Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired two top officials involved in a report that disputed President Donald Trump's arguments to use a wartime act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.
Concretely, Gabbard fired Michael Collins, acting chair of the National Intelligence Council (NIC), and Maria Langan-Riekhof, his deputy. The Washington Post noted that Gabbard has said she is fighting against the politization of the intelligence community, but her actions suggest a purge of officials not aligned with Trump's agenda.
"The Director is working alongside President Trump to end the weaponization and politicization of the Intelligence Community," said a DNI spokesperson after the news were reported.
The assessment in question disputed claims that Venezuela's authoritarian government is directing an invasion of the United States by the Tren de Aragua gang members. Released in April, the classified assessment was more comprehensive and authoritative than an earlier intelligence product released Feb. 26 and reported last month by The New York Times.
The report claims that Nicolas Maduro's government does have some low-level contacts with Tren de Aragua, yet the gang does not operate at his direction. President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act in mid-March, allowing for the swift deportation of Venezuelan migrants to a Salvadoran prison, proclaiming without evidence that the gang was perpetrating an "invasion" of the U.S. "at the direction" of Maduro's regime.
The assessment drew input from the 18 agencies that comprise the intelligence community. It provided support and extensive sourcing for its assertions, according to The Associated Press. Of the 18 organizations that make up the U.S. government's intelligence community, only one— the FBI— did not agree with the findings.
Under the Act, which is usually reserved only for times of war, the Trump administration sent planeloads of alleged gang members to El Salvador's notorious mega prison despite a judge's order to turn the planes around and afford the detainees an opportunity to challenge their removal through standard legal processes. The administration is still seeking to make use of the act, and on Tuesday a Pennsylvania judge for the first time ruled that the invocation of the act is lawful.
When asked about the findings, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence dismissed it as the work of "deep state actors" working in conjunction with the media.
"President Trump took necessary and historic action to safeguard our nation when he deported these violent Tren de Aragua terrorists," the statement said. "Now that America is safer without these terrorists in our cities, deep state actors have resorted to using their propaganda arm to attack the President's successful policies."
Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee said he is "concerned about the apparent removal of senior leadership at the National Intelligence Council without any explanation except vague accusations made in the media."
"Absent evidence to justify the firings, the workforce can only conclude that their jobs are contingent on producing analysis that is aligned with the President's agenda, rather than truthful and apolitical," he added.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
