The effort to smear Trump and Russia in the media has backfired and propelled the president-elect to propose a major housecleaning in the US intel community - but they aren't taking it lying down.

I first wrote in mid-December (here and here) about the campaign orchestrated by elements of the US intelligence community to accuse Russia of "hacking the US election" and its likely consequence – that incoming President Trump would deal harshly with the campaign's promoters.

The propaganda campaign had two objectives. First, to delegitimize Donald Trump's election as president. Second, to box Trump into a continued policy of antagonism toward Russia upon taking office.

The first objective failed totally on Dec 19th when the electoral college carried out its constitutional duty and formally elected Trump as President of the United States. The second objective is in the process of failing right now.

Now it appears mainstream media outlets have begun to confirm that the thesis of my first article of Dec. 15th is about to come true.

The New York Post, citing the Wall Street Journal, reported yesterday that " Donald Trump is working on a plan that would restructure the CIA — cutting staff at the agency's headquarters in Langley and moving more agents to field posts across the globe, a report says.

"The view from the Trump team is the intelligence world [is] becoming completely politicized," a source close to the President-elect told the Wall Street Journal.

The insider is one of the few people familiar with Trump's planning and said his advisers were also working to scale back the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as well.

"They all need to be slimmed down," the source said. "The focus will be on restructuring the agencies and how they interact."

Also according to the Post, Trump's nominee for CIA director, Mike Pompeo, and his national security advisor-designate Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn will spearhead the restructuring plan.

But notably, a statement from one anonymous inteviewee appeared to contain a veiled threat against the President-elect:

Intelligence officials told the Journal that they are ultimately disgusted with the President-elect's social media behavior and disapproval of the CIA.

"It's appalling," one official said. "No president has ever taken on the CIA and come out looking good."

This is an incredible statement, and one which was obviously made to the WSJ very deliberately and conscientiously, a paper with which the CIA is known to have strong ties.

The neocon rebels in the clandestine services are not happy that Donald Trump has publicly called them out for their warmongering Russophobic lies. Now they are sending him a message: "Don't cross us. Or you won't come out good."