still of Jeanine Pirro and Pam Bondi on Fox News; chyron: Trump invokes Alien Enemies Act

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An intelligence report debunked MAGA media claims about Tren de Aragua and Venezuela. A Trump official is now under fire for reportedly ordering the report be redone.

The New York Times reported that Trump intel official Joe Kent ordered the assessment to be edited to protect Donald Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard

Written by Jane Lee & Isabella Corrao

Published

Intelligence community assessments rejected the Trump administration’s claim that the Venezuela-based gang Tren de Aragua is being directed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s administration to infiltrate the United States. 

In response, the Trump administration dismissed the head of the National Intelligence Council and his deputy, making claims about the pair that an observer noted are “extremely difficult to believe” given that they served the country “faithfully” for decades. Administration official Joe Kent — a former fixture in far-right media and currently top aide to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — also ordered analysts to revise the intelligence assessment, reportedly in order to protect President Donald Trump and Gabbard.

Our research also shows that the revised report would more closely align with claims and rhetoric that were circulating in right-wing media.

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  • Trump official ordered an intelligence report contradicting administration claims to be redone so it “is not used against the DNI or POTUS”

    • On March 15, Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act regarding the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, alleging that the gang “is closely aligned with, and indeed has infiltrated, the Maduro regime, including its military and law enforcement apparatus.” [The White House, 3/15/25; The New York Times, 3/20/25]
    • Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act seems to hinge on whether Tren de Aragua was operating at the behest of the foreign government; courts have blocked further use of the law for now. The New York Times reported: “The issue centers on Mr. Trump’s invocation in March of a rarely used wartime law, the Alien Enemies Act, to summarily deport people accused of being members of the gang. After several planeloads of such transfers, courts have blocked any further use of the law for now.” [The New York Times, 5/20/25]
    • A February 26 intelligence assessment contradicted Trump’s claim that the Tren de Aragua gang was operating under the direction of the Maduro regime. The Times reported that U.S. intelligence findings “stand starkly at odds with Mr. Trump’s claims” and that the February 26 document “summarized the shared judgment of the nation’s spy agencies that the gang was not controlled by the Venezuelan government.” [The New York Times, 3/20/25]
    • According to the Times, Trump official Joe Kent ordered analysts to redo the February 26 intelligence assessment to protect Trump and Tulsi Gabbard. The Times quoted an email Kent sent April 3: “‘We need to do some rewriting’ and more analytic work ‘so this document is not used against the DNI or POTUS.’” Kent is Gabbard’s chief of staff and Trump’s pick to lead the National Counterterrorism Center. [The New York Times, 5/20/25] 
    • Before he was appointed to the Trump administration, Kent was a congressional candidate in Washington state, and he frequently appeared on right-wing programming such as One America News, Infowars, Steve Bannon’s War Room, and others. CNN also reported that Kent's ties to white nationalists included an interview with a Nazi sympathizer. [Media Matters, 11/7/22; 11/8/22; 11/21/22; 1/4/22; CNN, 9/30/22]
    • The National Intelligence Council found that “although there are some low-level contacts between the Maduro government and Tren de Aragua, or TdA, the gang does not operate at the direction of Venezuela’s leader.” The Washington Post reported, “The determination is the U.S. government’s most comprehensive assessment to date undercutting Trump’s rationale for deporting suspected gang members without due process under the Alien Enemies Act, the 1798 law last used during World War II that laid the foundation for the incarceration of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans.” [The Washington Post, 4/17/25]
    • Kent reportedly pushed the head of the National Intelligence Council, Michael Collins, to redo the assessment, and Collins was later removed from his position by  Gabbard “for just doing his job.” Reuters noted that Kent “pushed Michael Collins, the head of the National Intelligence Council, and other DNI officials to redo their assessment, taking into account points that had previously been articulated publicly by Trump.” Collins and his deputy, Maria Langan-Riekhof, were then removed from their positions. The Reuters report continued: “Both Collins and Langan-Riekhof have been accused publicly by ODNI for politicizing intelligence. But two people familiar with the situation said Kent pressured Collins to redo the initial intelligence assessment to more closely align with the administration’s public rhetoric. Collins, despite that request, held firm and instead supported the spy agencies’ original findings. 'It's clear that Collins got axed for just doing his job,' one former senior U.S. intelligence official said. 'Collins is respected throughout the entire community and has a long history of working on tough problems with the highest of integrity.'” A Center for Strategic & International studies analysis concluded that both Collins and his deputy “have served the IC faithfully for decades. Those allegations are extremely difficult to believe.” At Maddowblog, Steve Benen summarized the situation: “In other words, the National Intelligence Council analyzed the classified intelligence and provided a reality-based assessment. Soon after, a Trump appointee, unsatisfied with the available facts, effectively asked the council to do it again.” Fox News was given the exclusive on Gabbard firing Collins. [Reuters, 5/20/25; CSIS, 5/23/25; MSNBC, Maddowblog, 5/21/25; Fox News, 5/13/25]
    • Despite the pressure from Kent, the reassessment “reaffirmed the original findings.” “The memo, dated April 7, concluded that the Venezuelan government ‘probably does not have a policy of cooperating with T.D.A. and is not directing T.D.A. movement to and operations in the United States,’” the Times reported. [The New York Times, 5/16/25]
    • Former intelligence officers suggested that edits like Kent's went beyond what is typical. CBS News, in reporting on Kent's emails, wrote,“While it is not uncommon for analysts' views to be challenged and tested by officials within the chain of command, edits are usually sought to make assessments more reflective of existing data and evidence, and to do so irrespective of government policy, current and former intelligence officials said.” [CBS News, 5/22/25]
    • CSIS said the sort of disagreement between the intelligence community and the FBI that the Trump administration was allegedly trying to erase is generally part of a healthy intelligence system: “The FBI, being closer to the interviews, was more likely to take them at face value. Other intel agencies clearly assessed that those migrants might have had a reason to lie and discounted the interviews.” The Center for Strategic & International Studies' Emily Harding wrote: “Dissents are fairly common in IC-wide assessments. One of the lessons learned from both 9/11 and the intelligence failure around Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction was that dissent should be encouraged, as a way of facilitating healthy debate and combatting group think. Smart people looking at the same set of facts can disagree about what those facts mean, and transparently reflecting those disagreements to policymakers can only help inform smart policy. In this case, an FBI dissent is somewhat logical. Agencies tend to overvalue the intelligence that they collect. For example, the National Security Agency tends to dissent when it thinks signals intelligence disagrees with the main analytic line. This memo clearly included a debate about how much weight to give to the testimony of arrested migrants. The FBI, being closer to the interviews, was more likely to take them at face value. Other intel agencies clearly assessed that those migrants might have had a reason to lie and discounted the interviews.” [Center for Strategic & International Studies, 5/23/25]
    • Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT): Kent's actions were “the very definition of politicizing intelligence.” [CBS, Face The Nation, 5/25/25]
    • Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA): Kent “sought to alter an intelligence assessment to align with false political narratives pushed by Donald Trump.” Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a statement saying in part: “The recent revelations that Joe Kent, DNI Gabbard’s chief of staff and the nominee to lead the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), sought to alter an intelligence assessment to align with false political narratives pushed by Donald Trump are deeply disturbing, disqualifying, and frankly, dangerous. This was a blatant attempt to politicize national security to appease a president who has repeatedly shown contempt for facts and for the intelligence professionals sworn to defend this country. For years, the Director of National Intelligence has railed against so-called ‘deep state’ manipulation of intelligence. Now we learn that her closest aide, and Trump’s hand-picked nominee to one of the most sensitive roles in government, was actively pushing to distort intelligence because it contradicted a preferred political narrative. ... When intelligence is manipulated to fit a political agenda, our security is at risk. Our ability to prevent terrorist attacks, counter adversaries, and make sound decisions is only as good as the accuracy and integrity of the intelligence that informs it. Our intelligence agencies must be permitted to speak truth to power, not twist the truth to serve power.” [Website of Sen. Mark Warner, 5/21/25]

  • Right-wing media promoted the claim that Tren de Aragua has ties to Venezuelan government

    • Fox News guest and Center for a Secure Free Society Executive Director Joseph Humire declared that “Venezuela is basically infiltrating the United States through its TDA members.” [Fox News, America Reports, 1/27/25]
    • Fox contributor Paul Mauro while promoting a Fox Nation special on Tren de Aragua: “They appear to be Venezuelan government-linked. That was a revelation to me.” [Fox News, The Story with Martha MacCallum, 2/27/25]
    • Fox News guest Victor Avila claimed that “Tren de Aragua is backed up by Cartel de los Soles,” which he called “the biggest, biggest cartel there out of Venezuela that is run by Maduro, and this is how they get their financing, this is how they get their organization throughout the United States.” Host Martha MacCallum called “that link to Maduro” “pretty stunning.” [Fox News, The Story with Martha MacCallum, 3/17/25]
    • Former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro linked Tren de Aragua to the Venezuelan government. Pirro said, “There is an argument under the 1798 statute that has been — the Alien Enemies Act — that has been used three times, that they are a group that is actually involved with the Venezuelan government and the El Salvadoran government, and therefore, they can be deported.” [Fox News, The Five, 3/17/25]
    • On The Story with Martha MacCallum, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller: “Tren de Aragua was sent here by a foreign government; they are an agent of the Venezuelan government that has been sent to the United States.” Miller continued, “That is what triggers the predatory incursion language in the Alien Enemies Act.” [Fox News, The Story with Martha MacCallum, 3/17/25]
    • On Jesse Watters Primetime, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi declared Tren de Aragua to be “a foreign arm of the Venezuelan government. They are organized, they have a command structure, and they have invaded our country.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 3/17/25]
    • As a guest on Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt Tonight, Humire called Tren de Aragua a “proxy” of the Venezuelan government. Host Rob Schmitt said, “From what I understand, the Maduro regime had made deals with this gang inside of Venezuela,” and asked his guest to confirm that “they're being sent here to basically just destroy our country.” [Newsmax, Rob Schmitt Tonight, 3/18/25]
    • On The Five, co-host Dana Perino suggested that gangs “went all throughout the United States like a poison, perhaps with the help of the Maduro government to get them over here.” [Fox News, The Five, 3/18/25]
    • On Outnumbered, Fox host Rachel Campos-Duffy said: “This is an invasion. It’s weaponized migration. It was meant to destabilize our country. Donald Trump is doing the right thing.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 3/18/25]
    • Fox News guest Daniel Brunner said he “absolutely” thinks that members of Tren de Aragua “have support from Maduro.” He elaborated, “President Maduro's government has provided them financial support by getting them a gold mine.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 3/18/25]
    • Fox News correspondent William La Jeunesse reported that Tren de Aragua “started in and ultimately ran Venezuela’s prison system in a deal with the Maduro government.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 3/18/25]
    • On The Ingraham Angle, border czar Tom Homan called Tren de Aragua “an arm of the Maduro regime.” He continued, “They send these people here to destabilize this country through fentanyl and violence.” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 3/19/25]
    • Fox News legal editor and vice president Kerri Urbahn reported that the “DOJ has been arguing that Tren de Aragua is effectively a front for the Maduro regime,” using supposed evidence that “in Venezuela, when Tren de Aragua is in a particular area, they effectively set up a quasi government over the territory.” [Fox News,The Story with Martha MacCallum, 3/21/25]
    • On Sean Hannity’s radio show, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said, “Tren de Aragua … has actually been stood up and supported by the Maduro regime in Venezuela, so this is not a domestic terrorist organization. While they may be doing domestic terrorism, they’re a foreign terrorist organization designated by the Trump administration.” Wilson continued, “That makes them foreign actors of a foreign government, which supports the Alien Enemies Act arguments that have been made by the Trump administration.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Sean Hannity Show, 3/20/25]
    • Mauro explained that in using the Alien Enemies Act, the Trump administration has to “demonstrate that the crew that they deported is in fact somehow under the auspices of Maduro and Venezuela” and “they have to show the people deported are, in fact, TDA members.” He continued, “If they have those in the bank — they have the facts, they have the statute — that’s it. It’s going to be game over on appeal.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 3/24/25]
    • Fox News guest and former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr: “Is this a predatory incursion by a foreign nation or government? And I think the president is right and I think it is eminently defensible position that this is.” He continued, “We indicted the Maduro government in Venezuela because they were directly involved in drug trafficking to the United States and we determined that they were doing it to hurt the United States. … So I think the assessment of the current situation does support treating — handling — these TDA members under the Alien Enemies Act.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 3/25/25]
    • On The Story with Martha MacCallum, Avila shared that “a lot of people in the intelligence community and others that have shared with me that connection, especially TDA experts, that tell me that the Maduro regime is the one overseeing the TDA, the Tren de Aragua, members in the U.S.” [Fox News, The Story with Martha MacCallum, 3/26/25]
    • Fox host Carley Shimkus: “The Trump administration is most certainly going to argue what TDA experts and many in the intel community believe — that the Maduro regime is pushing these gang members strategically into the United States.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 3/27/25]
    • Fox host Will Cain quoted a Fox News  article, stating,  “The FBI assesses that in the next six to 18 months, Venezuelan government officials likely will attempt to leverage Tren de Aragua members in the United States as proxy actors to threaten, abduct and kill members of the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States,” and concluded, “Stunning details, which, if true, certainly give validation, one would think, to the usage of Alien Enemies Act of 1798.” He continued to claim that Maduro is “trying to destabilize the United States.” [Fox News, The Will Cain Show, 4/25/25]
    • Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade claimed that if the Trump administration “could prove through … interrogation that they were sent here by the Venezuelan government to create havoc and go after Venezuelans who were against Maduro and target them, that this was organized, this was thought out, and this was planned by another country, that would help sell their case.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/2/25]
    • Kilmeade asked Homan: “Do you believe that Venezuela sent TDA here to wreak havoc or they just think they were just getting rid of them? Do you think this is a tactic?” Homan replied: “No, it’s a predatory incursion. They came to the United States. We know they’re embedded through numerous investigations — they’re embedded with the Maduro regime. They came here to unsettle this country.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/29/25]
    • Fox News anchor John Roberts reported that “Venezuelan authorities were also facilitating the entry of TDA members into the United States as a way to try to destabilize the U.S.,” which would “seem to buttress Donald Trump's claim that he can use the Alien Enemies Act to get these people out of the country.” Guest and U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) agreed that “government action on the part of Venezuela is involved, yes, then you can use that 1798 act.” [Fox News, The Faulkner Focus, 4/24/25]
    • Humire on Fox: “Tren de Aragua is not your normal criminal organization, not your normal terrorist organization. They have state sponsorship.” [Fox News, America Reports, 5/15/25]
    • Right-wing pundit Julie Kelly: “I did a deep dive into the bogus intel memo by Biden holdovers dismissing ties between Maduro regime and Tren de Aragua, the basis of the president's Alien Enemies Act deportation policy. Tulsi Gabbard fired them last week. The report reminded me of John Brennan's laughable ICA from Dec 2016 claiming the Russians interfered in election to help Trump....” [Twitter/X, 5/19/25]