Even before Donald Trump was sworn in for his first term as president, he routinely and publicly derided U.S. intelligence agencies, questioning their findings and value. Once in the White House, the Republican’s animosity toward his own country’s intelligence community seemed to intensify: Trump had an unfortunate habit of belittling, disregarding, contradicting and occasionally even feuding with U.S. spy agencies.
Between his administrations, the Republican seemed to go out of his way to keep the offensive going. The New York Times reported last spring, “Even as president, Donald J. Trump flaunted his animosity for intelligence officials, portraying them as part of a politicized ‘deep state’ out to get him. And since he left office, that distrust has grown into outright hostility, with potentially serious implications for national security should he be elected again.”
We now know, of course, that he has been elected again — and we’re also getting a sense of the implications.
In early March, for example, NBC News reported that the CIA had begun firing recently hired officers, as part of Trump’s and his team’s effort to slash the federal workforce. The New York Times noted that literally millions of dollars had already been invested in these CIA officers’ careers, but that apparently didn’t stop the administration from moving forward with the firings.
That, however, was the first step related to cutting the agency’s personnel, not the last. The Washington Post reported late last week on the administration’s plans for “major downsizing” within the intelligence community.
The Trump administration is planning significant personnel cuts at the Central Intelligence Agency and other major U.S. spy units, downsizing the government’s most sensitive national security agencies, according to people familiar with the plans. The administration recently informed lawmakers on Capitol Hill that it intends to reduce the CIA’s workforce by about 1,200 personnel over several years and cut thousands more from other parts of the U.S. intelligence community, including at the National Security Agency.
NBC News has confirmed the Post’s reporting and quoted a CIA spokesperson who said, “These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the Agency with renewed energy, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position CIA to deliver on its mission.”
The Post added, “The planned workforce shrinkage comes at a perilous moment with the U.S. involved in multiple global crises and at a difficult time for tens of thousands of intelligence and law enforcement professionals.”
The New York Times’ report on this emphasized that the administration isn’t eyeing mass firings at intelligence agencies, and the downsizing will come gradually by not replacing those who leave their posts. The end result, however, will remain the same: a smaller U.S. intelligence community, which is precisely what countries like Russia and China want.
Indeed, Sen. Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was quick to point to the possible security risks. “These sweeping, reckless cuts of experienced intelligence personnel by the Trump administration will undoubtedly undermine our ability to detect and respond to threats and make America less safe,” the Virginia Democrat said in a statement.
The Post’s report added:
Current and former U.S. officials also warn of a counterintelligence risk, noting that having thousands of potentially disgruntled intelligence personnel out of work presents a ripe recruiting target for adversary nations’ spy services. Russia and China have recently directed their intelligence services to ramp up attempts to recruit U.S. national security workers, targeting those who have been fired or feel they could be soon, CNN reported in March, citing U.S. intelligence assessments on the issue.
When making a list of the many things the administration has done, and is doing, that have been applauded by the Kremlin, it’s important to add this to the mix.
