homersapien 11,388 Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Here we go again. Second verse, same as the first. Trump will be remembered as perhaps the only U.S. president that totally betrayed the country's interest in favor of his personal interests. Move aside Benedict Arnold, your place in history is about to be replaced with Donald Trump. A damning new article reveals how Trump enables Russian election interference Max Boot Columnist August 8, 2020 at 5:36 p.m. EDT “The options faced by the intelligence community during Trump’s presidency have been stark: avoid infuriating the president but compromise the agencies’ ostensible independence, or assert that independence and find yourself replaced with a more sycophantic alternative.” So writes Robert Draper in a lengthy and devastating New York Times Magazine article about President Trump’s attempts to politicize intelligence — in particular by preventing the intelligence community from speaking honestly about Russian attacks on our elections. Nothing better illustrates the intelligence community’s struggles to protect the United States under this administration than the statement about foreign election interference issued on Friday by William Evanina, a career law enforcement official who was chosen by Trump as director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. This was a follow up to an anodyne statement Evanina had issued two weeks earlier warning that “Russia continues to spread disinformation in the U.S. that is designed to undermine confidence in our democratic process and denigrate what it sees as an anti-Russia ‘establishment’ in America.” Democratic members of Congress who were briefed on the top-secret findings begged for intelligence officials to be more forthcoming with the public. Evanina was — but only up to a point. His Friday statement acknowledged that “Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden” and that “some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump’s candidacy on social media and Russian television.” For example, he noted that “pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach is spreading claims about corruption — including through publicizing leaked phone calls — to undermine former Vice President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party.” Left unstated is that Derkach has met repeatedly with Trump’s lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, as part of this effort, and that Sen. Ron Johnson (R.-Wis.) is now launching a politically motivated investigation based on the Russian propaganda against Biden. Yet even while admitting that Russia is once again mounting a covert campaign to help Trump, Evanina felt compelled to balance this inconvenient reality by also saying what Trump wants to hear: that China and Iran favor Biden’s election. This moral equivalence disguises the difference between Iranian and Chinese opposition to Trump — expressed primarily through public statements and actions — and the covert disinformation campaign waged by Russia with eager assistance from Trump’s aides and enablers. “Between China and Russia, only one of those two is trying to actively influence the outcome of the 2020 election, full stop,” a senior U.S. official told The Post. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who has been briefed on the intelligence findings, suggests that the intelligence community is still concealing the full extent of Russian interference. He wrote in a Post opinion column that “the sophisticated tactics and techniques described in [a State Department] report make Moscow’s past interference and nefarious actions look like child’s play,” and “there is much more” information — "much of it even more chilling” — that has yet to be released. Even getting this much information out has been a major struggle for the intelligence community. The New York Times Magazine reports that pressure from the White House forced a change in a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) issued last year to remove a finding that Russia wanted to reelect Trump. Instead the NIE was rewritten to read: “Russian leaders probably assess that chances to improve relations with the U.S. will diminish under a different U.S. president.” Michael Morell, a former acting CIA director, tweeted that if this account is accurate, “it is the first example the public knows of the IC tailoring a written product to avoid angering POTUS. That would be the IC politicizing its own work.” The Times article suggests that Dan Coats was fired as director of national intelligence because he wouldn’t make the changes in the NIE that Trump wanted. His successor, Vice Adm. Joseph Maguire, did so, but his tenure as acting DNI was cut short after one of his subordinates told the House Intelligence Community on Feb. 13 that Russia wanted Trump to win. Maguire has been replaced by one Trump sycophant after another — first acting DNI Richard Grenell and now former Republican representative John Ratcliffe of Texas. In explaining why he chose the unqualified Ratcliffe, Trump said, “I think we need somebody like that that’s strong and can really rein it in. As you’ve all learned, the intelligence agencies have run amok.” Unfortunately, Trump has succeeded in browbeating and intimidating the intelligence community. As one source told Draper: “The problem is that when you’ve been treated the way the intelligence community has, they become afraid of their own shadow.” We are all suffering from scandal fatigue, but this scandal cannot be ignored: Trump does not want the intelligence community to expose Russian attacks because he is their beneficiary. This is yet another example of how Trump undermines our democracy and subordinates our national security to his personal interests. It is hard to imagine a greater or more dangerous dereliction of duty. If Trump is not held accountable in November, the damage to our institutions may become irreversible. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/08/08/russia-is-interfering-our-elections-again-trump-wont-let-intelligence-community-say-so/?hpid=hp_save-opinions-float-right-4-0_opinion-card-c-right%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj3jordan 2,056 Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 9 hours ago, homersapien said: senior U.S. official told The Post. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who has been briefed on the intelligence findings, suggests that the intelligence community is still concealing Black helos inbound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,388 Posted August 10, 2020 Author Share Posted August 10, 2020 13 hours ago, jj3jordan said: Black helos inbound. Donald Trump Is Undermining Intelligence Gathering https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/opinion/how-trump-undermines-intelligence-gathering.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj3jordan 2,056 Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Does this guy not understand that the intelligence agencies he is promoting were actively trying to destroy his candidacy, transition, and presidency? It's not a mystery why Trump doesn't trust them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,427 Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 homey, you have been ssssoooo wrong on this for 4 years. 4 years of this crapola every single day and what has it gotten you? You have wasted so much server space on here with RUSSIANS!!!! COLLUSION!!! IMPEACHMENT!!!!!!! and what has it gotten you? Really, next to nothing. No one in America with a brain ever believed this for long. Feinstein, Waters, and Jones all said publicly that this was a NOTHING BURGER back in 2017. If you had listened you would have saved face and and saved the rest of us 4 years of your BS. Now, what have got? Trump will be removed by the ballot, just like I said four years ago. The rest of the board has had to endure 4 years of you ranting and raving and BEING WRONG AS USUAL, your true SuperPower. And now, with Strzok's notes etc and the other notes from FBI Agents all questioning what they were doing chasing Carter Paige etc. I do not like Trump at all. But it was clearly exactly as it is being shown to be now, rogue agents that really didnt have little more than s*** trying to manufacture s***. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,388 Posted August 11, 2020 Author Share Posted August 11, 2020 Trump’s seeming indifference to Russian influence is part of his moral incapacity Michael Gerson Columnist August 10, 2020 at 7:39 p.m. EDT President Trump’s ongoing attempt to dismiss or minimize Russian interference in U.S. elections is self-serving to the point of subversion. It is difficult to determine where vanity ends and betrayal begins. In July 2019, it was made clear to some in the U.S. intelligence community that the Trump administration wanted the modification of an assessment that Russia was actively favoring Trump’s reelection. When then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats refused to make the change — replying, “It is what it is” — it helped hasten his exit. This was not an attempt by the administration to cherry-pick existing intelligence. It was an effort to modify an intelligence product in a way the president found politically useful. And it involved a warning to future intelligence officials to play Trump’s political game or face the consequences. The current intelligence team seems to have gotten the message. In a statement by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released last week, Russian interference to favor Trump’s reelection was mentioned along with Chinese and Iranian efforts to help presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The equivalence is false. By all accounts, Russian subversion is far more ambitious, pervasive and effective than its competitors’. Yet national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien on Sunday reassured Americans about foreign interference in the 2020 election: “Whether it’s China or Russia or Iran, we’re not going to put up with it.” It was a bit like a doctor saying, “Whether suffering from a voodoo curse, an appendicitis or an infestation of Cornish pixies, we will save the patient.” The promise is undermined by the context: Burying Russian meddling in a deceptive list effectively assures Russian President Vladimir Putin that his aggression will (once again) bring no serious repercussions. We don’t know yet if this equivalence was included at White House direction or if it resulted from unstated intimidation, but it is certainly part of a broader pattern. Trump publicly invited Russian interference in his favor during the 2016 election. He publicly favored Putin’s denial of that interference over the firm judgments of the U.S. intelligence community. Trump publicly dismissed special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s voluminous findings about Russian cyberaggression as a “witch hunt.” His administration has clearly attempted to water down warnings about Russian interference in the 2020 presidential election. Add to this the fact that Trump won’t confront Putin about Russian bounties paid for the deaths of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and the question naturally arises: Why has an American president ceased to defend his own country from sustained aggression? In the context of the Mueller report, it is plausible that Trump was trying to preserve the reputation of the election that made him president. Any admission of Russian influence might have been taken as proof of his electoral illegitimacy. This fear was not imaginary: A serious (though not conclusive) case can be made that Russian subversion of the 2016 presidential election mattered to its outcome. But how does that account for Trump’s seeming indifference to Russian influence in the 2020 election? And how would a concern about the validity of his 2016 victory account for his refusal to impose consequences for Russian bounties? There must be something else involved. Trump’s deeper incapacity is moral. Rather than judging his own actions against the standards of a creed or ideology, Trump finds his ethical inspiration in the mirror. Those who support him are fundamentally good; those who resist him are stupid, malicious and evil. A general or Cabinet secretary who bows and scrapes is the best at his or her job in human history. Those who contradict him are overrated and “dumb as a rock.” People carrying Confederate battle flags along with Trump signs can’t be all bad. Democrats who politically oppose him and media figures who challenge him are traitors or enemies of the people. For Trump, egotism even takes precedence over nationalism. In his ambitious revision of political ethics, foreign dictators who support his reelection (and imprison their own opponents) are friends and models. Even if they sow discord and chaos in U.S. democracy. Even if they set out to humiliate the country. Even if they offer bounties for killing U.S. troops. As much as anything, this is the reason Trump must be defeated in November. Those who support him may get some proposals, appointments and policies they prefer. But Trump regards every vote in his favor as a confirmation of his monstrous moral revolution — and permission for further national betrayals. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-seeming-indifference-to-russian-influence-is-part-of-his-moral-incapacity/2020/08/10/87fa5218-db32-11ea-809e-b8be57ba616e_story.html?hpid=hp_save-opinions-float-right-4-0_opinion-card-c-right%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 16,807 Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 On 8/11/2020 at 4:58 AM, DKW 86 said: homey, you have been ssssoooo wrong on this for 4 years. 4 years of this crapola every single day and what has it gotten you? You have wasted so much server space on here with RUSSIANS!!!! COLLUSION!!! IMPEACHMENT!!!!!!! and what has it gotten you? Really, next to nothing. No one in America with a brain ever believed this for long. Feinstein, Waters, and Jones all said publicly that this was a NOTHING BURGER back in 2017. If you had listened you would have saved face and and saved the rest of us 4 years of your BS. Now, what have got? Trump will be removed by the ballot, just like I said four years ago. The rest of the board has had to endure 4 years of you ranting and raving and BEING WRONG AS USUAL, your true SuperPower. And now, with Strzok's notes etc and the other notes from FBI Agents all questioning what they were doing chasing Carter Paige etc. I do not like Trump at all. But it was clearly exactly as it is being shown to be now, rogue agents that really didnt have little more than s*** trying to manufacture s***. yahoo.com White House Forced Changes In Intel Warning That Russia Wants Trump To Win: Report Mary Papenfuss 4-5 minutes The White House last year forced changes in a pointed intelligence conclusion that the Kremlin wanted President Donald Trump reelected, according to The New York Times Magazine. Wording was dramatically watered down concerning Russia’s strong backing for Trump shortly after then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats was forced into early retirement when he refused to make the changes, the Times reported. The classified document reportedly also discussed Russia’s ongoing efforts to influence U.S. elections in 2020 and 2024. “I can affirm that one of my staffers who was aware of the controversy requested that I modify that assessment,” Coats told the Times. “But I said, ‘No, we need to stick to what the analysts have said.’” A short time later, Coats was surprised to learn in a tweet by Trump that he was being forced into early retirement, several weeks before he planned to leave his position, the magazine reported. The language was changed after Coats left, according to the Times. I am pleased to announce that highly respected Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas will be nominated by me to be the Director of National Intelligence. A former U.S. Attorney, John will lead and inspire greatness for the Country he loves. Dan Coats, the current Director, will.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019 ....be leaving office on August 15th. I would like to thank Dan for his great service to our Country. The Acting Director will be named shortly. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019 The report, known as a National Intelligence Estimate, was compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in July 2019, and made several “key judgments” about national security issues. “Key Judgement 2” concluded that Russia favored Trump to win in 2020. But any suggestion that Russia favored Trump invited the president’s wrath, the magazine reported, and top aides “went to considerable lengths to keep the topic of Russian election interference off the president’s agenda.” After Coats left, the intelligence report was modified to say that “Russian leaders probably assess that chances to improve relations with the U.S. will diminish under a different U.S. president,” the Times reported. The new language was far less pointed and made it sound like the Kremlin’s preference for Trump was a good thing for America. But a new U.S. intelligence assessment revealed last week that Russia not only favors Trump, but is still actively working to influence the election. The Kremlin is using a “range of measures” to “denigrate” and “undermine” presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said in a statement released Friday. “Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump’s candidacy on social media and Russian television,” the statement added. Trump dismissed the report. “I don’t care what anybody says,” Trump told reporters when asked about the latest assessment. “I think that the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump because nobody’s been tougher on Russia — ever.” In fact, Trump’s refusal to complain to or punish Russia for anti-American actions continues to confound observers. Trump has said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, even though the U.S. intelligence community has concluded that it did so in a “sweeping and systematic fashion” in a bid to sway the vote in Trump’s favor. The president has also recently failed to take any action to punish Russia following revelations that the country was paying bounties to Taliban-linked militia members to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan. He failed to even raise the issue in a recent conversation with Putin. Read The New York Times Magazine story on the intelligence assessment here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,427 Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 On 8/12/2020 at 10:49 AM, aubiefifty said: yahoo.com White House Forced Changes In Intel Warning That Russia Wants Trump To Win: Report Mary Papenfuss 4-5 minutes The White House last year forced changes in a pointed intelligence conclusion that the Kremlin wanted President Donald Trump reelected, according to The New York Times Magazine. Wording was dramatically watered down concerning Russia’s strong backing for Trump shortly after then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats was forced into early retirement when he refused to make the changes, the Times reported. The classified document reportedly also discussed Russia’s ongoing efforts to influence U.S. elections in 2020 and 2024. “I can affirm that one of my staffers who was aware of the controversy requested that I modify that assessment,” Coats told the Times. “But I said, ‘No, we need to stick to what the analysts have said.’” A short time later, Coats was surprised to learn in a tweet by Trump that he was being forced into early retirement, several weeks before he planned to leave his position, the magazine reported. The language was changed after Coats left, according to the Times. I am pleased to announce that highly respected Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas will be nominated by me to be the Director of National Intelligence. A former U.S. Attorney, John will lead and inspire greatness for the Country he loves. Dan Coats, the current Director, will.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019 ....be leaving office on August 15th. I would like to thank Dan for his great service to our Country. The Acting Director will be named shortly. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019 The report, known as a National Intelligence Estimate, was compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in July 2019, and made several “key judgments” about national security issues. “Key Judgement 2” concluded that Russia favored Trump to win in 2020. But any suggestion that Russia favored Trump invited the president’s wrath, the magazine reported, and top aides “went to considerable lengths to keep the topic of Russian election interference off the president’s agenda.” After Coats left, the intelligence report was modified to say that “Russian leaders probably assess that chances to improve relations with the U.S. will diminish under a different U.S. president,” the Times reported. The new language was far less pointed and made it sound like the Kremlin’s preference for Trump was a good thing for America. But a new U.S. intelligence assessment revealed last week that Russia not only favors Trump, but is still actively working to influence the election. The Kremlin is using a “range of measures” to “denigrate” and “undermine” presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said in a statement released Friday. “Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump’s candidacy on social media and Russian television,” the statement added. Trump dismissed the report. “I don’t care what anybody says,” Trump told reporters when asked about the latest assessment. “I think that the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump because nobody’s been tougher on Russia — ever.” In fact, Trump’s refusal to complain to or punish Russia for anti-American actions continues to confound observers. Trump has said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, even though the U.S. intelligence community has concluded that it did so in a “sweeping and systematic fashion” in a bid to sway the vote in Trump’s favor. The president has also recently failed to take any action to punish Russia following revelations that the country was paying bounties to Taliban-linked militia members to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan. He failed to even raise the issue in a recent conversation with Putin. Read The New York Times Magazine story on the intelligence assessment here. Same NYT that got the story wrong on a BS Dossier four years ago. If there was anything to it. he would be gone by now. Long gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 16,807 Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 i believe him. he told me he has been practicing a lot since his last screw up............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj3jordan 2,056 Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 One way to look at it is that the Russians could want Trump re-elected because they know the Democrats will spend all their time trying to destroy him just like the last four years. They don’t really have a preference but if it causes unrest they are for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,427 Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 Told yall so...four years ago... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/14/us/politics/kevin-clinesmith-durham-investigation.html When leaders in the Democrat Party told you it was a Nothing Burger., it was a Nothing Burger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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