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Gabbard connected claims astir Obama
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is slashing her office's unit by much than 40% — the latest large Trump-era change slated for the quality agency.
The cuts astatine the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, oregon ODNI, are expected to prevention astir $700 cardinal annually, Gabbard's bureau estimated successful a statement. Gabbard said ODNI "has go bloated and inefficient, and the quality assemblage is rife with maltreatment of power."
In a fact sheet connected the changes — dubbed "ODNI 2.0" — the bureau said respective departments it argued were redundant would beryllium refocused. Those see the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center, which monitors for weapons of wide destruction; the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which describes its ngo arsenic "mitigating threats to democracy"; and the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, which handles cybersecurity.
The bureau is besides readying connected shutting down the National Intelligence University, merging it with the Pentagon's National Defense University. And it volition shutter the External Research Council and Strategic Futures Group, which ODNI accused of partisanship.
ODNI was created successful effect to the Sept. 11, 2001, violent attacks, which investigators accidental was preceded by a lack of communication betwixt U.S. quality agencies. Its duties see overseeing the dozens of agencies that marque up the quality assemblage and advising the president connected quality matters. Since ODNI's founding astir 20 years ago, immoderate members of some parties person supported changes to the agency.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, hailed Gabbard's restructuring plans. Earlier this year, Cotton introduced a bill that would headdress the fig of full-time ODNI employees astatine 650.
"Congress created the ODNI to beryllium a thin enactment that utilized tiny staffs to coordinate crossed the Intelligence Community and execute specific, important tasks. Today's announcement is an important measurement towards returning ODNI to that archetypal size, scope, and mission," Cotton said successful a statement.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the apical Democrat connected the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized Gabbard's moves successful a statement. He pointed to "broad, bipartisan statement that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is successful request of thoughtful reform."
"But fixed Director Gabbard's way grounds of politicizing quality – including her determination conscionable yesterday to revoke information clearances from vocation nationalist information officials – I person nary assurance that she is the close idiosyncratic to transportation retired this weighty responsibility," said Warner, successful notation to Gabbard's announcement Tuesday revoking the information clearances for dozens of existent and erstwhile authorities officials, accusing them of "politicization oregon weaponization of intelligence."
Since she was confirmed arsenic ODNI's person successful February, Gabbard has railed against what she views arsenic politicization of quality — drafting pushback from Democratic critics. In immoderate cases, she has reignited years-old governmental battles implicit Russian interference successful the 2016 election, releasing documents that she argues telephone into question the government's findings that Russia attempted to boost President Trump's campaign.
Last month, she declassified documents dating backmost to 2016 and accused Obama medication officials of engaging successful a "years-long coup" against Mr. Trump — suggesting determination could beryllium "criminal implications."
A spokesperson for erstwhile President Barack Obama called the allegations "bizarre" and "ridiculous." And Democratic lawmakers person condemned the papers releases, casting them arsenic a distraction and informing they could enactment quality sources astatine risk.
Joe Walsh is simply a elder exertion for integer authorities astatine CBS News. Joe antecedently covered breaking quality for Forbes and section quality successful Boston.
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