleged abuses and legal violations by current and former leaders, including Nielsen, Wolf and an acting deputy, Ken Cuccinelli.

Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, who is named in the whistle-blower report, speaks at an event in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Murphy, who served as the Office of Intelligence and Analysis’ undersecretary, filed the 24-page complaint on September 8, alleging that he was instructed to halt the assessments because they were making “the president look bad”. The report was delivered by Murphy’s lawyer, Mark Zaid, to the Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.

Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff has asked Murphy to testify on September 21, and the interview is likely to take place in secure House facilities that would permit Murphy to discuss classified details he was unable to include in the public version of his complaint.