Longtime CIA analyst resigns, calls Donald Trump’s actions in office ‘disturbing’

A longtime CIA analyst resigned from the agency last week because he “in good faith” he could not serve the administration of President Donald Trump.

In an opinion piece published in The Washington Post Monday, Edward Price said Trump’s campaign rhetoric, combined with some of his initial moves in the White House, led to his decision.

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Price specifically criticizes Trump’s speech in front of a memorial wall at CIA headquarters the day after taking office in which he defended the size of his inauguration crowd. He also cites Trump’s reorganization of the National Security Council last month, which has been seen as a downgrade in influence for intelligence officials.

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“To be clear, my decision had nothing to do with politics, and I would have been proud to again work under a Republican administration open to intelligence analysis. I served with conviction under President George W. Bush, some of whose policies I also found troubling, and I took part in programs that the Obama administration criticized and ended,” he wrote in the article titled, “I didn’t think I’d ever leave the CIA. But because of Trump, I quit.”

“As intelligence professionals, we’re taught to tune out politics. But this administration has flipped that dynamic on its head: The politicians are the ones tuning out the intelligence professionals.”

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Price worked at the CIA since 2006. He was also a spokesperson for the National Security Council from 2014 to earlier this year.

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The opinion piece comes at the same Trump announced his pick for national security adviser, Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, a soldier-scholar who fought in both Iraq wars.

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The White House says McMaster will remain on active military duty while leading the National Security Council. He has also published an influential book that called out the U.S. government for “lies” that led to the Vietnam War.

McMaster joins two retired generals – Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly – already in Trump’s inner circle, adding to the impression that the president prefers military men in top roles.

McMaster replaces retired Gen. Michael Flynn, who was fired last week after Trump determined that Flynn had misled Vice-President Mike Pence about his discussion with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. during the presidential transition.