The requested database would identify suspected foreign intelligence threats and potential recruits, but some officials reportedly fear it could expose sensitive operations or be misused.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. intelligence agencies are resisting a Trump administration directive to create a centralized list of foreign espionage targets and potential intelligence recruits, according to reports citing people familiar with the dispute.
The request from President Donald Trump and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence would require agencies including the CIA and FBI to provide names of suspected foreign spies, targets of future investigations and individuals viewed as possible recruits for U.S. intelligence operations.
The proposal is intended to give the administration more visibility across the intelligence community and help agencies avoid conflicts in foreign intelligence work. Supporters have described the proposed database as a tool that could function in some ways like a terrorist watch list, allowing officials to track foreign intelligence threats in real time.
But the CIA and FBI have pushed back, with some officials warning that such a list could be misused, create security risks or compromise ongoing operations.
“The Trump administration is demanding that American intelligence officials turn over the names of all foreign espionage targets, including suspected spies and potential recruits, to create a master list that some officials fear will be misused or compromise operations, according to people familiar with the matter,” The New York Times reported Monday evening.
The effort began under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence while Tulsi Gabbard was still serving as director. Gabbard left the post on June 19, earlier than her previously expected June 30 departure date. Her successor, Bill Pulte, has continued pressing for the list, according to the reports.
The dispute has intensified in recent months, with ODNI officials clashing with counterparts at the FBI and CIA over whether the centralized database is necessary and how it would be protected.
“The effort by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has intensified in recent months, frustrating counterparts at the FBl and ClA, who are skeptical of the claims that a master list is necessary to avoid inadvertent conflicts between agencies and to better track foreign intelligence threats in real time,” The New York Times reported.
One unresolved issue is how such a list would be constructed and secured. According to the report, officials have not reached agreement even on the basic mechanics of creating, maintaining and protecting a database containing sensitive names connected to foreign intelligence operations.
“Officials still cannot agree on the most basic details, including how a list of what are known as foreign intelligence threat actors would be created, maintained and kept secure, the people said,” The New York Times reported.
The requested list would include people the FBI may seek to investigate or arrest, as well as foreign nationals the CIA may be attempting to recruit as intelligence assets.
That dual purpose has heightened concern among officials who say a centralized system could create operational vulnerabilities. If improperly handled, they warn, the database could reveal targets to hostile services, expose potential recruits or alert foreign intelligence actors that they are being monitored.
The disagreement remains internal, with agencies still debating how much information, if any, should be provided to ODNI.
“The disagreement over the master list continues to play out behind closed doors as officials spar over how much, if anything, to hand over to ODNI,” The Daily Mail reported Tuesday.
The standoff underscores a broader fight over intelligence oversight, agency independence and the handling of highly sensitive counterintelligence information under the Trump administration.
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