DHS watchdog says Trump’s agency appears to have altered report on Russian interference in 2020 election in part due to politics

The April 26 Homeland Safety inspector basic's evaluation provides a damning have a look at the way DHS' Office of Intelligence and Analysis handled intelligence related to Russia's efforts to intrude in the US, stating the department had deviated from its normal procedures in modifying assessments associated to Moscow's targeting of the 2020 presidential election.

The conclusion that Trump's appointee appeared to have tried to downplay Russian meddling in a key intelligence report is the most recent instance of how his aides managed his aversion to any details about how Russia is perhaps helping his election prospects. In line with special counsel Robert Mueller's report, Trump officers tried to avoid the topic throughout meetings and at hearings, because he would become enraged and upset when Russian meddling came up.

The US intelligence neighborhood introduced in the course of the 2020 campaign that Russia was actively meddling in the election to weaken then-candidate Joe Biden. At the time, Trump downplayed those findings and promoted false claims about Biden that aligned with Russia's disinformation efforts. The IG report addresses previous suspicions that Trump appointees distorted some intelligence reviews to foster a more Trump-friendly narrative.

"We determined that the Acting Secretary's involvement led to the rare incidence of I&A ceasing dissemination of a product after it had already been permitted by the mission manager and circulated via advanced notification," the report states.

"The delays and deviation from I&A's standard course of and necessities put I&A at risk of making a perception of politicization. This conclusion is supported by I&A's personal tradecraft evaluation, which decided that the product may be viewed as politicized," it continues.

The whistleblower claimed that Wolf had instructed DHS officers to "stop offering intelligence assessments on the specter of Russian interference" and, instead, focus their efforts on gathering data related to activities being carried out by China and Iran.

The scope of the DHS IG report was limited to the only intelligence report in query.

Initially, the IG discovered, the DHS Intelligence and Evaluation Workplace had adopted inner drafting and enhancing processes. The report was two pages in length and associated to 1 "'present Democratic presidential candidate'" and to Russian actions to affect the presidential election. It developed over time after receiving internal input, in response to the IG report.

The IG additionally followed up on a July 2020 assembly talked about by the whistleblower, who claimed Wolf had requested for the product to be held as a result of "'it made the President look bad.'"

In response to notes of the assembly obtained by the IG, one top official wrote: "AS1 -- will damage POTUS -- kill it per his authorities." The official informed the IG the notes meant the appearing secretary had instructed him to carry the product as a result of it could hurt Trump and the authorities cited were in reference to these possessed by the secretary.

The IG's office interviewed Wolf, who denied saying this and added that he had requested for the product to be improved.

"I tried to put myself in the place of one of our state and native partners who would be studying this and I couldn't see the place the product, as written on July 8, would have added any worth or given them any information they might use. ... The product was not nicely written," the acting secretary instructed the IG's office, in keeping with the report.

The delays and disruptions, although, put the workplace at risk of creating the perception of politicization, the IG report states. The IG recommended working with the Workplace of the Secretary and I&A oversight entities to make sure election-related stories are in step with insurance policies and guidelines. I&A agreed with the advice.

CNN's Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.