By Charles Switzer
7:21am PST, Feb 11, 2025
Loyalty Tests for National Security Appointees
Candidates for top intelligence and law enforcement positions in President
Donald Trump's administration are reportedly being subjected to loyalty tests regarding the
2020 election and the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
According to sources, candidates were asked to confirm whether the election was "stolen" and whether January 6th was "an inside job."
Those who refused to give a straight "yes" answer were not selected. One former official who did not comply stated, "He was not willing to compromise his integrity by saying things he knew weren't true. He's not losing any sleep over his decision."
Here are four key takeaways from
The Washington Post's "explosive" report.
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Fear of Politicizing National Security Agencies
Concerns are growing that these "political litmus tests" could compromise national security.
Former senior intelligence officials argue that requiring partisan allegiance undermines the integrity of intelligence gathering. "It's not appropriate to condition jobs, especially in the intelligence and law enforcement community, on partisan political stances," said
John Bellinger III, a former White House National Security Council official.
Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats pressed Trump's FBI nominee,
Kash Patel, on whether he would seek retribution against FBI agents involved in January 6 investigations. Patel denied any such plans, though senior FBI officials were already being removed.
CIA, FBI and DOJ Under the Microscope
Trump's second administration is aggressively reshaping intelligence agencies, leading to mass buyouts at the CIA and a forced turnover at the FBI and DOJ. Interim DOJ leaders have ordered the FBI to hand over a list of personnel involved in January 6th cases, while multiple senior officials have already been forced out.
Meanwhile, intelligence veterans fear that the administration's scrutiny of past political affiliations during the president's first term could turn national security agencies into tools of political enforcement.
One former intelligence officer noted, "I don't understand how somebody could [lie about the election] and do their job."
Comparisons to Nixon and McCarthy-Era Loyalty Tests
Historians warn that Trump's approach to federal loyalty mirrors past political purges. Yale historian
Beverly Gage likened the move to former President
Richard Nixon's attempts to politicize intelligence agencies. "He wanted to take all of these big government agencies and make them responsive to the White House, make them loyal to him," she explained.
Intelligence historian
Jeffrey Rogg added that partisan attitudes toward intelligence agencies have flipped in recent years: "Whereas Democrats historically were suspicious of the FBI and intelligence organizations, now it's Republicans who are."
Trump and Musk's Government Restructuring Efforts
Trump and his fellow billionaire ally
Elon Musk are driving a broader effort to remake the federal government, including intelligence agencies. The Trump administration's application form reportedly asks candidates if they supported the president in the 2024 election and to explain what part of his campaign message they found most appealing.
Some intelligence professionals argue that reform is necessary, particularly to streamline bureaucratic agencies.
However, others worry that Trump's focus is more about ideological control than improving efficiency. "We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper," Musk bragged on social media in early February about the administration's restructuring efforts.
