Gran McKerlie, Esq.

Intelligence community reform is long overdue. President Trump set out to get it done at the beginning of his second term, but it seems those efforts have been abandoned. The American people deserve a strong DNI who is empowered by POTUS to provide legitimate oversight of the IC. It’s why the role was established in the first place, after the abject failures of 9/11. Appointing Tulsi Gabbard as DNI was a shot across the bow that kicked the IC machine into overdrive, subverting and resisting any attempts for positive change every step of the way. Maybe POTUS got tired of the fight. The DNI is meant to serve as the final check on any intelligence coming from IC elements like the CIA/NSA/DOW to ensure the intel is presented to POTUS in its proper context. For example: Did we get this intel from a partner nation? How did they collect it? Why are they sharing it with us, and why now? In the lead up to the Iran war, intelligence was consistently presented to POTUS as “our intelligence,” when, in fact, it came from the Israelis. This is why DNI Gabbard’s public testimony was at times different than the CIA director’s—she testified to the U.S. Congress the consensus of the U.S. intelligence agencies, not of a foreign nation’s. Real IC reform cannot happen without an empowered DNI who is able to exercise the full scope of the role. The CIA is too proficient at handling the President’s appointed directors—it’s easy to get distracted once you’re caught up in the thrill of espionage & covert operations. Conversely, the DNI has the slightly more removed vantage point to assess operations & intelligence without being a part of the operations. Without a DNI looking into all covert action & special access programs to assess whether they’re aligned, these programs will continue to operate in the shadows—out of sight from POTUS, the public, & even most of the IC—all the while undermining POTUS’s agenda. The same concept applies to the DNI’s authority over the much-needed oversight of the FBI’s intelligence activities. Without an empowered DNI, there is no one looking into FBI investigations—like the J5 pipe bombs, the events of J6, or Butler, or Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The list goes on. Without the DNI overseeing the FBI, there is no check on domestic intelligence being used against the American people. Without legitimate oversight, the CIA & other IC elements will be permitted to continue enacting their own foreign policy, regardless of who the American people elect and the agendas we vote for.