On its website, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) styles itself as the “world’s premier foreign intelligence agency”. It states that “the work we do at CIA is vital to U.S. national security. We collect and analyze foreign intelligence and conduct covert action. U.S. policymakers, including the President of the United States, make policy decisions informed by the information we provide”1. That has worked well, hasn’t it?
On its website, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), says it investigates the following:
Terrorism. This is said to be the organisation’s top priority and they say they use their investigative and intelligence capabilities to neutralise domestic extremists and help dismantle terrorist networks worldwide (I suspect massive US support for Israel is making the spread of terrorism more likely).
Violent crime. It says it plays a key role with law enforcement partners, in combatting violent crime involving gangs, crimes against children, crimes in ‘Indian Country’, fugitives and missing persons, kidnapping and bank robberies (Except for the Epstein-Trump crimes, the murder of people by ICE, and the kidnapping of citizens by ICE).
Cyber crime. It states that it is the lead federal agency for investigating cyberattacks by criminals, overseas adversaries and terrorists (Except dissemination of misinformation on social media if in support of the Trump regime).
Transnational organised crime. It states that it is dedicated to eliminating transnational organised crime groups that pose the greatest threat to the national an [sic] economic security of the US.
Counterintelligence and espionage. It states that it is the lead agency exposing, preventing and investigating intelligence activities, including espionage in the US.
Weapons of mass destruction. It investigates and works to prevent incidents involving nuclear, radiological, biological or chemical weapons.
Civil rights. It states it is the lead agency enforcing civil rights law, and aggressively investigates hate crime, “color of law abuses by public officials” (whatever that means), human trafficking and involuntary servitude and freedom of access to clinic entrances violations (Except racial profiling by ICE, and arrest without a warrant).
Public corruption. It states this poses a fundamental threat to our national security and way of life (Except the monumental corruption of the Trump regime).
White-collar crime. While it states these crimes are not violent, they are not victimless. It can destroy a company, wipe out a person’s life savings, cost investors billions of dollars, and erode the public’s trust in institutions2.
United States intelligence agencies such as these are part of a coalition of 18 federal organisations collectively known as the Intelligence Community (IC). They are all coordinated by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and are responsible for collecting, analysing and disseminating intelligence to protect national security and foreign policy interests.
The IC is divided into independent agencies, Department of Defense (DoD) components, and intelligence branches embedded within other federal departments.
I can only hope that the gofers put in charge of these organisations have not completely shut down their espionage activities or their investigations into criminality. However, the indications thus far do not engender confidence. Tulsi Gabbard was the Director of National Intelligence, and recently resigned when her second husband was diagnosed with cancer. She was in Congress, representing the second district of Hawaii. She has been in the Hawaii National Guard and served time in Iraq in a medical unit, and in Kuwait as a military police officer. During her time in Congress, she served on the House Armed Service Committee (including its Intelligence Subcommittee) and the House Foreign Affairs Committee3. Yet she still sold her soul to become a Trump gofer.
Gabbard’s ‘acting’ replacement is Bill Pulte, a businessman who served as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and as chairman of the Federal National Mortgage Association (commonly known as ‘Fannie Mae’) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (commonly known as ‘Freddie Mac’). He was named as the director of FHFA by Donald Trump in January 2025 and his appointment was confirmed by the senate the following March. It was he who appointed himself as chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He acted as Trump’s front man in the accusations of mortgage fraud against people who Trump considered enemies4. He has no experience in anything to do with intelligence gathering, but for Trump that is unimportant as he is a dedicated, obedient gofer.
What gets me about the US in general is that it is astonishing that such a monumentally incompetent, lying malignant narcissist as Trump could actually be elected. However, perhaps worse, is that in the institutions supposed to guard the US against all sorts of external and internal dangers to the nation, and advising the administration regarding those dangers, so few people seem capable of doing so. They appear to be intelligence organisations in name only. It must be galling for the dedicated people in these institutions to watch while some of the people most lacking in intelligence, run their country and their organisations.
It is the Trump regime which has eroded public trust in US government institutions; destroyed (at least in the medium term) almost all alliances the US had; damaged NATO; alienated other nations with tariffs which also increase inflation in the US; gutted science; ignored climate science; weakened vaccination mandates; weakened the CDC; rolled back human rights and civil rights; and finally, handed the future to China.
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