Whistleblower update

A Department of Homeland Security official said in a whistleblower complaint that the head of DHS told him to stop reporting on the Russian threat to the U.S. election because it "made President Trump look bad."

The White House and DHS denied the allegations.

[...]

The DHS official, Brian Murphy, made the accusation in a formal whistleblower complaint filed Tuesday with the department's inspector general.

Murphy ran the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at DHS until the end of July, when he was demoted to a lesser management job.

Murphy says the acting secretary of DHS, Chad Wolf, told him twice — once in May and again in July — to withhold reporting on potential Russian threats to the election because it cast the president in a bad light. Murphy says he was also told emphasize potential threats from China and Iran.

[...]

According to the document, Wolf and his deputy, Ken Cuccinelli, told Murphy to "modify intelligence assessments to ensure they matched up with the public comments by President Trump."

[...]

Murphy says Wolf told him these instructions came from White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien.

  NPR

Like so many others, Murphy didn't say anything when he was in the position where doing so would have the most impact.

Murphy has been called to testify before the [House Intelligence Committee] on Sept. 21.

[...]

The Washington Post reported [in July] that Murphy's office at DHS was compiling "intelligence reports" on journalists covering the protests in Portland, Ore., and what they were saying on social media.

At the end of July, Murphy was removed from his intelligence post and demoted.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.