Trump administration politicised intelligence on foreign influence, says a new report

A new report by the intelligence community ombudsman concluded revealed that the Trump administration politicised the intelligence around foreign election interference in 2020. This resulted in various errors in its reports last year to Congress and the public. The report submitted to Congress said that the analysis was delayed, distorted or obstructed due to political reasons. 

According to reports by the New York Times, the analytical ombudsman in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Barry A. Zulauf, found a loss of objectivity in the elections threat reporting last year. Now, the Senate Committee plans on reviewing the report and working with the new administration to stop any such politicisation and to correct the failures of the Trump administration. The report further said that Mr. Grenell held up a memo in May from the National Intelligence Council about election security threats. Also, his office revised a draft that emphasised the intelligence gaps.

Read: Trump Faces Second Impeachment Threat For 'incitement Of Insurrection' In US Capitol Siege

Current situation in the US  

Recently, following the horrific riots at the US Capitol on Wednesday, outgoing President Donald Trump faces a threat of a second impeachment as Democrats seek routes to strip his powers early. Top Democratic leadership has urged Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution to remove Trump from office for his "incitement of insurrection". Along with the Democrats, at least one Senate Republican has also said that he would consider supporting a possible effort by congressional Democrats to impeach Trump. While speaking to CBS News, Ben Sasse said that he would "definitely consider" any article of impeachment because the president "disregarded his oath of office". 

Read: Trump Uses POTUS Twitter To Issue First Statement On Ban, Microblogging Site Deletes Tweet

Trump is set to leave on January 20 when Democrat President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated. Even with just days left for his term to end, Democrats are discussing whether to act quickly to impeach Trump as soon as next week if his Cabinet doesn’t first try to remove him after he encouraged his supporters to ransack the Capitol building in a siege that has left five people dead. The US President, on the other hand, has denounced the violence but calls have mounted for Trump to be removed. 

Moreover, leaders including Ted Lieu, David Cicilline, Jamie Raskin, and Ilhan Omar have drafted articles of impeachment. The resolution cites Trump’s interaction with the rally in Washington DC on January 6. They suggest that the President’s statements encouraged the chaos that unfolded, as Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol.

Read: US Capitol Siege LIVE: Donald Trump Concedes, Makes Way For Biden As Congress Confirms Win

Also Read: Trump Allowed On Twitter With 'final Warning' After 12hr Of Clampdown Post Capitol Siege

(Image Credits: AP)