DHS watchdog says Trump’s agency seems to have altered report on Russian interference in 2020 election partly because of politics

The April 26 Homeland Security inspector normal's assessment provides a damning look at the best way DHS' Workplace of Intelligence and Evaluation handled intelligence related to Russia's efforts to interfere within the US, stating the division had deviated from its customary procedures in modifying assessments related to Moscow's focusing on 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 information about how Russia is likely to be serving to his election prospects. According to special counsel Robert Mueller's report, Trump officers tried to keep away from the topic during meetings and at hearings, because he would grow to be enraged and upset when Russian meddling came up.

The US intelligence neighborhood announced through the 2020 marketing campaign that Russia was actively meddling in the election to weaken then-candidate Joe Biden. On 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 extra Trump-friendly narrative.

"We determined that the Appearing Secretary's involvement led to the uncommon occurrence of I&A ceasing dissemination of a product after it had already been authorized by the mission supervisor and circulated via superior notification," the report states.

"The delays and deviation from I&A's normal process and necessities put I&A vulnerable to creating a perception of politicization. This conclusion is supported by I&A's personal tradecraft evaluation, which decided that the product might be viewed as politicized," it continues.

The whistleblower claimed that Wolf had instructed DHS officials to "cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference" and, as an alternative, focus their efforts on gathering info related to actions being carried out by China and Iran.

The scope of the DHS IG report was restricted to the single intelligence report in question.

Initially, the IG discovered, the DHS Intelligence and Analysis Workplace had followed internal drafting and editing processes. The report was two pages in size and related to at least one "'current Democratic presidential candidate'" and to Russian actions to influence the presidential election. It advanced over time after receiving internal input, based on the IG report.

The IG also adopted up on a July 2020 meeting 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.'"

According to notes of the meeting obtained by the IG, one high official wrote: "AS1 -- will harm POTUS -- kill it per his authorities." The official advised the IG the notes meant the performing secretary had informed him to hold the product because it might damage Trump and the authorities cited have been in reference to those possessed by the secretary.

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

"I attempted to put myself in the position of one among our state and native partners who can be reading this and I could not see where the product, as written on July 8, would have added any value or given them any information they might use. ... The product was not well written," the performing secretary instructed the IG's workplace, according to the report.

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

CNN's Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.