February 16, 2017

WSJ Confirms That Intel Agencies Are Holding Out On Trump

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For what it’s worth, Shane Harris and Carol Lee of the Wall Street Journal have confirmed that story from a few days ago about spy agencies holding back information from President Trump:

U.S. intelligence officials have withheld sensitive intelligence from President Donald Trump because they are concerned it could be leaked or compromised, according to current and former officials familiar with the matter. The officials’ decision to keep information from Mr. Trump underscores the deep mistrust that has developed between the intelligence community and the president over his team’s contacts with the Russian government, as well as the enmity he has shown toward U.S. spy agencies.

….The officials emphasized that they know of no instance in which crucial information about security threats or potential plotting has been omitted. Still, the misgivings that have emerged among intelligence officials point to the fissures spreading between the White House and the U.S. spy agencies.

If this were happening to a Democratic president, I imagine I’d be pretty outraged. But this distrust of Trump seems to be pretty worldwide. It’s hard to know for sure that the intelligence community doesn’t have good reason for holding back a bit.

Anyway, it appears that Trump is taking revenge by appointing a billionaire crony of Steve Bannon to “review” the intelligence establishment. That should turn out well.

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