The Atlantic

The High Cost of Politicizing Intelligence

Trump is undermining America’s national security by trying to shape analysis to support his world view.
Source: Alex Brandon / AP

The White House recently sought to enlist the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice to build a case for its controversial and unpopular immigration ban, CNN on Thursday. Among intelligence professionals, the request to produce analysis that supports a favored policy—vice producing analysis, and allowing it to inform policy—is called politicization. It is anathema to the training most analysts receive and the values that lie at the heart of the vocation. There is a high cost

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