US to scale back its intelligence body to counter foreign influence
(MENAFN) The US is set to scale back an intelligence body established to counter foreign influence, part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to reduce government spending and depoliticize federal agencies.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Wednesday that the core functions of the “redundant” Foreign Malign Influence Center (FMIC) will be absorbed by other agencies.
The FMIC was created by Congress in 2019 following allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which Trump won. While Moscow denied attempting to influence the vote, Trump and Republicans argued that the claims were part of a Democratic effort to undermine his presidency.
“FMIC and its predecessor entities were used by the previous administration to justify the suppression of free speech and to censor political opposition,” Gabbard said.
Since mid-July, Gabbard has released documents claiming to expose a coordinated effort by senior Obama-era officials to falsely accuse Trump of colluding with Russia. She added Tuesday that, contrary to some claims, Moscow “did not appear to have any preference for one candidate over the other.”
Gabbard also said the Office of the Director of National Intelligence became “hyper-focused” on elections in 2017 after the CIA issued a “manufactured” report alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help Trump win.
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