Two senior officials at the US National Intelligence Council (NIC) were fired, weeks after the office prepared a report denying the Bolivarian government’s alleged involvement in the defunct Tren de Aragua (Aragua Train) criminal gang. This report was used as justification by the Trump administration to enforce the Alien Enemies Act and deport Venezuelan migrants to the CECOT detainment center in El Salvador.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard expelled the acting chairman of the NIC, Michael Collins, and his deputy, Maria Langan-Riekhof, according to a spokesperson for Gabbard’s office. These actions constitute an effort by Gabbard to combat the alleged politicization of US intelligence agencies, but are reflected in the dismissal of officials she deemed uncooperative with Trump’s political agenda.
The NIC is the primary agency for analyzing classified intelligence and creating classified reports for the president and other senior officials. Its reports include spy agencies’ analysis of apparent global threats to the United States, as well as investigations such as anomalous health incidents:
«Any action that diminishes its independence because politicians don’t like the independent conclusions it produces is the definition of the politicization they are condemning. Michael and Maria are incredible leaders and professionals in the intelligence community, not political actors,» said Jonathan Panikoff, deputy national intelligence official for the Middle East.