© DHSBrian Murphy
The Department of Homeland Security is removing its top intelligence official from his post amid criticism of his office's role in the civil unrest in Portland, Oregon.
Brian Murphy, who has been the acting chief of DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis, is being removed from that role, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to POLITICO. The person said acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf made the decision.
Murphy's removal comes in the wake of
a string of bruising reports about the office he runs. Over the last week, news has broken that
I&A compiled intelligence reports about journalists covering protests in Portland, including a reporter for the
New York Times. And on Friday,
The Washington Post reported it also monitored protesters' electronic communications.
Both stories raise legal concerns.Those protests, part of a nationwide movement against police brutality and racism, have been increasingly kinetic, with some protesters throwing fireworks and other objects at law enforcement officers protecting the federal courthouse. Law enforcement officials, in turn, have responded with tear gas and other controversial tactics.
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