Former CIA Officials Accuse Trump of Centralizing Power

Former CIA and national security officials have accused US President Donald Trump of taking steps to centralize power during his second term, weakening democratic oversight mechanisms and making the country less secure.Former CIA station chief Paul Kolbe told the Financial Times that Trump's management style is similar to that of authoritarian leaders who centralize power.Kolbe is one of over 400 former intelligence and national security officials who are part of The Steady State, a group established in 2016 due to concerns about rising authoritarianism in the US.The group argues that the Trump administration's erosion of oversight and control over institutions and the executive branch poses a risk to US democracy and the business environment.The fact that former officials who have worked in secrecy for years are now speaking out in public indicates growing concerns about Trump's policies.Former CIA analyst Julia Curlee argued that the public does not fully understand the extent to which key US institutions have been 'hollowed out and weakened'.