#Whistleblower says Homeland Security chiefs censored Russia, white supremacist intel

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Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen
REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Top Homeland Security officials are accused of trying to censor or stop work related to threats from Russian influence activities or violent white supremacy in a new whistleblower report filed by a former top official from the department.

The report, released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee, was filed Tuesday by Brian Murphy, the former head of the intelligence branch within the Homeland Security Department.

In it, Murphy accuses multiple current and former leaders of the department — including former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, acting Secretary Chad Wolf and Ken Cuccinelli, the acting second-in-command at the department — of abuses in their positions.

After releasing the 24-page complaint, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) announced in a statement that his panel would subpoena Murphy to testify later this month.

In a statement, Schiff addressed the allegations themselves:

“Mr. Murphy’s allegations are serious — from senior officials suppressing intelligence reports on Russia’s election interference and making false statements to Congress about terrorism threats at our southern border, to modifying intelligence assessments to match the President’s rhetoric on Antifa and minimizing the threat posed by white supremacists.

“We have requested Mr. Murphy’s testimony before the Committee, pursuant to subpoena if necessary, alongside other already scheduled interviews with other DHS officials.”

Murphy says he was removed from his position in August as retaliation after his office published a report on the protesters in Portland, Ore.

He asks the department’s inspector general to investigate his removal in the complaint, saying that he was retaliated against for raising concerns to those above him and working with the IG.