Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power
Intelligence Community Attacks: CIA Briefings Undermined, Officials Publicly Attacked
Trump's attacks on the intelligence community followed a pattern: dispute assessments that reflected poorly on him or contradicted foreign governments he was cultivating, attack the officials who provided them, reward officials who shaped assessments to his preferences, and revoke credentials of critics. He disputed the CIA's assessments of Saudi Crown Prince MBS's role in the Khashoggi murder, Russian interference in the 2016 election, North Korean nuclear progress, and Iranian nuclear program compliance. He announced the revocation of former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance and threatened the clearances of other former officials who had criticized him, and installed loyalists in acting DNI and other positions.