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 Safety inspector basic's assessment offers a damning look at the best way DHS' Workplace of Intelligence and Analysis handled intelligence related to Russia's efforts to intervene within the US, stating the division had deviated from its commonplace procedures in modifying assessments related to Moscow's concentrating 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 latest example of how his aides managed his aversion to any details about how Russia may be serving to his election prospects. In response to special counsel Robert Mueller's report, Trump officials tried to keep away from the topic throughout meetings and at hearings, because he would become enraged and upset when Russian meddling came up.

The US intelligence community introduced throughout the 2020 marketing campaign that Russia was actively meddling in the election to weaken then-candidate Joe Biden. At the time, Trump downplayed these 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 studies to foster a extra Trump-friendly narrative.

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

"The delays and deviation from I&A's commonplace process and necessities put I&A at risk of creating a perception of politicization. This conclusion is supported by I&A's own tradecraft assessment, which decided that the product is perhaps considered as politicized," it continues.

The whistleblower claimed that Wolf had instructed DHS officers to "cease providing intelligence assessments on the specter 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 limited to the one intelligence report in query.

Initially, the IG found, the DHS Intelligence and Analysis Workplace had followed internal drafting and modifying processes. The report was two pages in size and related to at least one "'present Democratic presidential candidate'" and to Russian activities to affect the presidential election. It developed over time after receiving inside input, based on the IG report.

The IG also followed up on a July 2020 meeting talked about by the whistleblower, who claimed Wolf had asked for the product to be held because "'it made the President look unhealthy.'"

In accordance with notes of the meeting obtained by the IG, one top official wrote: "AS1 -- will harm POTUS -- kill it per his authorities." The official instructed the IG the notes meant the performing secretary had advised him to hold the product as a result of it would damage Trump and the authorities cited had been in reference to those possessed by the secretary.

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

"I tried to place myself within the place of one in all our state and native partners who could be studying this and I couldn't see where the product, as written on July 8, would have added any value or given them any information they could use. ... The product was not properly written," the appearing secretary informed the IG's office, according to the report.

The delays and disruptions, though, put the workplace prone to creating the notion of politicization, the IG report states. The IG really useful working with the Office of the Secretary and I&A oversight entities to ensure election-related studies are in keeping with policies and guidelines. I&A agreed with the advice.

CNN's Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.