It might make sense for the administration to alter reports in a way that paints a rosier picture for the public, but what would be the point of altering intelligence that will only be seen by people with security clearances?
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm .... to fool them too?
There is a vile trend of telling “what you think they want to hear,” rather than the truth that has permeated the entire system. Changing the narrative in a classified environment is exponentially easier than in the public arena. It is a very controlled environment, filled primarily with career bureaucrats looking out only for their self interest.
Many staff meetings have degenerated into “The Stepford Wives do Groundhog Day.” And always remember, omission is harder to prove.
Bullet points:
Plausible deniability for the higher-ups.
Alter the intel picture to render any action taken incorrect or ineffective.
Shift blame for outcomes to lower ranking but loyal and effective analysts/operatives, discrediting them while justifying treasonous actions taken with malice and forethought.
“......but what would be the point of altering intelligence that will only be seen by people with security clearances?”
Isn’t it obvious? The minions who serve the pos in the WH are creating protection for said pos in the WH In the form of doctored reports which, when the shit hits the fan the POS in the WH will point to and claim he was not aware of how badly things were going because he was given bad intel.
To rewrite history when those classified documents are declassified decades from now?