On Senate Floor, Warner Warns of Intelligence Politicization

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WASHINGTON - On the floor of the United States Senate today, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, delivered a major address entitled "The Politicization of Intelligence: A Threat to Our National Security." In his remarks, Sen. Warner warned that President Trump and Director of National Intelligence Gabbard have systematically undermined the independence of the nation's intelligence community, highlighting how firings, revoked clearances, and retaliatory reassignments have silenced decades of expertise, punished analysts for telling the truth, and endangered America's ability to confront threats from adversaries.

"These are professionals who serve under Republican and Democratic administrations alike. They are career officials who put duty before politics. Who swear an oath not to any president but to the Constitution of the United States," said Warner today. "Yet as this administration fires and denigrates these very men and women, as expertise that takes literally decades to build is being thrown away because it conflicts with political talking points, as assessments grounded in fact are being shelved in favor of conspiracy theories, our adversaries are conspiring, sharing intelligence and military capabilities, and strategizing over how to weaken the United States while advancing a very different authoritarian vision for the world."

"At the same time, I fear the integrity of our intelligence is being sacrificed on the altar of partisan convenience," Warner continued. "Mr. President, this is not some kind of inside-the-Beltway turn battle and it's not another partisan disagreement. I believe at stake is something much more fundamental - whether America will continue to have an intelligence community free to speak truth to power."

Senator Warner's remarks as prepared for delivery appear below:

M. President, I rise today out of deep concern for the future of our intelligence community and, in turn, the security of the United States.

For months now, we've watched President Trump's administration - led in this arena by his hand-picked Director of National Intelligence, Ms. Gabbard - systematically undermine the men and women whose only mission is to keep this country safe.

These are professionals who serve under Republican and Democratic administrations alike. They are career officials who put duty before politics, who swear an oath not to any president, but to the Constitution of the United States.

As this administration fires and denigrates those very men and women…

As expertise that takes decades to build is being thrown away because it conflicts with political talking points…

As assessments grounded in fact are being shelved in favor of conspiracy theories…

Our adversaries are conspiring, sharing intelligence and military capabilities, and strategizing over how to weaken the United States while advancing a different authoritarian vision for the world.

At the same time, I fear, the integrity of our intelligence is being sacrificed on the altar of partisan convenience.

M. President, this is not some inside-the-Beltway turf battle, and it is not just another partisan disagreement.

At stake is something much more fundamental: whether America will continue to have an intelligence community free to "speak truth to power," or whether political pressure will blind us to the very real threats our nation faces.

History shows us what happens when intelligence is ignored, manipulated, or kept from those who need it most.

In 1941, the United States Navy intercepted communications showing that Japan was planning to attack Pearl Harbor. That knowledge, however, was of little use, because it was not communicated to the people who could take action to protect the fleet. The result was a devastating surprise that cost thousands of American lives.

In the aftermath, Congress resolved that we could never again afford to be blindsided. In 1947, Congress created the Central Intelligence Agency, the modern Department of Defense, and other institutions to ensure that unfiltered, unbiased intelligence is provided to the president, to Congress, and to our military. These institutions are meant to protect us from surprises, and to give policymakers the truth, even when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient.

For the most part, this system has worked.

But it has never been perfect.

The abuses revealed by the Church Committee in the 1970s made clear why strong congressional oversight is essential. That's why Congress established the Senate Intelligence Committee in 1976, and our House counterpart the following year.

Today, while not flawless, these committees remain the best check we have to ensure our intelligence agencies uphold American values and laws, avoid repeating past mistakes, and learn from them when they do occur.

Even with our modern system of congressional oversight, we have seen tragic failures: intelligence failed to predict the collapse of the Soviet Union. We failed to "connect the dots" before 9/11. And perhaps most foreboding, in the run-up to the Iraq War, intelligence was distorted to fit policy preferences. Intelligence about weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein's ties to al-Qaeda were inflated and cherry-picked. Analysts who raised doubts were ignored.

The result was a devastating war in Iraq, fought under false pretenses, that cost thousands of American servicemembers their lives and limbs.

But we learned from these failures: After the September 11th attacks, Congress placed additional safeguards and created a new position: Director of National Intelligence. The objective was to better coordinate our intelligence agencies, to avoid "group-think," to remove silos among our intelligence agencies, and to ensure that analysts could provide thorough, candid assessments - even when the truth was uncomfortable or unwelcome.

That was the commitment I asked the current Director of National Intelligence, Ms. Gabbard, to make during her confirmation hearing. And she assured our Committee and the American people that she would protect the independence of the intelligence community - ensure that the IC is never politicized. She even pointed to the run-up to the war in Iraq as the clearest example of what happens when intelligence is bent to fit policy, and the president is told only what he wants to hear. She pledged that she would never allow those mistakes to be repeated on her watch.

But, M. President, in only six months, we have seen the opposite from this administration.

We've seen career FBI agents - people who have risked their lives for this country - forced out of their positions simply for investigating crimes connected to the January 6th insurrection. These were professionals following the law, performing their sworn duties, and yet their service was treated as disloyalty.

Careers were ended, and decades of expertise were discarded, just for doing the job they were entrusted to do.

We've seen the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the National Intelligence Council dismissed because their well-documented, evidence-based assessment of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua criminal network did not align with the administration's preferred narrative.

These analysts presented carefully sourced intelligence showing that the gang acted independently of the Venezuelan government - not at the behest of foreign officials - and yet their findings were rejected, and their leadership positions removed, simply because the truth did not fit a politically convenient story.

To be clear, there is no question that both Maduro's regime and TdA are ruthless actors who pose real threats… but punishing intelligence officials for telling the truth only weakens our ability to confront them effectively.

We've seen the three-star general leading the Defense Intelligence Agency pushed out after analysts produced a straightforward, evidence-based assessment showing that Iran's nuclear program had not been "obliterated," as President Trump so loudly claimed.

Rather than face facts, the administration decided to punish the messenger.

We've seen analysts with decades of experience on Russia stripped of their security clearances, or reassigned, at the very moment their expertise is needed most.

DNI Gabbard has personally revoked the clearances of at least 37 individuals in a transparently political act of vengeance, sweeping aside decades of experience with the stroke of a pen, and, in at least one case, exposing an official working under cover.

We've seen statutory requirements to keep Congress fully and currently informed ignored, oversight stymied and obstructed, and inspectors general and their personnel silenced, forced out, or removed.

We've even seen highly sensitive intelligence declassified and released, for clearly political purposes, without proper coordination with the agencies responsible for protecting sources and methods. These disclosures risk revealing the identities of assets, the techniques we rely on, and the credibility of ongoing operations… all for the sake of advancing a political narrative. The very tools that protect lives and maintain America's strategic advantage are being treated as leverage in a partisan game.

Let's remember: the so-called "Russia hoax" assessment, which this administration continues to disparage, was a coordinated, unanimous finding by the entire intelligence community.

Our Committee - on a bipartisan, unanimous basis - reviewed it and validated it. Extensively. Not a single one of my Republican colleagues objected to its findings, including the current Secretary of State, then-Committee Chairman Senator Rubio.

And what did that assessment actually conclude? That Russia conducted a sweeping and systematic campaign to interfere in our 2016 election. That Moscow's goal was to sow chaos, to undermine faith in American democracy, and specifically to boost Donald Trump's candidacy. These findings were not partisan talking points. They were the sober judgment of career professionals, backed by evidence, and affirmed by both parties in Congress.

And, as troubling as all of this is, what may be most astonishing is who seems to be calling the shots. Not seasoned national security leaders. Not career intelligence professionals. But conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer… a figure who has called the 9/11 terrorist attacks "an inside job," who has described herself as a "pro-white nationalist" and a "proud Islamophobe," and who has made openly racist and anti-Muslim statements.

This is not someone with even a shred of credibility, let alone the experience or the judgment we should demand from those influencing U.S. national security decisions.

Yet time and again, we have seen senior officials pushed out of their posts because Ms. Loomer decided they were not sufficiently loyal to the president. National Security Council staffers - people well known and respected on both sides of the aisle, including staffers who worked for my Republican colleagues in the Senate - were shown the door at her demand.

The top two officials at the National Security Agency - including a well-respected four-star general, Timothy Haugh - forced out, along with the agency's general counsel… again at Loomer's behest.

These are critical posts in one of our most important intelligence organizations, vacated not because of misconduct or failure, but because of the whims of a political provocateur whose public record is filled with hate and conspiracies.

And just a few weeks ago, we saw something that I believe should trouble every member of this body, regardless of party.

My staff and I had arranged a visit to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, located in my home state of Virginia, so that I could perform my constitutional duty of oversight… and meet with intelligence professionals who also happen to be my constituents. Yet at the last minute, that visit was blocked… again, apparently, at the direction of Laura Loomer.

M. President, what does it say about the state of our national security when a self-proclaimed white nationalist and Islamophobe, with a personal vendetta against U.S. government officials, someone with no accountability, no clearance, and no sworn duty to the Constitution, can dictate who serves in critical intelligence positions, and even prevent members of this chamber from conducting basic oversight?

M. President: I must also ask you: why is this administration going to war against the very professionals sworn to keep our country safe? Why are decades of service and sacrifice tossed aside, because they are obliged to provide unbiased truth? Because it is inconvenient? Because their assessments are not what the DNI and the president want to hear?

The safeguards we put in place… the oversight this body provides… only work if intelligence officers know that they can tell the truth without losing their jobs. If analysts believe their careers will be destroyed for offering inconvenient assessments, then we will only get the intelligence the White House wants.

Imagine the consequences if our intelligence community is forced to spend its time chasing down conspiracy theories instead of monitoring terrorist networks, cyber threats, or foreign adversaries.

Imagine if analysts stop flagging real dangers because they fear political retaliation.

Imagine if experienced officers walk away from service altogether because they know their expertise will be dismissed or punished.

That kind of environment doesn't just weaken our intelligence community, it puts every American family at risk.

M. President, this is not a partisan point. Democrats and Republicans alike have relied on the intelligence community to keep this country safe. Every president, whether they liked what they were hearing or not, has depended on accurate, independent analysis to make decisions that affect millions of lives.

That is what makes the current moment so alarming. We are dismantling trust in institutions that took generations to build. We are eroding morale among some of the most dedicated professionals in public service. And we are sending a clear message to young officers: don't bother building a career in intelligence if you plan to tell the truth.

Meanwhile, our adversaries aren't slowing down. Cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, nuclear proliferation, terrorist attacks, transnational criminal organizations… these threats are real, and they will not wait for us to get our house in order. If we let politics dictate what intelligence is acceptable, we are effectively flying blind.

That's why I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle: take this seriously. We can disagree about policy, but we cannot allow the facts themselves to be corrupted. The intelligence community must remain independent, professional, and committed to the Constitution above all else.

The men and women who dedicate their lives to this work deserve nothing less. And the American people deserve nothing less.

Thank you M. President, I yield the floor.