Trump demands a "unique list" of spy agencies, while intelligence services oppose

The White House reportedly requested the centralization in a single document of the identities and targets pursued by American agencies in counterintelligence and foreign information operations, however, the leadership of some services warned that such a measure would dramatically increase the risk of compromising sources and secret operations. The subject has triggered tensions between President Donald Trump and the heads of the services, amid fears that a unified database could expose agents, contacts, and sensitive working methods, according to the New York Times.

What is happening

According to the cited reports, Donald Trump insisted on a "master list" that would unify information about spies and targets monitored by the American intelligence apparatus, while intelligence officials reportedly refused or requested limited access to the data.

Critics of this idea argue that gathering dispersed information in one place could create a major vulnerability point for national security.

International media describes the dispute as a new conflict between the White House and the intelligence community, at a time when political control over the services is already a tense subject.

The political stakes

The initiative would have been presented as a solution for streamlining and control, but agencies would see it as a hard-to-accept operational risk.

Such centralization could make it easier to track intelligence activity, but also more dangerous in the event of a leak of information.

In this context, the dispute is not only administrative but also one about the balance between political authority and the professional autonomy of the secret services.