National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard fired two senior officials at the National Intelligence Council after it released a report concluding the Venezuelan government is unlikely to be directing the activities of Tren de Aragua, in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s countless claims to the contrary.
Trump has repeatedly asserted, while offering no evidence, that Venezuela is somehow guiding the actions of the street gang. Trump also invoked Tren de Aragua to justify invoking the Alien Enemies Act shortly after taking office, leaning on the 1798 law to deport people without due process.
Michael Collins, the acting chair of the National Intelligence Council, and deputy Maria Langan-Riekhof were fired Tuesday, a source told CNN. It’s unclear what role, if any, Collins and Langan-Riekhof played in producing the analysis.
The firings come a week after an intelligence assessment produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence found Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government probably isn’t involved in Tren de Aragua’s operations in the U.S.
The existence of that partially declassified assessment was first reported by The Washington Post.