This is the agency that was thought to be sheltered from the massive layoffs of federal employees wanted by Donald Trump, in view of its importance for American security. And yet: Tuesday, February 4, all the officials of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in charge of American external information, received the announcement of a voluntary departure plan, announces the Wall Street Journal. A measure seen as a strategy of the new American president to refound American secret service To adapt it to its new foreign policy, focused on trade war with China.
Employees who accept to leave would maintain their salary and benefits for eight months. The current hires were frozen. The announcement comes as Donald Trump undertakes to reduce the enrollment of the federal government. Earlier, thousands of USAID officials, responsible for development aid abroad, were informed that they would be on Friday.
“A purge”
“Trump administration officials said this departure plan was also intended to point out to those who oppose its program that they should seek work elsewhere,” reports the Wsj. An operation qualified as “purge” by opponents of the Republican President, aimed at reshaping the agency to adapt it to its external priorities: the fight against drug cartels and the aggressive trade war towards China.
Even if it means targeting countries that have not been, so far, designated as enemies by the United States, like Mexico. Donald Trump may want to spy on his government in order to obtain additional power in commercial negotiations.
Political turn
“Some national security officials in the entourage of Trump believe that the CIA has been too focused in recent years on the analysis, to the detriment of the clandestine information collection and the conduct of secret operations “, Indicates for his part Cnn.
The concerns of the American secret service towards China is actually not new. While the agency had made the fight anti -terrorist its main target after the September 11 attacks, it has operated for several years a refocusing on Beijing, considered by security officials as the greatest long -term threat to Washington. Donald Trump’s deep anti-Chinese policy should strengthen this trend.