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Brian Murphy (intelligence official)

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Murphy in 2018

Brian Murphy was the acting United States Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis from March 2018 until August 2, 2020.[1][2][3]

Career

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He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the College of William & Mary, and a Master’s degree in Islamic studies from Columbia University.[1] He is currently a doctoral student at Georgetown University.[4] He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1994 to 1998 as an infantry officer. Murphy began his FBI career in 1998 and worked there for 20 years, culminating in a position responsible for the FBI’s national level counterterrorism programs. As a junior special agent assigned to the FBI's New York Field Office his work in counterterrorism were noted in an Esquire article called Brian Murphy V. The Bad Guys[5] Murphy was also a leading counterterrorism investigator who focused on illicit financing. He led an FBI investigation called Blackbear. The Blackbear illicit counterterrorism case was among the first of its kind in the post 9-11 environment.[6]

Murphy took a leave of absence from the FBI and was called back to active duty as a Marine Officer. As an infantry officer, Murphy served with a Marine reserve infantry battalion 2/24 in Iraq in 2004.[7] He later moved to DHS as the Principal Deputy for Intelligence and Analysis, and in May 2020 became Acting Under Secretary for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis.[1] He was temporarily reassigned from that position two months later after it was alleged his office had compiled dossiers of public information about journalists who were reporting on the George Floyd protests.[8]

Murphy has appeared as an expert witness on both international and domestic terrorism.[9][10][11]

Whistleblower complaint

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Murphy filed a whistleblower complaint[12] in September 2020 alleging episodes of misconduct by top DHS officials. Murphy asserted that DHS secretary Chad Wolf and his deputy Ken Cuccinelli instructed him “to modify intelligence assessments to ensure they matched up with the public comments by President Trump on the subject of ANTIFA and 'anarchist' groups” and to downplay the threat posed by white supremacists. Murphy stated he declined to comply. Murphy also claimed Wolf told him to "cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the US, and instead start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran.” Murphy said Wolf told him this directive came from White House national security advisor Robert O'Brien.[13][14]

He had also submitted prior complaints. In early 2020, he had submitted six internal complaints to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence about the way the intelligence program was addressing Russian disinformation. He had also filed two Office of the Inspector General reports about “attempted censorship of intelligence analysis.”[15]

Days before his September 2020 complaint, ABC News reported that DHS under Trump 2020 had withheld the July release of an intelligence bulletin to law enforcement that warned of Russian efforts to promote “allegations about the poor mental health” of Joe Biden. DHS chief of staff John Gountanis halted the release pending review by secretary Wolf. The bulletin stated that analysts had “high confidence” of the Russian efforts, which were similar to efforts by Trump and his campaign to depict Biden as mentally unfit. A DHS spokesperson said the bulletin was “delayed” because it did not meet the department’s standards. The bulletin had not been released as of the date of the ABC News report. Murphy asserted in his complaint that Wolf told him “the intelligence notification should be ‘held’ because it ‘made the President look bad.’”[16][17] Murphy alleged that Kirstjen Nielsen had politicized DHS.[18][19]

Much of what Murphy alleged in his complaint has been proven accurate by press accounts or reports issued by other government agencies. For example, Murphy claims about reporting on China and Iran over Russian interference was articulated in the March 2021 Office of Director of National Intelligence's Election 2020 Intelligence Community Assessment.[20][21]

On Juneteenth 2020, the "BlueLeaks" hack revealed a lack of information about right wing groups and Russian interference in the United States.[22][23]

Murphy also alleged the threat from right wing domestic extremists was substantial, but he received pressure not to reveal the results.[24][25] On January 6, 2021 the Capitol was overrun by extremists who were part of a right wing mob. Many reporters noted Murphy's intelligence predictions and the January 6 incident.[26][27][28][29][30]

In July, 2021 it was revealed the DHS Inspector General's Office had interfered in the investigation into Murphy's claims. And independent watch dog, the Project On Government Oversight, revealed in a seven page report that the DHS Inspector General, Joseph V. Cuffari, manipulated the investigation in an effort to disrupt the investigation into Murphy's claims. The report states Murphy was cleared in January 2021 of any wrong doing by the rank and file IG staff, however, the Inspector General blocked the release of the conclusions. The report and a NY Times article further explain the improper interference was conducted for political purposes. The Inspector General and other senior staff at the IG's office attempted to protect Wolf and Cuccinelli from being investigated. The article indicates the whistleblower allegations related to Russia and White Supremacy were among the causes for the improper intervention. Both articles state if Murphy had not been wrongfully removed in September 2020 there is evidence DHS would have been in a position to detect the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.[31][32][33]

According to the Wall Street Journal, Murphy had asked for substantial resource enhancements in 2019 and early 2020 to combat a growing disinformation threat from Russia and an emerging White Supremacy threat. His requests were denied by Wolf and Cuccinelli.[34] In August 2021 it was reported by the press that once Murphy was removed in July 2020 he was replaced by an inexperienced partisan employee, Joseph Maher. Maher shut-down all of the organizations ability to detect domestic terrorism threats. The reports suggest this led to the intelligence failures at DHS to identify violent online rhetoric in the lead up to the January 6th, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Maher was reported by the New York Times to have potentially retaliated against Murphy after Murphy filed his Whistleblower complaint.[35][36] According to a DHS intelligence document produced under the Freedom of Information Act, shortly after Wolf removed Murphy, Maher restricted the ability of DHS to collect pertinent intelligence about Russian interference and White Supremacy.[37]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Brian Murphy". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. July 9, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  2. ^ Kanno-Youngs, Zolan; Goldman, Adam (August 1, 2020). "Homeland Security Reassigns Official Whose Office Compiled Intelligence on Journalists: Brian Murphy's office compiled reports of protesters and journalists who were covering the Trump administration's response to unrest in Portland, Ore., last month". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Kanno-Youngs, Zolan; Fandos, Nicholas (September 9, 2020). "D.H.S. Downplayed Threats From Russia and White Supremacists, Whistle-Blower Says: Brian Murphy, the former head of the Department of Homeland Security's intelligence division, accused senior leaders of warping the agency around President Trump's political interests". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Brian Murphy". Georgetown 360. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  5. ^ Richardson, John H. (February 26, 2007). "Brian Murphy V. The Bad Guys: How the FBI and one extraordinary agent pursued and won a terrorism case without changing the standards of American justice". Esquire. Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Glaberson, William (November 18, 2004). "Behind Scenes, Informer's Path Led U.S. to 20 Terror Cases". The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  7. ^ "Marine reservists swap civilian comforts for war in Iraq's 'death triangle'". Agence France-Presse. December 4, 2004. Archived from the original on December 12, 2004. Retrieved September 4, 2021 – via space war (spacewar.com).
  8. ^ Sands, Geneva; Cohen, Zachary (August 1, 2020). "DHS official to be reassigned after intelligence collection on journalists". CNN. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  9. ^ "House Homeland Security Hearing on Domestic Terrorism". C-SPAN. May 8, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  10. ^ Glaberson, William (February 8, 2005). "Bin Laden Wanted Him Dead, Sheik on Trial Told the F.B.I." The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  11. ^ Moore, Kelly (November 26, 2007). "The Role of Federal Criminal Prosecutions in the War on Terror". Lewis and Clark Law School Journal. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  12. ^ Murphy, Brian (September 8, 2020). "In the Matter of Murphy, Brian Principal Deputy Under Secretary Department of Homeland Security Office of Intelligence & Analysis Complaint" (PDF). United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  13. ^ Kanno-Youngs, Zolan; Fandos, Nicholas (September 9, 2020). "D.H.S. Downplayed Threats From Russia and White Supremacists, Whistle-Blower Says: Brian Murphy, the former head of the Department of Homeland Security's intelligence division, accused senior leaders of warping the agency around President Trump's political interests". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  14. ^ Cohen, Zachary (September 9, 2020). "Whistleblower accuses Trump appointees of downplaying Russian interference and White supremacist threat". CNN. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  15. ^ O'Brien, Luke (September 12, 2020). "Trump Is Covering For Russia. A Homeland Security Whistleblower Adds To The Evidence". HuffPost. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  16. ^ "DHS withheld July intelligence bulletin calling out Russian attack on Biden's mental health". ABC News.
  17. ^ Landay, Jonathan; Hosenball, Mark (September 10, 2020). "U.S. intelligence official told to halt Russian 2020 election meddling threat assessments: whistleblower". Reuters. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  18. ^ Ward, Alex (September 11, 2020). "What to make of the DHS whistleblower's shocking complaint: Some of it doesn't quite add up, and other parts show the Department of Homeland Security is rotting from the top". Vox. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  19. ^ Siegel, Benjamin; Margolin, Josh; Bruggeman, Lucien (September 9, 2020). "Whistleblower details alleged politicization of intelligence at DHS: Complaint filed with watchdog includes claims of interference in intelligence". ABC News. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  20. ^ "Foreign Threats to the 2020 US Federal Elections" (PDF). National Intelligence Council (NIC). March 10, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 16, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  21. ^ Behrmann, Savannah (September 24, 2020). "Acting DHS secretary: White supremacy is 'most persistent and lethal threat' internally to US". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  22. ^ Lee, Micah (July 15, 2020). "Hack of 251 Law Enforcement Websites Exposes Personal Data of 700,000 Cops". The Intercept. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  23. ^ Elder, Jeff (August 18, 2020). "The activists who say they posted BlueLeaks tell the inside story of how the massive trove of police documents revealed how cops were tracking protesters". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  24. ^ Devereaux, Ryan (September 12, 2020). "BlueLeaks Documents Bolster Whistleblower Account of Intelligence Tampering at Homeland Security: The Department of Homeland Security has become an armed extension of Trumpism". The Intercept. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  25. ^ Devereaux, Ryan (July 25, 2020). "Before Portland, Trump's Shock Troops Went After Border Activists". The Intercept. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  26. ^ Garland, Eric. "Intelligence Analyst".
  27. ^ Formisano, Ron (May 27, 2021). "Republican ties to domestic terrorists explain why they want to look the other way on riot". Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  28. ^ Margolin, Josh; Bruggeman, Lucien (January 9, 2021). "Months ahead of Capitol riot, DHS threat assessment group was gutted: Officials. The Homeland Security intelligence branch faced scrutiny over the summer". ABC News. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  29. ^ Kanno-Youngs, Zolan; Hong, Nicole (4 April 2021). "Biden Steps up Federal Efforts to Combat Domestic Extremism". The New York Times.
  30. ^ Steib, Matt (4 April 2021). "Biden Admin Takes Steps to Defuse Domestic Extremism". New York. Archived from the original on April 5, 2021.
  31. ^ Kanno-Youngs, Zolan; Sullivan, Eileen (July 1, 2021). "Homeland Security Watchdog Delayed Inquiry, Complaint Says: The department's inspector general delayed looking into a retaliation complaint by a former intelligence chief until after the 2020 election, according to officials and a whistle-blower". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  32. ^ Zagorin, Adam; Schwellenbach, Nick (July 1, 2021). "Did Whistleblower Reprisal Help Set the Stage for a January 6 Intelligence Failure?". Project On Government Oversight (POGO) (pogo.org). Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  33. ^ Volsky, Brian (April 27, 2021). "CIGIE Integrity Committee Complaint: Brian Volsky's April 27, 2021 Complaint Filed With CIGIE". CIGIE (ignet.gov). Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  34. ^ Wise, Lindsay; Levy, Rachael (June 30, 2021). "House Approves Creation of Select Committee to Probe Jan. 6 Attack: Democrats support panel after bipartisan commission was blocked by Senate Republicans". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 2, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  35. ^ Levy, Rachael (August 11, 2021). "Jan. 6 Panel's Hiring of Homeland Security Official Draws Scrutiny: A committee investigating the Capitol assault has appointed an official whose own role beforehand has generated criticism". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  36. ^ Broadwater, Luke (August 11, 2021). "Aide to Capitol Riot Inquiry Is Accused of Whistle-Blower Retaliation: For the second time, a senior member of the staff of the House select committee on the Jan. 6 attack has been accused of retaliating against a whistle-blower in the Trump government". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  37. ^ "Memo shows how Homeland Security restricted flow of 'election-related' intelligence ahead of 1/6 -". www.kten.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-16.
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