A newly uncovered email leak has revealed a startling case of political interference within the U.S. intelligence community. According to The New York Times, Joe Kent, Chief of Staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, privately urged top intelligence officials to alter a national security assessment that contradicted the Trump administration’s legal justification for the deportation of Venezuelan migrants under the historic Alien Enemies Act.
The original intelligence analysis, dated February 26, reportedly found that the Trump administration lacked any solid legal footing to remove Venezuelan migrants without due process. The administration attempted to use the Alien Enemies Act—a wartime-era law from 1798—as its legal basis for deportation, but the report did not support that rationale.
Instead of accepting the findings, Kent reportedly leaned on officials to revise the document to support the administration’s narrative that a violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua (TDA), had direct ties to the Venezuelan government. This would provide a pretext for deporting Venezuelans as enemy agents or combatants.
In a now-public email dated April 3, Kent wrote, “We need to do some rewriting and more analytic work so this document is not used against the DNI or POTUS.” The email, which was sent to a group of intelligence officials including then-acting National Intelligence Council Chair Michael Collins, has caused uproar within the intelligence community.
Kent explicitly proposed narrative adjustments to the assessment: “Let’s just come out and say TDA leaders are given sanctuary in Venezuela as their gang members commit horrendous crimes in America, then we can provide the context about our exact knowledge of relationship between TDA and the Venezuelan government,” he instructed.
The original report concluded there was no solid evidence tying the Maduro regime to direct orders or support for TDA. Some FBI analysts suggested there may be passive tolerance or corruption within the Venezuelan system, but there was no proof of a state-backed plot.
The changes were requested urgently. Kent demanded that a revised memo be completed by the end of the week and ready for declassification so it could be submitted to the White House for political use.
In other internal communications, Kent harshly criticized the intelligence community for failing to fully “capture” what he considered the Biden administration’s role in fueling a border crisis. “TDA didn’t need logistical support from the Venezuelan government because Biden provided it for them,” he wrote. “I understand some may view this as political, but it’s not.”
The emails suggest a broader attempt to shift the immigration narrative, portraying the Trump administration as responding to a dire national threat rather than engaging in arbitrary mass deportations. Critics argue it’s a textbook case of politicizing intelligence.
The leak triggered immediate backlash across Washington. Intelligence veterans expressed alarm over attempts to alter findings to match policy preferences. “[This is] a clear breach of analytic integrity and nonpartisanship,” a former NIC analyst told The Daily Beast on condition of anonymity.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters, “We’ve spent decades insulating intelligence from politics. These emails are a flashing red warning sign that we may be backsliding into politicized reporting.”
Despite the pressure, sources indicate that the final version of the intelligence document—released in early May—remained mostly consistent with the original. It did not support the administration’s narrative that the TDA gang was acting as an extension of the Venezuelan government.
Nonetheless, tensions flared further when both Collins and his deputy, Maria Esteban, resigned suddenly last week, reportedly under pressure from Gabbard’s office. Several Democratic lawmakers believe the resignations were retaliatory in nature, a charge Gabbard’s office has denied.
The Trump administration has leaned heavily on the Alien Enemies Act, a law that has rarely been invoked in modern history, to justify expedited deportations. Since returning to office in January, Trump has revived a host of hardline immigration policies, placing special emphasis on dismantling alleged Venezuelan criminal networks operating inside the U.S.
In April, the administration designated Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization, alleging that its thousands of members are conducting “irregular warfare” and “hostile actions” against the United States. The gang, which originated in Venezuela’s notorious Tocorón prison, has been linked to extortion, human trafficking, and drug operations across Latin America.
However, critics point out that the terrorist designation lacks global recognition and further politicizes what many see as a regional criminal issue rather than an international terrorist threat.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has declined to comment on the emails. When contacted by The Daily Beast, a spokesperson said only, “We do not comment on internal communications, but the intelligence community remains committed to objective, apolitical analysis.”
Meanwhile, legal experts argue that any deportation strategy relying on manipulated intelligence could face substantial judicial challenges. “If these memos were altered to fit a political narrative, they could be inadmissible as evidence,” said Melissa Garvey, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown.
As of now, the emails continue to circulate within federal agencies, and congressional Democrats are considering a formal inquiry. “This is not just about one aide or one email,” said Rep. Himes. “This is about the future of honest intelligence in a democratic government.”
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