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
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.
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.
