(NationalUSNews.com) — According to former members of the United States intelligence community, former President Donald Trump may use American spy agencies against his political adversaries as a form of revenge.
Several former intelligence officials have expressed their concern about Trump potentially using the spy agencies against his political rivals and manipulating the agencies for personal gain. Approximately a dozen people connected to Western intelligence agencies expressed their concern about Trump during recent interviews, citing his actions during his first term as indicative of his plans for his second term.
During his first term as president, Trump faced multiple intelligence-related scandals, including an incident in which he allegedly mishandled classified documents. Trump also frequently criticized members of the intelligence community and accused officials connected to agencies like the CIA of acting against the United States’ interests. Trump has also often made comments about a “deep state” or shadow organization running the United States, which intelligence officials believe the former president may use as an excuse to discredit or disband American intelligence agencies.
A key concern for intelligence community members regarding another Trump term stems from the lack of restrictions on a president’s ability to control intelligence agencies like the CIA. Congress has hesitated to limit a president’s authority over intelligence agencies in the past, partly due to concerns about domestic threats if spy agencies lack the resources or freedom to monitor potential threats.
Despite the concerns from members of intelligence agencies like the CIA or the NSA, Trump’s campaign claims that the intelligence community’s accusations are unfounded. According to Trump’s senior political adviser, Brian Hughes, President Joe Biden weaponized intelligence agencies and used them to target Trump. Hughes said that Biden and other Democrats accused Trump of colluding with Russians in the 2016 presidential election, an accusation supported by intelligence officials but eventually proven false by investigators.
When discussing how Trump could weaponize American intelligence agencies, several officials have pointed out how former President Richard Nixon did something similar during his time in office. Nixon famously used the CIA to spy on Americans who protested the Vietnam War and tried to have the CIA interfere with the Watergate scandal investigation. Although intelligence officials believe Trump could use domestic spy agencies to his advantage, Trump’s campaign has repeatedly stated that if elected, he would not target his political adversaries or weaponize the American intelligence community.
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