Trump officials told DHS staff to downplay white supremacy threat, Russian interference: whistleblower

Trump-appointed top officials at the Department of Homeland Security told subordinates to tinker with intelligence reports on domestic extremist groups so that the threat of white supremacist violence appeared “less severe," according to a whistleblower complaint released Wednesday.

By contrast, the whistleblower, career DHS officer Brian Murphy, alleged that the officials, acting Secretary Chad Wolf and Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, instructed him and other staff to exaggerate threat assessments about “anarchist” organizations like Antifa.

“Mr. Cuccinelli stated that Mr. Murphy needed to specifically modify the section on White Supremacy in a manner that made the threat appear less severe, as well as include information on the prominence of violent ‘left-wing’ groups,” states the complaint, which was released by the House Intelligence Committee.

“Mr. Murphy declined to make the requested modifications, and informed Mr. Cuccinelli that it would constitute censorship of analysis and the improper administration of an intelligence program.”