If it weren't enough the Democrats are going to base an impeachment proceeding on the president's inquiry into corruption in Ukraine, it is, for myself, worse to find out the CIA has provided the casus belli for this carefully timed set up.

As a longtime CIA Operations Officer, I have become adept at "smelling a rat" as far as U.S. (and foreign) government machinations are concerned – this ops sense has been of great aid to me in my espionage career. I called out the Steele Dossier early and loudly – pointing out its obvious shortcomings from an intelligence perspective. This analysis was proven prescient by the ignominious end of the Mueller investigation embarrassment. Never satisfied, the progressives have, of course, launched Round 2.

My initial outraged reaction to this latest cabal creation, "Ukrainegate" has only been borne out by what we have learned since the story broke.

That a sitting president has been vilified by the execrable mainstream media for doing his job inquiring about a Ukrainian corruption investigation of Hunter Biden (Thanks, Joe!) is bad enough. I am even more outraged, however, it is my former service, CIA, that is culpable in this latest Democrat temper-tantrum.

When we look at the likelihood this was a "group effort" – that the "whistleblower" likely created and disclose his/her report for weeks, I begin to become concerned. When we learn the intelligence community (IC) had conveniently changed its criteria for inspector general reporting, and the report sought to discredit Attorney General William Barr, it is clear this is a set up. Disgraced ex-CIA Director John Brennan's inane recent tweets confirm what is now obvious.

Why would this scheme be launched now, of all times? The simple reason is the Justice Department's IG Michael Horowitz report (not to mention the ongoing Barr investigation) is due to be released shortly. This report will no doubt detail flagrant violation of the FISA system to target the 2016 Trump Campaign. Horowitz, and later Barr, will dynamite the reputations of Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., not to mention the discredited former leadership of the FBI and IC, from James Comey to James Clapper. This scheme, although likely to scuttle the hopes of Joe Biden, is worth the price – it seeks to shield the worst elements of the Deep State from further damage/justice.

But what does this say about the CIA?

First, it speaks to a culture of hubristic entitlement a GS-14 (likely) "whistleblower" would blithely file an IG report (having nothing to do with intelligence affairs, by the way) on the president simply because he/she objected to POTUS's constitutional exercising of his own foreign policy.

The IC is NOT a policy organ, and should not be – but this bureaucrat clearly thought him/herself above 70 years of IC practice. That the Whistleblower statute was recently altered to give this individual a voice is even worse. What do these facts say about the institutional bias within the IC?

The second truth revealed is self-examination is not the IC's strong suit. The dossier debacle, which blew back on the FBI, should have been a warning to the IC/CIA that playing politics in government agencies is the best way to destroy reputation and relevance. The inescapable fact is these agencies are basically politically liberal in outlook. Although this is not by itself alarming, it is clear that for years, laws/rules are being bent/broken to effect a political agenda – and too many personnel in the IC are OK with that – or at least afraid to voice their qualms.

Why no IG reporting in the wake of the Iranian money pallet?

When intelligence services become politicized, it destroys their objectivity and damages their capabilities. If the IC cannot be trusted to properly conduct its duties, it loses the trust of national leadership – or the American people, they can find themselves on the garbage heap of irrelevance.

This is the "canary in the coal mine" moment for the intelligence community. It must face reality and deal with the fact too many personnel within it are content to passively support political games against a president they did not vote for. It must be made clear illegality and questionable judgment cannot be tolerated on one side of the political field at the expense of the other within the intel community.

I have seen, after more than a decade abroad, the price intelligence services – and their nation – pay for politicization. The results can be deadly for national security.

Many of the American people have already made their views clear via a fundraising blizzard for the 2020 Trump Campaign in reply. Where I live, most are outraged by this latest blatant attempt to unseat a duly elected President. CIA's reputation, already suffering, might soon be irrecoverable.

It is clear major reform must be enacted lest the U.S. intelligence community devolve into partisanship and incompetence. In closing, it is clear to me, a reform-minded intelligence insider, must be appointed by the president to reverse the damage. This person is none other than the outstanding retired Senior CIA Analyst and President of the Center for Security Policy Fred Fleitz. Only when the intelligence community admits it has a big problem – and the canary is in fact dead – can the needed reform begin. Remember, our national security might depend on it!

Scott Uehlinger is a retired CIA Station Chief and Naval Officer. A Russian speaker, he spent 12 years of his career abroad in the former Soviet Union. In addition to teaching at NYU, he is a frequent Newsmax TV and Fox Business commentator. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.