EXCLUSIVE: 2024 Staff Survey of National Intelligence Council under Mike Collins reveals politicized, dysfunctional agency

A 2024 Climate Survey about the working environment at the National Intelligence Council under Acting Chair Mike Collins paints a picture of a department that has been politicized and damaging. The newly unclassified report, obtained by The Post Millennial, quotes employees within the agency who were working with and under Collins. Collins has been in the intelligence community for 28 years.

"The level of politicization from the DNI [Biden admin's Avril Haines] and the DDNI/MI [Morgan Muir] is out of control and appalling that no action has been taken," reads one comment from a staffer.

The declassification of the report comes as other information regarding correspondence between ODNI and NIC was declassified by Tulsi Gabbard as well. 

Collins was recently dismissed by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gababrd over the illegal leak of classified documents to news outlets, namely the AP, The New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Gabbard also removes Maria Langan-Riekhof, who was the number two under Collins. The two were let go, per Gabbard, because she is "working alongside President Trump to end the weaponization and politicization of the intelligence community."

Leaked information led to The New York Times making the assertion that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) was politically motivated in crafting assessments as to the relationship between the government of Venezuela and the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, which th Trump administration has said was invading the US. This assertion backed up the plan to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport criminal illegal immigrants from the United States.

The Climate Survey indicates that while Collins was suggesting that the NIC has become politicized under Trump, the politicization was present under Collins who was running that office. Gabbard has since moved the NIC offices out of the CIA and into ODNI.

"Under the leadership of NIC Acting Chair [Collins] and NIC Vice Chair for Analysis [Langan-Riekhof], morale at the NIC has reached an all-time low," a staffer is quoted as saying in the Climate Survey for 2024. "Many staff have stated that the NIC is the most abusive, toxic work environment we have ever encountered because of leadership’s open hostility toward ODNI and the onsite support staff. These issues are compounded by D/MI Muir’s unreasonable expectations for a NIC unit that has lost most of its resources and his refusal to provide care and feeding to the DMI workforce."

Another reads: "Most cadre I speak with are actively seeking employment outside the NIC, due to the toxic work environment created by the Acting Chair and Vice Chair for Analysis. Please conduct an off-the-record cadre sensing session or non-attributable poll as soon as possible. People will initially be hesitant to share because there is a deep sense of distrust, but you need to get people talking about their experiences."

Still another: "Detailees are empowered by the Acting NIC Chair and Vice Chair for Analysis to treat cadre support staff with disrespect and to ignore ODNI policies. The only person in NIC leadership attempting to do the right thing is the Vice Chair for Operations, but his efforts are consistently undercut by the A/Chair and VC/Analysis. I don’t see him staying much longer in this environment and I don’t blame him for leaving."

"It appears decisions are often based on individuals and their relationships (same home agency, gender, friend, etc.)," the Climate Survey reads, "not necessarily based on what the true need is for the organization. It also appears as if there is no accountability to adhere to ODNI's stated values, especially integrity."

FY24 Climate Survey Comments on the NIC by The Post Millennial on Scribd