Study reveals 'deep state' very happy

Peter Strzok and Robert Mueller

The so-called "deep state" has been all over the news in recent months.

Loosely defined, it's the career bureaucrats who wield considerable influence on the policy and practice of the federal government. While the heads of agencies are political appointees, changing with each president, "deep state" members, with their own political ideologies and agendas, remain.

One of the biggest "deep state" controversies at the moment centers on FBI counter-intelligence officer Peter Strzok, who exchanged emails with FBI paramour Lisa Page that revealed their efforts in 2016 to ensure Donald Trump did not become president of the United States.

At that time, Strzok was a key investigator of Hillary Clinton's mishandling of classified information. Strzok later was selected by Robert Mueller to help lead the investigation into Democratic Party claims that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to steal the election from Clinton.

President Trump has charged far-left activists embedded in the government are actively resisting his agenda.

Amid the internal turmoil, nevertheless, a report Friday from the director of National Intelligence said the "intelligence community" once again is a "best place to work."

The promotion stated: "For the ninth consecutive year, Intelligence Community employee job satisfaction ranks the IC as one of the 'Best Places to Work in the Federal Government,' according to an independent analysis of federal workers' job satisfaction and commitment."

What do YOU think? Is the Deep State trying to destroy Trump's presidency? Sound off in the WND Poll!

"The IC ranked fifth overall among large agencies that employ more than 15,000 full-time permanent employees, a category that includes 18 organizations. Rankings were compiled by the Partnership for Public Service and announced in December. The PPS presented awards to agency leaders at a Washington, D.C., ceremony [Friday]. Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon accepted the award on behalf of the IC."

Dan Coats, the DNI, commented: "Each day, I witness the talent and commitment of our dedicated officers. I take great pride in leading the extraordinary men and women serving in the Intelligence Community as they work to stay one step ahead of increasingly diverse and complicated threats."

For 2017, the IC finished in the top two in eight out of 14 categories, such as effective leadership, innovation, work-life balance and diversity, and finished in third place in four additional categories.

"We are only as good as our people and that every mission accomplishment is theirs," said Gordon, "This award belongs to the hard-working women and men of the IC. While their work can't always be recognized, our responsibility, every day, is to make our community and our workplace worthy of their commitment, dedication and professionalism."

The DNI explained PPS is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that "aims to revitalize the federal government by transforming the way government works and inspiring a new generation to serve."

It does various research projects.

Rankings are based on data from the 2017 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey in which more than 485,000 employees from 80 federal agencies participated.