A top Trump administration official pressured intelligence analysts to revise a key report that contradicted the president's public claims about Venezuelan gang activity, raising new concerns about the politicization of U.S. intelligence, according to internal emails.
In February, the National Intelligence Council completed an internal assessment that found no credible evidence linking Venezuela's government to the criminal gang Tren de Aragua, despite Trump publicly declaring such a connection to justify mass deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.
Trump's proclamation asserted that Venezuela was using the gang to conduct "irregular warfare" against the U.S., a claim not supported by intelligence findings, the New York Times reported. Emails reveal that Joe Kent, chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, urged analysts to revise the original report to avoid political fallout.
On March 24, just days after a New York Times article exposed the contradiction between Trump's statement and the intelligence report, Kent emailed analysts to "rethink" their assessment and produce a version more aligned with "basic common sense" and the administration's policy narrative. He also suggested the Biden administration had effectively aided the gang's migration efforts through lax border enforcement.
Despite revisions, the second version of the intelligence memo, completed April 7 and declassified in May, still refuted Trump's core assertion. While it acknowledged the presence of some gang members who may have received unofficial support, the report concluded that most intelligence linking Venezuela to gang-directed migration was "not credible."
Gabbard later dismissed key intelligence officials involved, calling them "deep-state bureaucrats." Since then, the revelations have intensified scrutiny of political interference in intelligence work under the Trump administration.
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