BOZEMAN — Former U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist said Tuesday night that President Donald Trump has weakened the intelligence community and compromised national security, putting democracy at risk.
Tester and Tim Weiner, who has written five books about national security and covered the CIA for The New York Times, spoke to a crowd of about 200 people at Montana State University to kick off Free Press Fest, a journalism conference hosted by Montana Free Press. The three-day festival includes panel discussions on public lands, wealth in the West, political division and the state of journalism.
In his opening address, Weiner criticized the Trump administration for “systematically destroying” the CIA and FBI. He cited mass CIA firings, the implementation of ideological loyalty tests and the elimination of the CIA’s policy of diversity in hiring.
“Why is diversity in hiring a good idea at the CIA?” he asked. “Well, on the sound principle that sending an all White cadre out to spy in China or Pakistan or Sudan is terrible tradecraft. You want people who can swim in the sea of the people. You want people who speak the languages and understand the culture of the country they’re spying upon. … Diversity was the CIA’s superpower. It’s how they don’t get caught.”
Weiner went on to criticize CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, saying they are unqualified for their positions.
“These people are amateurs,” Weiner said. “And they’re amateurishness, their ideological blinders increase the risks of catastrophic, systemic intelligence failures.”
After his remarks, Weiner joined Tester in a discussion with questions asked by MTFP founder and executive editor John Adams. When asked why the Democratic party has failed in recent years to convince Americans that it has a stronger plan to keep the country secure, Tester criticized the party for focusing “on issues that people don’t vote on.”
“It’s not that they’re not important issues, it’s that people don’t vote on those issues,” he continued. “I could go down the line, whether you’re talking about climate change or how to manage public lands or about the intelligence community or whether you’re talking about military readiness or you’re talking about law enforcement, the Democrats could make a hell of a case. But, and I think to this country’s detriment, they haven’t.”
Tester also condemned Congress, saying the body “has been AWOL for the last nine months.”
“Congress needs to do their job,” he said. “They’re not. They’re just not doing their job.”
Weiner warned that if the U.S. were to go to war with another country, Trump could declare martial law, allowing the military to take control of the government, and possibly cancel the next election.
“He would truly rule as a dictator,” Weiner said. “That is what is at stake for every American in a crisis that has befallen our intelligence community.”
While pre-registration to attend Free Press Fest is full, visit montanafreepress.org/montana-free-press-fest-2025/registration for information on the waiting list. All events are livestreamed at MontanaFreePress.org.
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