Trump fires top CIA officer responsible for Russia

According to The Economist, the officer worked in US intelligence for over 20 years and, in 2016, as the chief official on Russia and Eurasia, coordinated work on a report on the Kremlin's interference in the election in favor of Trump. She subsequently headed the division responsible for CIA analysis and operations relating to Russia and the post-Soviet space.

On August 19, her career came to an abrupt end when US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stripped her of her access to classified information along with 36 other current and former officials accused of “betraying their oath to the Constitution.” The Trump administration has previously used control over clearances as political leverage against retired officials. However, this CIA officer, along with two others linked to the 2016 report — Shelby Pearson and Vinh Nguyen — became some of the most senior active intelligence officers removed by Trump. Such moves mark a sharp escalation in his war against the US intelligence community.

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The dismissal of an officer who oversaw hundreds of analysts and other staff has caused alarm among many current intelligence employees. Losing clearance is “the end of your career,” says former CIA officer Larry Pfeiffer, who also had his clearance revoked. Many officers count on retaining their clearance after retirement so they can work as consultants.

In April, Gabbard pressured analysts to change their assessments of the Tren de Aragua gang in line with Trump's policy. In June, Trump also criticized the leak of intelligence assessments by the Defense Intelligence Agency that contradicted his statements about the destruction of Iranian nuclear facilities.

Most of the 37 officers targeted by the sanctions had only worked on Russia issues tangentially and long ago. Nguyen was a senior data scientist at the National Security Agency (NSA). A few weeks earlier, insiders told The Economist that he was the most knowledgeable person in the federal government on artificial intelligence. The agency's director, General Timothy Ho, and its chief lawyer, April Doss, were fired in April and July, respectively. Others appear to have been included on the list solely because of their criticism of Trump.

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith.

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