Army intelligence commander: Obama politicized and weaponized U.S. Intel community

Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin has repeatedly told the news media that former President Barack Hussein Obama had “politicized” and “weaponized” the U.S. intelligence community. Under Obama’s leadership and oversight, the intelligence community has become “somewhat discredited,” Gen. Boykin claims.

“The entire community has been politicized — the intelligence community [comprised of 17 agencies). And I think this is one of the results — this is one of the things that you’re seeing come out of that politicization.”

“You’re seeing guy[s] who are key in the Trump administration being targeted, and they have used the tools that they have available to them to bring these guys down,” Boykin explained.  “And I think this is a devastating loss to the Trump administration and to the country as a whole,” the decorated commander said.

William G. “Jerry” Boykin was the United States Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence under President George W. Bush from 2002 to 2007 and retired general officer. During his 36-year career in the military he spent more than a decade in the Delta Force and was involved in numerous high-profile missions, including the Black Hawk Down incident in Somalia.

Some of the U.S. intelligence community’s top analysts reportedly informed the Pentagon watchdog, Office of the Inspector General, that for several years their reports have been systematically edited to backup President Barack Obama‘s — and his national security team’s — assertions that the U.S. war on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was more successful than it actually was, according to news reports from outlets such as The Hill.

This revelation is being touted as the first time that so many intelligence analysts have complained to the Pentagon’s “top cop,” Inspector General Jon Rymer, about the politicizing of the intelligence gathering and analysis function. In July, a couple of analysts filed a complaint with Rymer’s office, after months of internal complaints were allegedly ignored.

It got so bad, according to Examiner source Pete Vanderhill, a former police intelligence division operative, that some of those career intelligence operatives who complained were bullied and forced to take early retirement, or the younger analysts just quit. After the mini-purge of intelligence officers, other analysts said they supported their colleagues’ formal report and can back up their claims of political shenanigans to make Obama, Kerry and others look good.

The most important — perhaps most damaging — complaint is that “senior [administration] officials are editing the intelligence analysts’ reports to bring them into line with the Obama administration’s claims” such as the Obama-led war on ISIS is successful. Also, the analysts were pressured, they say, to make Iran look less involved in terrorist support and that the Iranians have less interaction with terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorist groups. The suspected goal was to make Iran appear less dangerous to Americans while Obama and Kerry pursue a nuclear deal with the radical Islamist government.

Besides the internal investigation by Rymer’s office, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Texas), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said his committee is investigating. “No doubt that these allegations are troubling and the committee is looking into them,” Thornberry said. “Accurate intelligence and unbiased analysis can often be a life or death matter and must remain free from political pressure.”