Former CIA agent and Georgetown University professor John Gentry, who served at the agency from 1978 to 1990, claims the CIA underwent mass politicization during the Obama administration, Just the News reported.
In his new book, "Neutering the CIA: Why U.S. Intelligence Versus Trump Has Long-Term Consequences," Gentry details that the leftward shift in the intelligence agency occurred with the hiring of Democrat activists.
Gentry traces the roots of the CIA's politicization back to the 1990s, under the tenure of CIA analyst Robert Gates, who later served as defense secretary for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. According to Gentry, Gates was responsible for skewing agency reports to align with the political narratives of elected officials, as reported by The Washington Times.
The former CIA agent asserts that the Obama administration made significant changes to the agency, which he believes were designed to align with Obama's political agenda.
Obama and his appointees, Gentry writes, "made and institutionalized significant changes, largely by creating new structures, policies, and incentives designed to alter organizational cultures in ways congruent with Obama's political agenda."
Gentry goes further to label the CIA as a "center of partisan political activity." He argues that this political shift became particularly evident during the 2016 election, highlighting the embrace of the Christopher Steele dossier, which has since been discredited.
Gentry warns of the long-term implications of such politicization within the intelligence community, stating, "While activists tried hard to keep observers' focus on Trump and his exceptionalism, the preponderance of evidence points strongly to the continued existence of a politicized [intelligence community] that will cause problems for years to come — long after Trump has left the political scene."