Remember when the Republicans in Congress were aghast over Hillary Clintons emails? I can't wait to hear comments from Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Rep. Trey Gowdy or are they both hypocrites?
18
"Officials did not disclose the informant’s identity or new location, both closely held secret."
if it wasn't so sad, it would be laughable. The 'informant' has not only been identified, but national news reporters have been to his house in Virginia.
If CIA can't keep a secret, who will ever trust the Americans to give them information in the future, without being compromised?
15
I suspect this Trump individual doesn't want U.S. spies digging up dirt in Russia because they'll likely uncover a few choice tidbits on him.
12
It begs the question...who in the current US Government is working for Putin?
34
"Mr. Putin ... has rigorous operational security, eschewing electronic communications."
A dramatic contrast to our president. Any surprise Russia seems to be winning?
18
David Lange is absolutely correct. Newspapers should be contacted before they publish such information Susan Baldwin NYC
4
As vindictive as Putin is, the CIA informant now in US exile has to face the music.
Since his identity has been disclosed in the media, he must change his name and go into hiding, before Putin's hit-squad strikes.
17
Have you ever wondered how many of these posts have been written by people who don't exist ! Its now possible to desend to
the grass roots level of of any activity to influence ,cause doubt,confusion , uncertainty as shown by the 2016 election.
Huge numbers of hackers, students of American ways, are employed in russia to use stuble means thru the internet right to your on line local newspaper , media,trade,science,everything. If acceptance of the origins of these posts as ligament then we are in big trouble.
8
The reason Trump can't be removed is because of the danger he would be to the US. Trump would sell every secret he could to the highest bidder i.e. dictators, fascists, the mob, corporate thugs etc. once he is out of government.
The problem the US faces is that Trump is a danger to our country while in the Oval Office but an even bigger threat to us once he's gone.
21
This is all theater.
If an asset was extracted around the time that is reported, then the Kremlin could infer who that was. The prudent tactic is to extract the asset at X time, leak “the” extraction date as something else. Anything accurate for the press brings risk to the asset within the U.S. (where the Kremlin has its own deeply covered assets).
Also, the asset could have been a double agent anyway, but allowed extraction to seal suspicion that he was so. S/He’s probably elderly now and welcoming retirement, perhaps even connecting with Russian assets in the U.S. that have been curated for decades.
You just don’t know. This is all narrative that serves U.S. national security interests, and maybe Moscow’s.
If Trump’s carelessness was a factor, officials WOULD say that the claim was “misguided speculation.”
Don’t believe that the extraction left “the C.I.A. struggling to understand what [is] going on,” as if no other assets have been curated over the decades.
Astute journalists should know that, in matters of national security, the press is always merely a public relations channel.
10
This is such an odd story. And given how much leaking is used to influence say, elections or appointing special counsels or pushing stories to entrap - I can’t decide if this is a deliberate push or not. Given the history of bizarre CIA shenanigans, I barely trust these unnamed informant stories. IC lies to congress in public hearings. Trumps only been ‘in’ for two years. This stuff has been going on for sixty. Frankly, this has Brennan’s signature fingerprints all over it. And if we truly cared about our assets, none of this would be revealed. And it is also quite possible it’s a disinformation leak by Russia or another foreign country looking to make trouble. Bottom line - it’s bunk.
4
Very strange article. First, you must assume if we had a source in Moscow, why would they not have a source in Washington? That source would have been there long before anyone ever thought Trump would go for President, get real. If there was conversations about assets, it was over heard, it was passed on. Of course, the Russians would know who was compromised on their end. So, of course, nothing should really be trusted, especially if they were passing money in exchange for information. We have must better, much more subtle was of always knowing what is happening everywhere. Our media is compromised, to whom, I don't know, why, I don't know. That is absolutely obvious right now. As for Russia, we mess with them, they mess with us. Nothing new. The fear mongering on the left needs to stop. Fear of a recession? The DOW has a volume over 25000. It was barely 12000 before the crash that took it to 6 for a day or two. The buy backs at 6k, hmmm. It has always a function of the markets, in the inception, they were fixed by the crown in London. Why would that ever change? Trump is no Russian assest, he was open he was going to fire all of these people. Disgruntled workers cost the country millions, we should be upset about that. Get real already, the lies aren't foooling anyone. Cliamte change? The faceless enemy demanding so much money that will never be accounted for, yeah we see that coming too.
4
I heard a comment on the TV today saying it might no have been good for this story to get out as it may be harder to recruit spy’s in the future.
I do not pretend to know if it was good or bad; I do believe that Trump will spend countless time and money trying to figure who leaked this information.
I would also be interested in knowing if Trump knew of this person before the leak. I could imagine that the CIA never told the full details because of their fear that Trump would pass it on to the Russians.
Hopefully some testimony will occur in Congress on this.
4
“'We have a president who, unlike any other president in modern history, is willing to use sensitive, classified intelligence however he sees fit,’ said Steven L. Hall, a former C.I.A. official who led the agency’s Russia operations.”
And he’s proud to admit it: “We had a photo [of Iran’s secret missile explosion] and I released it, which I have the absolute right to do!"
25
The president did this on purpose. He was warning his friend and benefactor Vladimir Putin that there was a spy in his house.
What does this make the president?
18
Field hands, more modernly called assets, are the invaluable source of human communication in the broad network of all intelligence operations. They are also in the most precarious position in this work. By analyzing the intelligence data it is quite possible to identify assets, so absolute discretion in public revelations is always paramount and with high value assets it is absolutely essential that the intelligence apparatus act with this priority. Otherwise for instance the asset may be exposed by the media, who act with due diligence to find the truth. However there were many indications the Trump Team members wanted direct contact with Russia. Again for example, the request by a Trump Team/Trump family member to have a direct open ciphered line to the Kremlin through the NYC Russian Embassy. CIA appropriately exfiltrated this asset given the current President's psychological instability leading him to be enamored with the leader of a hostile foreign nation, to the extent that he would disregard the nation's intelligence apparatus, in fact impugning its integrity. What a pathetic president!
12
It is reminiscent of the Gordievsky case so well recounted in Ben Mcintyre's recent book ' The Spy and the Traitor '. In actual fact Gordievsky's information was more valuable because he may have averted a nuclear holocaust. Yes interference in the US presidential campaign was deplorable but it wasn't on the level of a possible nuclear first strike by the Soviets.
7
Republicans keep allowing this madness to continue.
They are willing to sacrifice America.
We might as well get rid of the 25th amendment if we are willing to let the country die before using it.
20
So we extracted a covert operative from the Kremlin. Hooray. Bur the Kremlin has no need to extract their operative from our White House. He is our President. Shame on us.
23
Trump is Putin's president not America's. Surprised?
14
Key Republican politicians are compromised as well as Trump. Gleeful Putin's USA super-coup!
12
Donald Trump was and is a threat to our national security. That should be a top reason to impeach and remove him from office.
17
Whether Trump's actions are from incompetence or treason, both should be enough to impeach, indict, convict.
15
Was the phone trump used to tweet the Iranian missile site cleared for classified data?
13
I, among many others, know of the importance of the news media informing the public of matters that are occurring in our country and around the globe, but The NY Times, Washington Post and others did this country a great disservice and caused so much damage exposing the fact that the United States had an asset deep within the Kremlin. It was reckless and treasonous on your part. This country lost out on God only knows how much valuable information this asset could have provided to the CIA about the plans of the Russian government, as well as putting this man’s life and the lives of his family and friends in unparalleled danger. You all crossed a line that should have never been crossed. It was no different than what Scooter Libby did to Valerie Plame, putting her life, and that of her family’s, in great danger and losing the intelligence that she was able to provide to our country by exposing her as a CIA Operative.
We have enough problems with trump, and who knows just how much U.S. intelligence he has shared with Putin and other members of the Russian government, and most of us who have a brain knows that trump has, without a doubt, done so, and we don’t need verifiable proof to know it, without news organizations doing the same thing when it comes to matters of foreign intelligence. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
14
More reason to impeach trump- his coziness with Putin and he disrespect for the CIA and rule of law.
8
I've rarely trusted the C.I.A.'s intentions, but it appears to be the only agency working in the best interests of Americans these days.
8
But wait, I thought the Russians are the bad guys... yeah, right. Of course they make foreign spies lives difficult, why wouldn't they? I'm embarassed that my country has been so utterly taken over by the military-industrial complex that it's seen as normal to waste money, energy, and the potential good will of other nations on spy games. As usual, the only people who benefit from these activities are the uber-wealthy, who have essentially enslaved the the tools of (in?) government to serve their economic interests.
1
The closed-door meetings with Putin. The confiscation of interpreter's notes afterward. The meetings in the Oval Office with Russians that exclude American journalists. These actions are so unusual and abnormal for a U.S. President that they rather clearly suggest that something nefarious is going on.
I'm glad the intelligence services are protecting their assets and American interests at this time.
13
What is missing from the report is what the CIA source knew about Trump campaign involvement, if any, with Putin or his inner circle, as several former senior Obama intelligence officials have alluded to time and again. The Mueller investigation came up empty, so obviously the Russian source either had nothing or wasn’t ‘in the know’ if it existed. Additionally, when did our own intelligence agencies know the source was coming up empty on Trump, yet still pursued the President and his associates via FISA warrants and a secret CI probe?
7
No one seems to be considering the possibility that sowing suspicion about Russian interference in U.S. elections and influence over President Trump was the goal of a Russian operation --- suspicion that would be eagerly seized on by Democrats and the left leaning press.
That suspicion alone has done unprecedented damage to U.S. politics and relations between politicians and their intelligence agencies.
Now the operative is embedded in the target country and regarded as a hero. Someone should make a TV series
3
The credulity displayed in this article is somewhat shocking. There is so much eagerness to believe that the U.S. had a spy in the Kremlin who confirmed Democrats' suspicion (and no doubt hope) that Putin himself personally directed a campaign to subvert the last presidential election -- and may even control President Trump! -- that obvious questions are not asked and any doubts based on reality are easily glossed over.
We have to consider the real possibility that creating highly credible suspicion of Russian interference in U.S. elections and of Russian influence over President Trump was the actual goal of Russian intelligence and that the so-called source, or spy, was and still is working for Russia
Those deep suspicions alone -- eagerly seized on by frustrated Democrats and the left-leaning press -- have inflicted unprecedented damage, division and disruption on U.S. politics, and on relations between politicians and their intelligence agencies -- all at little cost to Russia, which the U.S. was already attacking over Ukraine.
The spy initially resisted "escaping" to the U.S., but now his acceptance of refuge has been easily accepted, at least on these pages, as confirmation of his bona fides. So the operation continues and the spy gets treated as a hero in his target country. This is worthy of a TV series.
3
We complain about foreign governments interfering in our political system...while we run high level spies in their political system. But no one in this echo chamber seems to notice the irony of this.
7
As several commenters have noted on here, the most chilling part of this entire story is that the existence of this high level source, and his warnings about Putin, was known in real time during the 2016 campaign, by Obama, by candidates Trump and Clinton through their intelligence briefings, and by the congressional Gang of Eight, which included "Moscow Mitch" McConnell and Paul "Russian Ryan".
Of all the people who had knowledge of this critical information, it appears that only John Brennan, Harry Reid, and Adam Schiff made any attempt to ring the alarm bells in real time about what was going on. McConnell, despite this knowledge, actively blocked anyone from publicly disclosing the fact of Russian intervention in our election during the infamous Gang of Eight meeting with Obama in September 2016.
In short, critical disqualifying information about Donald Trump was deliberately withheld from the American electorate in 2016. We did not have a truly informed electorate.
Thus, by any true measure, how can we consider the 2016 presidential election to be a valid citizen mandate, if the voters were not given all the necessary information needed to fully evaluate the candidates and make an informed decision?
What good is all the apparatus of government, if the voters can not be guaranteed a full and fair election, free from any foreign interference. Without valid elections, democracy is meaningless.
6
@AACNY Just curious, but, with all respect, do you reply to every comment on the NYT website? Where do you find the time?
4
@John M, yes, he/she certainly does and has the amazing ability to deny facts or should I say spin facts. Could this person actually be Kellyanne Conway?
3
Forget about Mueller's Report. There is enough material out there to successfully conduct treason inquiry into Trump and his family's conduct and reasonably count on support from many Republicans.
This should be presented to the public as the most urgent matter concerning all Americans as every next minute the Trumps are in the Oval Office represents yet another instance of existential threat to this country.
7
A logical question would be: Is Trump a Russian asset? There is no other explanation for all the groveling he does with Putin.
Trump has a known long and shady history with Russian mobsters and oligarchs. And it's no stretch to think there may be something(s) the Russians have on Trump that could be very damaging to him. Find it Interesting and curious that there are quite a few Russians living in Trump Tower.
And in 2016, when Eric Trump was asked in an interview about his family's business income he relied that, "a lot of our business is with Russia".
The more we see of Trump's behavior towards our country's enemy Putin, it becomes clearer that Trump has been compromised.
11
Stop putting this person's life in danger by talking about them.
You are also making our security more vulnerable by telling everyone who may potentially help us they are not going to be safe or protected.
1
This story is about a spy. And about the media's coverage of him/her. And about what the CIA is willing to tell us about him/her. It's not about Trump. Can people no longer read?
7
"The decision to extract the informant was driven “in part” because of concerns that Mr. Trump and his administration had mishandled delicate intelligence, CNN reported."
Trump is the nation's greatest national security risk. Trump and his family and his protectors and his party. What wouldn't Trump do, to avoid indictment once he is voted out of office? What wouldn't he do, for money? Mueller's overwhelming body of evidence stands, whether or not he was able to prove the narrow charge of criminal conspiracy. McConnell and Ryan must have been aware that Putin personally directed the sabotage of our elections, even as they covered it up during the election. Trump has given Barr, who is acting as his private attorney, the right to declassify anything.
17
Despite the CIA statement that the extraction was not done because of fear that Trump would blow this source's cover, you would have to be ridiculously naive not to think that was not a part of the decision.
As we saw recently with NOAA and the Hurricane Dorian/Alabama debacle, federal agencies are now instructing their people to lie for Trump.
14
The outing of "one of the C.I.A.’s most important — and highly protected — assets" has John Brennans hands all over it. CNN's "misguided speculation" that "Mr. Trump’s handling of intelligence drove the reported extraction" aside, all fingers seem to point to Brennan. As gatekeeper of "separate intelligence reports, many based on the source’s information, in special sealed envelopes to the Oval Office" can there be any doubt who released to the media the "unusual detail" supplied by the asset?
It's obvious that his zeal to smear Donald Trump as a willing dupe of Putin took precedence over protecting an asset that had taken decades to develop. Ironically he has also deprived the CIA of insight into Putin's plans to further meddle in US elections. Taken together with Brennan's peddling of the Steele "dossier" and his role in instigating a counterintelligence operation against Trump's staff, a very disturbing picture of abuse is emerging. One suspects release of details involving the extraction of the asset and CIA officials absolving president Trump of any responsibility for triggering it is directly related to the impending release of the Durham investigation. For a long time John Brennan accused president Trump of being a traitor. One also suspects that the terms sudden absence from his lexicon is related to Durham's report as well
6
@Tim k
Brennan did to the US what the CIA normally does to other countries when it secretly influences elections. In this case, he has lied, obfuscated and promoted what can only be called "propaganda". He has done considerable damage to our country.
I suspect the information uncovered by Durham will be quite damning. I have confidence Barr will use his wise discretion to not prolong this mess (as he did in Comey's case by not prosecuting) and finally put an end to it.
Brennan and Comey will remain stains on our nation's intelligence agencies for decades.
6
@AACNY
I'm not sure the stain of Brennan has bled into the agency he headed. The CIA's vociferous castigation of CNN's inference that president Trump was responsible for the need to extract it's Russian asset indicates to me that Brennan was the stain and it has been largely removed with his dismissal. Total cleansing will require his prosecution, which will require cooperation of the CIA in providing essential details of Brennan's abuses. Hopefully Gina Haspel is up to the task.
Does this spy extracted from Russia know anything about what Putin has on Trump?
Does anybody think that Trump is keeping Putin informed about the whereabouts of this spy?
Is Trump assisting Putin in seeking out this spy in order to eliminate him?
Is Putin ever going to stop looking for this guy?
Any bets on how long this spy is going to remain alive?
I would bet that Trump and Putin have a pretty good idea.
8
"President Donald Trump has privately and repeatedly expressed opposition to the use of foreign intelligence from covert sources ... Trump has privately said that foreign spies can ... undermine his personal relationships with their leaders ... according to multiple senior officials who served under Trump." (CNN, 10Sept2019) You might ask "whose side is he on?" The answer is the side of dictatorial strong men, to which club he aspires. Mr. Trump is being played by Mr. Putin, Kim Jong Un, Mr. Duterte, etc.
11
The medical resignation should happen shortly, the truth will not see the light of day.
4
Great. Another anonymous-sourced story where the sources are all obviously interested parties. For all we know, there never WAS any high-level source, and this is spooks using the press to sew mistrust in the Kremlin. Or any number of other scenarios none of which can be ruled out or in.
If you want to swallow whatever the CIA, et al, hands you, have at it. Look back at that record as they reportedly did with this source and tell me if you're convinced the CIA is trustworthy.
What we know for sure is that the CIA, et al, wanted a media megaphone for how "dangerous" they find actual reporting on what these nearly unaccountable spy agencies do. The NYT said, "Sure! We're happy to undermine ourselves for your PR based on stuff we have literally no idea is actually true or not." It's always, always willing to do that. Access, you see.
And, of course, the commenters, already sure that what they want to be true is true are claiming this proves...something or other about Trump and Russia. As opposed to what was always most likely: like neofascist types around the world, to Trump and his base, Putin's Russia is the authoritarian ethnostate they'd like to see in their own countries. As well as a good market for Trump Towers -- and loans.
Now, here's something actually relevant to write about: the ongoing destruction of any nuclear arms control while we and others spend trillions building new nukes.
Where's that huge front-page story? Where's the multi-year, obsessive focus?
3
The next time the president utters some nonsense about how nice a guy Putin is, and how he is innocent of any wrongdoing, he should be removed as a national security threat, if not charged with treason. I sincerely hope the republican party leadership is destroyed as a result of Trumps inept and dangerous kackocracy.
14
Now I’m convinced Putin has something on trump.
17
@Nicholas Balthazar
I think it is as simply as Trump’s desire to have a hotel in Moscow.
Trump is really not that complicated.
4
To all those posting critical comments of President Obama, I’d like you to consider the decision he had to make in the middle of the 2016 election. He knew his unilateral exposing of election interference would have created a conservative media firestorm and would motivate the right wing even more. He sought Mitch McConnell’s bipartisan help in protecting our elections, but was rejected. Meanwhile all polling (see any day in the NYT) had Hillary winning. Obama chose to let it play out, and cleanup this mess afterwards. Could he have stopped it in October 2016? I doubt it.
21
@EW
Except they turned it into a false accusation against Trump. So please excuse our skepticism of their "pure" motives. And, for the record, it wasn't McConnell's decision to make but the president's. Stop making excuses for Obama. It just infantilizes him.
4
Putin refers to Trump as “Donald” that tells us all we need to know.
15
You can't fix this with a sharpie.
23
The news forces the question: is there a Russian operative in the White House?
18
Some things you just don't write about. This is one of them.
5
Everything Trump touches . . . . . . .
7
A few questions:
* Were we helped or harmed by this reporting?
* What will this person do now? Are they still valuable as interpreters of Russia?
* Did anyone read "The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War"? Seriously recommended. Same idea, but English.
3
@Lydia I just finished it last month and was thinking the same thing.
2
This is yet one more nail in this admin's coffin. Trump has loose lips syndrome among other issues. Having closed meetings with one's adversary and demanding no accountability? Confiscating interpreters notes. This president is impotent with russia, china, north korea & syria. He enriches himself at our expense & when he leaves office, will be prosecuted. He will forever be a stain on our country and his damage will take years to undo. His trade war with China is a lose/lose for both countries. There's no end to the stupidity in this admin.
12
This articles first throws out the accusation that Trump’s mishandling of info may have led to problems. In short order it then states that the CIA asserts “news media” was totally responsible for the problems. It then goes on to state that NYT itself published details about the source.
Okay.
5
Hate to think this way, but I wouldn't give a plugged nickel for this assets life. Putin will want to seek revenge and Trump will help him do it - he revealed the depth of deceit and disruption that went into Putin getting Mafia Don into the White House.
9
Well now the Russians have their own spy in our government.
None other than the president himself.
10
Given the grand failures of intelligence (?) in the past [9/11, Mikhail Gorbechev, etc], I doubt anything remotely useful came out of this. There is nothing intelligent about intelligence.
1
Accusations against Trump are based on a CNN report and "some" former intelligence's concerns about "closed door meetings" with Putin and Trump's tweets? This is it? This the basis for accusing our president of collusion and treason? God help us. Thank goodness these inept intelligence people are gone.
5
What percentage of those reading this article would trust Donald J. Trump with any secrets, despite the fact that he as POTUS should be privy to all sorts of secret information that the U.S. intelligence agencies have acquired? We have already experienced a dangerous leaker with an open Twitter feed and a very big blabber mouth as the person who has control over all our intelligence gathering agencies. If he doesn't like the intelligence they gather he can destroy their sources just by releasing the information he has been given. Trump is a very, very, very dangerous infantile narcissist who should never have been put in charge of organizations like the CIA and FBI.
11
If this doesn't m are you realize what a national threat Trump is, what will?
I think it will eventually be proven, beyond a doubt, that he has been closely working with Putin to undermine America and, though chaos, try to take authoritarian control. TREASON!
9
Putin’s “eschewing (of) electronic communication” smacks of serious discipline. Our president could learn from his adversary-bro.
9
“We have a president who, unlike any other president in modern history, is willing to use sensitive, classified intelligence however he sees fit, … ”
It is amazing how the US intelligence agencies allow any top secret cryptographic data regarding Russia be seen by anybody in the Trump administration.
Every American kid on the street understands that Trump and his sycophants are totally owned by Putin and his oligarchs. Micheal Flynn, Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulos, Rick Gates and Micheal Cohen - all convicted of felonies - worked closely for the Russians at Trump's direction. Trump's good buddy Roger Stone is another outed Russian informer, using the Wikileaks connection directed by Vladimir. Trump has had secret meetings and phone calls with Putin, and stated that he sides with Putin over American intelligence agencies.
Knowing all the, why would any person in Putin's Russia risk working with the CIA, knowing that the US President will deliver him/her to Putin's FSB/KGB? Trump and his golf courses are owned by Putin and his crowd - lock, stock and smoking barrel.
7
Great in-depth reporting as usual...but. I think the NYT buried the lede because it was a CNN scoop. That fear that Trump's blabbermouth and unnatural affinity with Russians even "partly", as CNN reported, was responsible for the extraction of the spy is a national scandal. No one should tell him anything, even what the weather is.
4
Let me see if I have this straight:
A high-level Kremlin official disappears from Russia without a trace in 2017.
Russian media never reported on a "missing Russian offical".
British media never reported on a missing Russian official".
In fact, no media outlet has ever reported on a "missing Russian official".........that is until the trustworthy CNN did yesterday.
Just trust us....says CNN. This comes from "anonymous officials" with "knowledge of the matter".
Operation Mockingbird is alive and well.
3
Russian media do not report missing Russian officials. Even a child knows that.
7
Regardless of questions and conspiracy theories as to possible sourcing of this story.... one fact is beyond debate in my view...
The CIA was right to both fear for and to protect this valuable asset under the tenure of Trump in the White House. The man has no respect for the intelligence communities and would gladly disclose or throw this asset into Putin's hands if there was some personal benefit to Trump himself.
Personally, I am glad to see the CIA step up and extract and protect this asset... as that is the right thing to do.. and runs counter to so many Hollywood narratives about the CIA routinely abandoning assets in the field.
4
This is a huge, epic catastrophe squarely on Trump. And yet, as mega-scandals go, whatever ephemeral tweet comes next will bury this. Nice work America.
2
“We have a president who, unlike any other president in modern history, is willing to use sensitive, classified intelligence however he sees fit,”
While that is frightening and dangerous to most, for trump fans it shows a macabre sort of manliness and chutzpah. Whoever thought an American President could actually be a "clear and present danger" to the country.
7
We are now seeing further blow back from the Obama admin effort to overthrow the Ukrainian government via the Euro Maidan coup. President Obama said himself in his Feb 2015 interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN...that ‘ we brokered a deal and Yanukovich fled’ which ‘put Putin off balance’, thus the annexation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine.
You can add to that the Russian response to U S meddling by Russia interfering in the 2016 election and launching a disinformation campaign to remove a U.S. President. It is Newton’s law...for every action, there is a counter action.
4
I love this word "extracted". The spy from Russia, the sailors from the sunken cargo ship. I wish I could be extracted from the Trump presidency.
5
It's a good bet that if Trump isn't a Russian asset, he is severely compromised. Putin is no dummy, and he's got Trump thinking they are best buddies. Meanwhile, Putin is pulling all the right puppet strings. Removing this spy from Putin's inner circle is a huge loss for the U.S., but not as big a loss as allowing Trump to ascend the presidency in the first place. Don't be surprised if every restaurant in America has borscht on the menu next year.
6
Donald has to be Russia’s greatest asset.
I’d bet dollars to donuts that Putin’s got video tapes, audio tapes and plenty of examples of the Trump organization profiting by doing shady real estate deals for Russian oligarchs, if not outright money laundering.
6
It is reassuring that this story is known, it is terrifying that this story is known.
5
The security clearances granted to the Trump circle need to be reviewed. I continue to wonder about Melania and her family as well.
8
Every day is a new outrage. Every day it’s one or more new revelations of trump’s unfitness for office or any position of responsibility! I wouldn’t trust him as my dog’s groomer, much less with our precious intelligence information and the nuclear codes. When will this nightmare end!?
6
The liberals in the great fourth estate don't even hesitate to publish classified information given to them by a disgruntled government employee but they try to convince their gullible readers that Trump is a security risk with malicious partisan speculation.
3
Trump has known the truth about Russian interference since before the inauguration. He has denied the overwhelming evidence, including a confirmation by a deep cover source. Nothing has been done to legally change the dynamic, and Trump met with Putin privately without anyone except a Russian interrupter, where he destroyed the notes.
Trump will do or say anything to win in 2020, but Republicans still find nothing suspicious in his actions? “Russia, if you are listening.....”
6
A major question: does this person (man or woman) have hard evidence that trump conspired with Russia and that a quid pro quo exists between trump, Putin and his oligarchs?
2
CNN's Jim Sciutto broke this story and this morning he provided more. According to CNN, the asset that was pulled out was close to Putin and had access to Vlad's personal files.
Sciutto also reports former White House officials confirm Pres. Trump is against spies and covert intelligence operations because he believes it damages his relationships with world leaders like Vladimir Putin.
Donald doesn't like spying, no matter even our allies spy on the U.S. It's essential we spy on our enemies and this individual was evacuated because Donald Trump revealed top secret intelligence to Russian diplomats.
6
Did it ever occur to you that not everything reported by CNN is accurate?
4
“The decision to extract the informant was driven ‘in part’ because of concerns that Mr. Trump and his administration had mishandled delicate intelligence, CNN reported.”
Trump doesn’t think he mishandles delicate intelligence because he has an “absolute right” to release it.
He said this in the August 30 press conference: “We had a photo [of Iran’s secret missile explosion] and I released it, which I have the absolute right to do."
5
First, grateful for Freedom of the Press which allows We, the People, to know what could have been hidden. Then there is the fact, that our venerable Intelligence Services cannot trust the Republican president! Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had to extract their very valuable asset. Donald is compromised and those of us who pay attention know this, imagine what the NSA, CIA and FBI know!
For those upset that the MSM “outed” this story and the former-Spy, I wonder why you are not outraged that the Republican president can’t be trusted?! Lastly, it’s a good thing that the media is reporting of this former Spy, it may save his/her life!
5
I'm curious as to why this information is being shared? What does the US gain (or the Russians lose) by making this information public?
It must be obvious to the Russians who this individual is (since they were in the inner circle and aren't there any more). Making a splashy public announcement of the "exfiltration" only serves two purposes I can think of: 1) it rubs the successful long standing infiltration of the high ranks in Moscow in the face of the Russians and 2) it allows those so inclined in the US to gloat about it and to try to make a bit of short term political hay from it.
Neither one of these outcomes seem to further US national security interests. Why not just get this spy out, keep quiet, and pat yourselves on the back in private for a job well done?
The whole thing seems fishy and ill advised to me.
I must admit to wondering if this isn't just another ham fisted attempt by Trump to garner a little bit of favorable press for himself, compromising our security in the process (once again.)
1
And yet he is still in the White House. This is the most shocking thing of all.
7
I regret that we now have no source close to Putin who can report on what plans he is making to disrupt the 2020 election and, more importantly, what plans he may have to discredit American democracy domestically. Doubtless the Republican push for one-Party government fits neatly into his plans, but as long as American polls exist he cannot be any more certain of a final victory than the Republicans are. Putin has shown he considers long-term objectives of retaining and projecting power very seriously, from sending Tu-95 Bears up the Thames to using Facebook to discredit Democratic candidates in 2016. He surely has operations planned for the future to make sure American democracy goes on its face and stays there. We need to know about these, even if most Americans cannot believe Putin would plan our destruction with such assurance.
2
Freedom of speech and press has always been a dangerous undertaking. What I find most disturbing about this story is that it makes clear the media's part in endangering an asset who may have been the most important source of intelligence the United States had prior to his so-called extraction. I believe in an absolute First Amendment. But I also believe in loyalty to this country's best interests. Judgment, discretion and forbearance are essential if both are to coexist. And unless they can find a way to coexist neither can remain secure.
Judgment, forbearance and discretion were missing in this case. The press did us no service.
188
@david lange
Yup. Exactly.
3
@david lange The press? Please explain
2
There is also the very distinct possibility that (a) there was no asset in the first place, or (b) the asset remains in place because the CIA removed a less important asset.
In fact, there is a very distinct possibility that this entire tale, from start to finish, is a complete fabrication fed to the press in order to discombobulate the Kremlin.
21
Still fascinating to read that the Russians, at the highest levels, eschew electronic communications. The West was blindsided by the sudden takeover in Crimea a few years ago. Apparently, a lot got accomplished in secrecy by simply using sealed envelopes. Not so long ago, that was true in the USA as well.
5
This a tragedy, both for the loss of such an "inside" agent AND for his now-known approximate whereabouts. Everything possible must be done to secure him and his family and we must hope that NOTHING leaks out In any media, print, online or social.
2
consider...the "extraction" or rather the agent's assent on second notice are not necessarily dispositive evidence of allegiance
...could be that the "take" was a better bet than a second refusal and the buzz therefrom...just saying....
so continue the bashing of trump if you will (it won't get any of the faux dems on the debate platform elected) but go easy on the celebration lest we be distracted by the hangover.
1
And presumably, given the chaos that surrounds this Presidency, one of Trumps’s inner circle is a similarly placed Russian spy who has ascended rapidly through the ranks of the GOP loyalists while managing to elude proper FBI vetting.
So many possibilities come to mind....
3
I'm not sure I need to know this. Do the benefits of this reporting really outweigh the risks? Do we need reporters tracking down all of the details of a highly-placed asset that has been extracted and remains at in extreme danger? I'd be interested to learn more about how the Times, and other publications, came to make this decision.
1
"But former intelligence officials said there was no public evidence that Mr. Trump directly endangered the source, " This statement is great bureaucratic obfuscation of Trump's lack of concern and responsibility re highly sensitive intelligence data. What about private evidence that indirectly shows Trump endangering this source?
3
This story could have been a John le Carré spy novel. But it also highlights the difficulty of balancing covert operations and the public urge for transparency. The CIA faces another challenge – Trump’s loose tongue. Intelligence officials are concerned about him posing a national security risk.
In response Trump denigrates them, escalating tensions by openly expressing his trust in Putin, dismissing their finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
The CIA reportedly first tried to extract this high-profile mole from inside Russia soon after the meeting in May 2017 between Trump, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and then-Russian ambassador to the US, Sergei Kislyak, at which Trump was said to have shared classified operational details which could have exposed a US confidential source. Officials at the meeting reportedly realised Trump's mistake and scrambled to inform the CIA and other agencies.
The CIA informant was extracted from Russia in the face of potentially grave danger.
Russian media named the spy as Oleg Smolenkov, who worked for Yury Ushakov, a senior aide to Putin. The Kommersant newspaper said the Smolenkovs went on holiday to Montenegro in 2017 and disappeared. Later a man and a woman with the same names of the Smolenkov couple bought a house in Virginia.
NBC reported that it had visited the home, saying its correspondent, upon knocking on the door, was questioned by two men who approached in a car but declined to identify themselves.
2
Honestly, I despise this type of reporting and coverage by the media. Spying is incredibly dangerous and the rewards are few. We know there are spies acting on the interests of every country, because in the end-- Knowledge is Power. I do NOT want to know the details that surround our operatives, I do NOT want anything to compromise the safety of these people or their families. Spies do not simply "stop being a spy" and return to normal lives-- they live in constant fear of death and retaliation. We depend on their sacrifices to keep our country (and frankly our allies and enemies do the same) safe, so these ridiculous news blurbs do nothing but compromise the lives of our spies and potential reveal some information that will be used against them and our country. News Flash: We have spies and some of them are embedded deep! If a former spy wants to reveal him or herself and make public statements to clarify a public misunderstanding or shed light onto a complicated matter that requires public discourse--Great, go ahead. Otherwise, let us just thank God that there are people brave enough, crazy enough, and smart enough to sacrifice their worlds in an effort to keep us safe.
4
This whole Russians helping Trump thing doesn’t make sense to me, because what I saw with my own eyes was the American news media helping Trump!
Maybe, it’s because there’s spy stuff, so they can’t say more. But from what I saw during the last election, it’s the American news media that seemed to be helping Trump almost overtime! And this included all the major outlets, including the “liberal” ones!
They, including this paper, gave him endless coverage which boosted his popularity. Every time I turned on a news channel or even other channels, it was a Trump whirlwind.
So, when they say the Russians or Putin was helping Trump, I simply don’t understand it!
I saw the media playing the email story over and over.
Turns out the emails were from Russia.
So, they were from Russia or Russians, but of what use would they have been without the American news media?
Then, I saw the same media playing the Comey “letter” story right before the election, knowing full well that they were putting their thumb on the scale.
Yet, it emerges they sat on stories of Trump’s affairs with various women supposedly because they had no corroboration.
So, it really doesn’t make sense. I don’t like Trump, but what the news media is saying about the Russians helping Trump doesn’t add up!
It seems to me like it’s the news media itself which helped Trump!!!
1
In a perverse way, Trump is showing the way forward in international relations. He is demonstrating that, because of the presence of spies in foreign governments, the world exists in a balance of fractious and needless rivalry that should be replaced by mutual trust. His constant pandering to Russia and his complete intransigence in refusing to criticise the Putin regime would be heartening if he was correct in his assessment of Russian benignity. However, he is not; Putin, as a matter of his own political survival in his own crumbling dystopia, is out to ruthlessly destabilise western democracies even more expeditiously than they can destabilise themselves. Trump is facilitating that process. Both men are supremely dangerous to their own countries and each other’s.
That God fearin’, gun totin’, Stars and Stripes wearin’, band of patriots howling to Make America Great Again should be able to recognise treachery when they see it, their paranoia being complete in most other directions towards foreigners. Their idol, the President of the United States, has, by accident or design, contrived a counter intelligence operation against America, removing a high level asset from within a hostile government. That’s treachery. If the Democrats have any qualms against impeachment and prosecution, now is the time to lose them.
2
So why all the elaborate secrecy, aside from the usual institutional paranoia? Assuming this is all true, you don't think the Russians know who this guy is? They've known at least since Boris stopped showing up for work two years ago.
This story smells funny. It smells like another attempt to keep the Russia-put-Trump-in-the-White-House angle going, rather than just conceding that Hillary Clinton was the wrong candidate at the wrong time and ran an incredibly lousy campaign. I'm a lifelong Democrat and it took three scotches -- all of them doubles -- before I could bring myself to vote for her.
1
The only question I have is this: who was most terrified by Christopher Steele's research?
22
It is hard to say to what extent this story is an outcome of true investigating reporting and to what it is planted by CIA. If the latter is the case, it definitely conveys CIA worries as to whether the Trumps can be trusted. We may quarrel to what extent Mr. Trump, deliberately or via his ineptitude, is a ‘Russian asset’, but most rational people would/should very reasonably wonder how reluctant would this president or the members of his family be to consider selling the US military nuclear code to the highest bidder.
16
Now we know for certain that we have a President who in 2016 knew that the Russians were meddling in our elections to get him elected. So we can see more clearly now than ever why he has been so cozy with and forgiving of anything the Russians do that otherwise should be understood as against our democratic values. Now we also can understand Trump’s refusal to accept the intelligence reports of our own security agencies. How remarkable that our own president has become one of the greatest threats to our national security. His new plan to pull American forces out of Afghanistan while increasing the CIA teams who rely upon the military for protection and support is just another example of the threat. Wake up, Mitch McConnell! The fox is in the hen house.
25
After the fiasco with NOAA why would you trust anyone in the Trump administration? Moreover, the CIA's bashing of CNN gives the CIA the perfect opportunity to get in Trump's good graces. The idea that CIA was not worried about Trump after the meeting with Kisiak and Lavrov is really hard to believe.
27
The asset was extracted in 2017, after Trump invited two high level Russian officials into the Oval office with no preparation and nobody else present except Russian media, met privately with Putin with no one present except translators and Tweeted sensitive intelligence data received from the Israeli Mossad.
71
Bottom line: we spy on them and they spy on us. Throw in the Brits, the French, the Israelis and others and what we have is a whole nest of spies with all of these countries spying on one another. KGB, MI5, MI6, CIA, NSA, Mossad. It's not just the Russian who engage in these nefarious activities.
16
@MIKEinNYC You made a valid point. Many people forget it's not just the Russians that spy. If I could add one thing to what you said, I would include China's Ministry of State Security to the list
3
@MIKEinNYC
Right, but except for this country, the rest don't have to worry about their top official betraying his own country.
5
Agreed, but everybody else keeps their mouths shut.
3
Tomorrow’s headline: “White House orders CIA to reject CNN report as ‘misguided speculation’.”
16
It appears this informant was secret only to the Russians. And that the Russians were not following American media, at all....ever. Not likely.
4
Of course, the potency of a highly placed source like this relies on the premise that the US is capable of enacting policy response, commensurate with the value of the intelligence so gathered. In this case it would mean comprehensive beefing up of electoral security, and the much more difficult project of reining in misinformation campaigns in a free society. Does anyone think that Congress under Moscow Mitch is up to the job?
40
It must be extremely worrying to be an American spy knowing your president enjoys tweeting sensitive material, like satellite photos of Iranian launch sites.
48
Anyone who has the clearances to have seen the sort of material that NGA is capable of producing knows that the photo to which you refer was not produced by the US government. And almost certainly was not even taken by a satellite.
1
@Concerned Patriot It must be extremely worrying to be an American spy knowing that our news media has absolutely ZERO discretion when it comes to publishing sensitive details that might lead to a spy's discovery.
D.J. Trump is Putin's president not America's.
3
A "president" who can't be trusted to safeguard national security must go! Why is the GOP sticking with the Trump Crime Family?
38
@Granny because they are afraid of Trump and Moscow Mitch. Hence, the reason why so many GOP members are retiring/ not seeking re-election.
3
What’s the alternative? Do you really think any of the alternatives better? And Putin favored Trump?
Putin despised Clinton and would of favored any Republican or Democrat over Clinton. The fake news would make us believe Trump was Putin’s first choice, how silly. If so where is the “evidence” Trump’s primary victories were supported by Russia.
1
Because they care only about their own wealth, and they are getting wealthier with this con man.
3
Thank God we got him out before Trump could do Putin a favor and reveal who he was. It really has come to that. Putin now has his inside man residing in the Oval office Oh and ironically Trump is very popular with our troops. The world is upside down.
28
So Trump knew all along.
8
The President can't be trusted. Says it all.
35
Trump is like the town gossip. Can't keep his mouth shut.
He tells what he knows and what he doesn't know, he makes up.
Everyone knows Trump can be pumped for information or to spread information/disinformation.
He's a double agent against and for himself.
Our president is treasonous and his ego is responsible.
Leaders and aides alike know if they stroke his vanity, he is putty in their hands. He may throw a fit if something goes awry but that can easily be fixed with another "Boy, howdy, you're smart!"
Or "Mr. President, that's fake news. Your people love you."
I think Trump is a thoroughly disloyal American. For me, that's a severe criticism.
25
What are we to make of this story? We had an asset close to Putin, then media outlets started sniffing around so we extracted the asset, and now we don't have an informant close to Putin.
Actually, we do but to name him would be "misguided speculation." Let's just call him Twitter Finger for now.
10
Trump wants to be the president that accomplishes great things that no other president has ever accomplished. He pictures that handshake at Camp David, that Nobel peace prize speech, heroic solving of the Israeli /Palestinian conflict. And he trawls the intelligence service, his sycophantic advisors and Fox News for showy issues to exploit. The problem is of course, that he doesn't have to interest or attention span to delve deeply enough into the complexity of the matter. He goes with his gut and then he realizes he'll look stupid or lose as reality shows it's ugly face. Then he just backs away and pretends he didn't say it. No wonder people think they have to be careful what they tell him.
16
Don't trust this asset around Trump. He owes Putin big favors and he may try something. Oh but then again one of Trump's dogs of threat is already in jail, M. Cohen. Hmm? I wonder who Trump will send? Dorian?
5
The most immediate, 'pending' threat to this Russian, C.I.A.-informant -- now that he has been 'extracted' and is 'here,' might just be 'the' threat, not unreasonably perceived by 'our spy,' that his well-being and his life might depend upon (i) his offering public pronouncement that several million of the votes cast for Hillary Clinton in November of 2016 were illegal votes cast by Russian anarchists and enemies of putin, and (ii) his statement that, until it made landfall at or near Cape Hatteras, Dorian had always had its 'eyes' on Alabama.
2
The guy has got to be praying Trump does not know his actual name.
22
I'm not sure what to believe. If the NSA and CIA are doing their jobs, the public should not even be reading about intelligence 'sources' and 'assets'. This is not a Tom Clancy novel, but supposedly the nation's newspaper of record.
So when articles like this come along, purporting to reveal some of our innermost workings, or at least to allude to them, I wonder just who is being played and what is being sold. Someone is playing the New York Times, and the New York Times, wittingly or unwittingly, is playing its readership. Or might that be, playing a foreign readership?
Whichever the case, it doesn't smell right.
10
Putin's check is in the mail! He appreciates you.
3
@Darkler
My point exactly.
1
I don't need to know the intrigue—I can read LeCarre but what's my takeaway? Russia interfered with the Election. I hope that Senator McConnell tuned into CNN while he drank his cup of java and then read his copy of the NYTimes during his ride over to the Hill. A lot of work to clean up this country...
6
@Catherine Don't count on the Speaker to clean it up...
Time for the Russians to extract Trump.
40
CNN reported that Donald trump was “in part” to blame for the spy leaving Russia. Now the nyt says there is no evidence that trump is to blame. How could cnn make this disgusting mistake? CNN hates trump so much that they will say the most disgusting things about trump without properly verifying the information. What kind of reporting does cnn do? Why are there no consequences? Again because they hate trump
3
@Jmilbrook
Easy answer...we do not have reporting anymore any where. We have opinoning (formerly 'reporting'). and extreme opinioning (editorials).
Who will be sacrificed now to pay for this? Which people close to Putin will have polonium in their tea, here, there, or elsewhere? How many more are there?
Publicizing this is brilliant counterintel
6
I hope we all live long enough to see Alec Baldwin in the remake of "The Manchurian Candidate".
17
It’s still the American news media, including the New York Times, which used the Russians’ info to hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign, not the Russians.
The Russians put the info out, the media worked with it. It’s not the Russians who used it!!!
2
I’ve always held the NYT in high regards. However, I am disappointed in its inability to restrain itself from what would seem an irresistible story: details on a story that could have the spy and his/her familiy dead. I wonder if you had his name, would you publish it? Maybe not, but the information you’ve helped give out is enough for Russian authorities to narrow the field of suspects. It’s ironic that you hold on to your own sources closely but do not hesistate to divulge details on someone else’s, even when the stakes are higher. By the same token, if you knew details about the Washington Post’s own sources, you would print them in your, wouldn’t you? I think not. That’s because of the doubled-faced principle of source protection that you choose to interpret at your discretion. That would make you no different that Trump’s carelessness in handling sensitive information. You’ve been exemplary in the search for truth. However, there are ethical principles that must prevent the endangering of people’s lives in the process. Make a stand.
15
@Daniel
Russia tried to murder a spy in England so I see no reason why they would not have tried the same thing over here whether or not anyone reported publicly on this.
Actually I do not think the New York Times was the first to report so I do not understand your comments.
7
@Daniel read “The Traitor and the Spy,“ by Ben McIntyre to get a better understanding of the spy world. The New York Times did not endanger anyone. The information in the story is a pittance compared to what the Russians already know about the agent.
3
@Dj, if what you say is true, in that NYT is not endangering anyone, then I would stand corrected! Hopefully, that is the case. I will make sure to read that book.
How can anyone give credence to this story? If it were true, it would not be published. In any case no proof has ever been provided on the so-called interference and we are supposed to believe Russian intelligence has nothing better to do with its time.For an example of real interference look no further than Trump’s clumsy support for his buddy Boorish.
I hope the Russians decide to extract THEIR agent from OUR government post haste.
Goodbye, Mr. Trump.
36
It is not "extracted," it is "extricated." There are subtle, yet important, differences.
2
@Simon Extraction is a common tradecraft term within intelligence services for the removal of a spy to prevent him or her from being caught.
@Simon Actually, it is “exfiltrated.“
2
Is this a surprise? I don’t think so. Will we be surprised when the Kremlin calls back #45? Nah. It will then be left to MoscowMitch to continue to cause havoc as Putin’s puppet.
13
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that trump would use secret information for personal gain every day of the week if he wanted to. Also, why do Jared Kushner and Ivanka trump have the kinds of security clearance that allows them to have access to information they should not have? Are they still using their private emails to do the countries business? When you tell them they can't do something they just flat out ignore it.
26
What more could you ask for? America got several years of valuable intelligence from this individual; likely far more than was ever expected when they were recruited. All things like this come to an end, and so far this has a happy ending.
This story clearly lays out that it was a myriad of other reasons that prompted the agent's extraction and doesn't try to lay blame with President Trump.
Good deal all around I'd say. Knowing that this day would come it's too bad the CIA didn't start to recruit a replacement years ago. Or maybe they did, but they're just not saying so in order to protect that secret? I would hope it's the latter, that would be good management.
5
@Robit17 More likely the latter. The CIA obviously doesn’t tell all it knows; Trump tries to do that for them.
1
It seems clear from the article that the sources, or leaks, about this situation came from an Obama, not Trump, administration official. The disclosure that President Obama got a separate briefing in a distinct envelope is evidence of such. Nonetheless, the article somehow tries to disingenuously blame President Trump. Is this spy disclosure from a 2016 incident really news or just a way to blame President Trump?
6
@Conservative Democrat Trump's behaviour with Putin speaks for itself, surely.
14
@Conservative Democrat i do disagree that the story was written to blame Trump. It mentions that Trump has leaked classified info—and he has—but you the reader are seeing an accusation where there is none. Why would you make that inference?
2
@Conservative Democrat
Russian interference happened on Obama's watch. It was a stroke of genius to try to pin it all on Trump and in the process punish him for having the audacity to beat their political choice, Hillary.
NYS Sen. Schumer famously said, “Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you."
Trump did what Schumer couldn't imagine. He beat them at their own game.
2
The fact that Donald Trump and maybe some in his administration have "mishandled" sensitive secret information, especially where it concerns Russian counterintelligence info, makes one wonder whether Trump himself is a Russian counterintelligence asset being controlled by Putin. He certainly has behaved that way.
26
@RLW He is not smart enough.
5
@Betsy Herring And therefore quite useful ☹️
3
Has it ever been determined what occurred between Trump and the Russians during that Oval Office meeting and the 2 hour private conversation between Trump and Putin in Helsinki? It's totally unbelievable that either of these PRIVATE meeting were allowed to happen.
25
The most disappointing part of this article is the fact that the media reported on this important government asset and now we don't have it because of that. Transparency is incredibly important, but not at the expense of public safety.
7
@Alynn “But when intelligence officials revealed the severity of Russia’s election interference with unusual detail later that year, the news media picked up on details.”
Who first made the detailed revelation? The government. Then the media reported on it. Your blame is misplaced.
4
No, the asset was extracted in 2017, allegedly because of the fear that Trump would expose him or her.
3
“All I can do is ask the question. My people came to me, Dan Coats and others, they said they think it’s Russia. I have Putin, he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this, I don’t see any reason why it would be. I have great confidence in my intelligence people. But I will tell you President Putin was extremely strong in his denial.”
- Donald Trump, standing alongside Vladimir Putin.
(The "and others" includes informants like this one.)
25
@JWEsq
Watch his actions not his words. He wouldn't give the media an inch after it went after him repeating unsubstantiated claims that now turn out to have been false. His Administration has, however, been very tough on Russia. Today, the US is competing directly with Russia on energy (ex., LNG), hitting Russia where it hurts most.
1
The problem here is that the CIA knew as early 2010 that the Russians were attempting to interfere in US elections and your 'revelation' that the CIA wasn't aware of Russian efforts until 2016 is completely false.
6
@Tom, how much of a genius do you have to be to guess that Russia is attempting to interfere in U.S. elections? What Russian government since 1945 would NOT be presumed to meddle?
2
If this individual was such a good source, seems like they were a little late in alerting his handlers to Putin's plans.
So essentially the media burned an important IC asset. The drive to be first to report something that will attract viewers, readers and clickers trumps everything in media-world. Nothing is sacred except profits.
5
@THOMAS WILLIAMS. How could the media “burn” an important intelligence asset when Trump has already done so by showing that he plays loose with classified information? All the media have done is to report that we have a President so untrustworthy that the CIA felt it necessary to extract a highly placed source in the Kremlin whose life was imperiled by Trump’s loose lips and by his unexplained deep allegiance to Putin. That is what should keep you and every other American awake at night. The biggest national security threat we have sits in the Oval Office.
21
@THOMAS WILLIAMS
Ummm, it was the lack of trust in Trump which lost us this asset.
17
Actually, the real story is that POTUS can’t be trusted. Which should alarm us all!
13
The “asset”-the informant is now living presumably in the United States.I hope that she or he can read some of these comments and realize that we are grateful for the information the informant provided and for the risks he\she took to pass this valuable intelligence to us.This informant cannot be recognized for bravery because of the need for protection.I hope the informant will realize that we appreciate the years of effort.
31
unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of anti media bias in the comments here, some of which appears to be driven by political bias, willful ignorance and belief in conspiracy. but the fact remain that we have an individual in the white house who cannot be trusted with our national security as evidenced by his unseemly affection for putin and his open disdain for out intel community because he lives in his own ego driven world and does not and will not believe their assessments of russian interference in our electoral process. it may have been a bit extreme to go to the lengths the media has gone to, but the end, protecting national security, justifies the means, no matter how difficult and unsettling they may be.
40
No wonder Trump hates Brennan and the CIA . Apparently Brennan did not reveal this information to Obama in Oval Office briefings but rather by presenting the information in a sealed envelope . Trump can see that the CIA has tremendous power and can work behind the scenes with or without Trump.
I’m relieved to know that the CIA is at the top of their game.
40
@KarenE
Correction, *Was at the top of their game.
5
@KarenE
With the 12,000+ lies this President has told the American people since his inauguration 3 years ago, why would our Intelligence agencies even think of trusting this motormouth.
2
If the Obama NSC and USIC truly believed the contents of the Steele ‘dossier’, bringing the Russian source ‘in from the cold’ would be a natural reaction to the fear of Trump becoming President. However, we now know the Russian disinformation campaign against the Obama admin went even further, and resulted in the roll up of a CIA spy inside the Kremlin.
You have to hand it to the Russians...the jujitsu of using Clinton/DNC Trump opposition research via the Steele ‘dossier’ to cripple our government and intelligence community was nothing short of brilliant tactical and strategic maneuvering against an adversary. It will go down as one of the greatest intelligence coups in history.
6
@J House
It was an equally brilliant plan for Obama and Hillary to turn something that happened under their watch into Trump's problem. Too bad that backfired badly, and now Comey, Brennan, et al, are under investigation.
1
Thank goodness Trump outed him. This guy was undermining Trump's good friend, Vladimir Putin. We need to make America more like Russia, passing taxpayer wealth to President Trump, which is the core of Conservative values
28
@gratis You mean Russia with universal healthcare, free university and only a 17% income tax?
Since the 1950s all the Soviet, and now Russian assets (spy) (traitors) have been motivated by money, not ideology. Anybody who has followed Trump knows his sole motivation is money. He was amusing when he was a real estate hustler and wrestling promoter. The joke has ceased to be funny. Be it a Trump sex tape or the promise of financing of his Moscow hotel Trump is compromised. America will survive Trump but we are poisoned. Our spies knew better than to give Trump anything that they didn't want to be blown by a tweet.
17
@George Chad that's also been true of Americans spying for the Russians who have since the 1970s been motivated solely by personal greed and money and not ideology, like the Rosenbergs of the 1950s
3
Exactly. Basically, POTUS can’t be trusted.
3
@Sue Sponte Read Ben McIntyre’s “The Traitor and the Spy,“ a non-fiction account of a similar situation during the cold war. Some are motivated by ideology.
1
What can the CIA do when 40 percent of the American people are so easily manipulated by Trump?
22
@Wally Wolf Manipulate them even more!
1
Just think of the unthinkable: One of the most important foreign informants/assets in the entire history of the C.I.A. must be protected from being "outed" to our main foreign adversary, either carelessly or intentionally, by the President of the U.S. This is the totally absurd moment that we, as a nation, have arrived at with this Fake President!
39
@John Grillo
What is more absurd is that Trump worries that this Russian spy was "disloyal" to his country.
What about the 12,000 LIES Trump has told to 130 Million Americans since his inauguration?
Is it not the epitome of "disloyalty to the American people" for President Trump to lie incessantly, obstruct justice, abuse his power, defy congressional subpoenas, violate the emoluments clause and divulge classified information to Russian agents in the Oval Office?
5
This is amazing to me. When will people ever learn? CNN reports the asset was removed because Trump was reckless. The Times report THIS IS NOT TRUE. The Times readers prattle on as if it were. In my life. And you recoil at the idea of FAKE NEWS?
4
Sources seem to have had mixed opinions about the extent to which Trump’s indiscretions contributed to the exfiltration decision. The Times reported this fact. This seems to be the opposite of fake news.
17
@Ian
There is no such assertion in this article, about "mixed opinions about the extent to which Trump’s indiscretions contributed to the exfiltration decision." I applaud the Times for publishing an article like this. I wish its readers would read the article as it is written, not as they hope it was written.
3
@Ian
There’s a reason so many people don’t trust the news. It’s this. The fact is, there is ZERO reliable and verified support for the assertion. It’s rumor. Fantasy. Not news.
How can we continue to tolerate such an undependable president?
Just one reason: Mitch McConnell.
25
“I’d rather be Russian than a Democrat.”
— bestselling shirt in MAGA rallies
With the Republican party not even making an effort to hide that they are already under the employment by the Kremlin, articles like these seem a bit ordinary.
23
Mole was yanked on Putin's request, no doubt---which Trump, as Putin's toady, was glad to oblige.
5
Regardless of his assistance to our intelligence organizations, he is still a traitor to his country. He joins Aldrich Ames, in the club of traitors. It is sad that this entire effort by countries has become a "game of spies". They do it. We do it. The longest war in our history continues.
It's unlikely that this spy was the single source from within Putin's administration, or 'close to Putin.' To say that American intelligence was "effectively blinded" and provide essentially no evidence is quite the stretch, and quite a sign of what 'reporting' has become.
My tinfoil-hat-wearing doppelganger wonders what is really happening in the world today, as most major media focus in on this 2-year-old transport of an intelligence source to the US?
1
Russiagate! It's got more lives than a cat.
1
It must be very frightening to be an operative in Russia these days providing information to the US. You not only have to worry about your Russian colleagues betraying you, you need to worry that Trump, in his narcissistic ignorance, will serve you up to Putin on a silver platter, just to boost his bottomless desire to feel important to his Russian puppet masters.
19
A nation which fosters treachery in other societies has no room to complain when it finds traitors within its own.
I’m talking about you, America.
3
@Tim
Perhaps you can provide your design for the perfect world you envision in which nations do not spy on each other.
2
This story seems to have been recruited and carefully cultivated by the CIA. What reason would there be to admit we had a longtime source in Russia, and to publicize the sources extraction?
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/02/are-spies-more-trouble-than-theyre-worth
4
@RD Alcala
Perhaps some patriot in the CIA understands that the US president is in effect a Russian asset and a threat to national security.
2
Something smells fishy about the reason for extraction!
Donald Trump is a danger to this country and world.
26
Safeguarding America is a challenging responsibility under normal circumstances. It becomes a matter of crucial importance when there is a sense that the President is not to be trusted. A Democracy depends upon citizens devoted to the application of equal rights for all, and mature leadership that understands the burdens of putting the Nation before personal whimsy.
13
@priscus Read the article. This happened under Obama's watch not Trump's. It appears Brennan, a Clinton loyalist, would not share details with President Obama. Was there a reason for that? And, by the way, if the CIA knew about Russian interference in 2016 and shared some of the information with President Obama, what wasn't more done to protect the 2016 election by his administration?
@Martin Gray, read the article. Late 2016 is when the information that Putin himself was directly involved came in. IIRC, President Obama tried to make heightened information about Russian interference public,but Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan objected.
Also, according to the article, Brennan DID share appropriate details with President Obama.
7
@Martin Gray
You misread the article. Brennan did not withhold information from Obama – – he held it apart from the “daily brief” (which has, by the standards of security information, a relatively wide circulation within the White House).
What Brennan did do was to put information derived from the asset within the Kremlin into a separate document for Obama’s eyes alone, delivered in a separate sealed envelope.
3
Trump must be kept in the dark as to this agent’s location, or better, set a trap for Trump. He just might fall into it by calling Putin with what he knows. In any case, our top intelligence people need to be listening in on his calls to Russia or its surrogates.
Trump just said, “ I know nothing”. A sure sign he knows something already.
37
@RjW
I like your idea of setting a trap for Trump to see how far he would go.
9
Trump doesn’t need to directly contact a Russian handler to let Putin what he needs to win in 2020. He simply makes a “joke” at campaign rally. “Russia, if you are listening......”
7
@RjW
And Trump is making it easy for our intelligence services to listen in on him, as certainly they should do, by using an unsecured phone.
5
Makings of a John Le Carre spy novel may be a future Netflix mini series?
5
We all must obtain Handmarked paper ballots. This is scary. The Russians are using cyber attacks on our elections. They favor Trump. The were successful in 2016.
25
@Virginia Moignard
Whatever happened to Ivanka Trump's Chinese approved patent for voting machines ((Nov '18)
Nothing to worry about there, with Trump being so truthful and all.
3
Love the nasty quote by Steven Hall - now a CNN contributor (not mentioned in article). Hall knows he's required to be anti-Trump. Gives us a good idea of the Dem partisans working in our intellivence agencies.
3
@Bob
I agree it is good someone is working there for our benefit.
6
@Bob I'm not sure it's a nasty quote. It seems like a statement of fact. Even if it's incorrect, there isn't a pejorative sentiment there. I think you're confusing critical thinking for partisanship. Critical thinking demands that one coldly look at evidence and make a call, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum. Just because it disagrees with someone's opinion or worldview does not make it biased or fake. I suspect that often those on the right are the ones unable to conduct analysis and because of this are biased to think no one else can either.
9
Fascinating and confusing. Will we ever know the truth?
2
@Esm
The point is that Trump doesn't believe in spying on our adversaries.
He thinks that's "disloyal".
Awwwwww. So cute.
3
and what was the motivation of this 'informer'? a deep rooted belief in the american way? if he was working for CIA for decades, he must be one jaded individual...or, by now, incredibly wealthy
1
@cossak
Personally, I don’t care about the motivation of the Kremlin asset. I’m just glad we got him to work for us.
Similarly, when I had surgery, I didn’t really care if the excellent surgeon I hired was motivated by the fee or by a sincere hope that I regain my health and live a long life.
3
This kind of intelligence should never be made public due to fact Putin has very long arms . Bless our Russian source and I hope his safety has not been compromised. There are things that need to remain secret especially with the loose cannon in the WHITE HOUSE.
10
It makes me sick to my stomach that our best asset in Putin's government had to be extracted because Putin's best asset sits behind the Resolution Desk in the Oval Office.
Turns out the only item in Steele Dossier that hasn't been 100% confirmed is the infamous salacious video tape.
18
@Dadof2
Staying willfully ignorant?
A C.I.A. spokeswoman responding to the CNN report called the assertion that Mr. Trump’s handling of intelligence drove the reported extraction “misguided speculation.”
3
@RenegadePriest
Maybe she just wanted to keep her job. Also, her statement wasn’t exactly a ringing denial.
5
@Dadof2
Wait there's still time for that to come out. The next shoe to drop.
2
Save it for the tourists.
1
Senator Burr and Senator Tillis, I expect you, as my Senators, to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. By staying silent, you are complicit in allowing Donald J. Trump to pass on our top national security secrets directly to enemy powers (numerous times); by staying silent, you are complicit in allowing Donald J. Trump to burn key intelligence assets so that they can no longer serve our national security interests; and by staying silent, you are complicit in allowing Donald J. Trump to undermine our European alliances that are central to global security.
Trump's misdeeds are now fully your responsibility, and yet you still do nothing to check him in the slightest. When will you stop putting the Republican Party over the United States of America? When will the safety and security of our nation be more important than the safety and security of your next election or your post-election earnings on the conservative gravy-train? Shame on you. Shame, shame, shame.
25
@AMinNC
Ignorance is bliss?
A C.I.A. spokeswoman responding to the CNN report called the assertion that Mr. Trump’s handling of intelligence drove the reported extraction “misguided speculation.”
@RenegadePriest They would say that, wouldn't they? In any case, Trump and his partisans have been dismissing anything the CIA has said since it identified him and his campaign as colluding with Putin.)
(And Wilbur Burr had nothing to do with the political appointees at NOAA censuring their on scientists.)
(And Bill Barr is perfectly neutral in running the DOJ and had nothing to do with ending the southern New York district attorney's ending the investigation of Trump's finances.)
3
The following month, The Washington Post reported that the C.I.A.’s conclusions relied on “sourcing deep inside the Russian government.” And The New York Times later published articles disclosing details about the source.
It also effectively blinded American intelligence
And why would the "press" want to do this?
3
Apparently lost to many of the Times commenters is the important fact that CNN has misreported this story in an attempt to blame Trump for this agent’s extraction.
That has been disputed by multiple intelligence sources and the Times. It’s not true. Most of what they have reported from day 1 on Russia-gate and Trump’s connection to it has been misleading and often simply wrong. Their reporters (that’s actually an incorrect term for their TV personalities) actually suggested that Trump could himself be a Russian spy. And many liberals have taken this false reporting and run with it. Is there any wonder that the term Fake news has become associated with CNN? Yes it’s harmful for our nation to not trust the media, it allows any reporting good or bad to be ignored as “fake”. But when you read this story and look at how CNN changed it to implicate Trump, could there be any further doubt as to what they are up to?
5
I dont watch CNN so I wouldnt know how they presented the story. I also have not heard anything about CNN being associated with the term “fake news”.
When I hear the term “fake news” I first think of Donald Trump who has used the term to seed doubt about any journalist who dares present him in a bad light. And secondly, I think of Russia, which has been creating fake news in its troll factories.
12
@Rob
But for Trump we would still have an asset in Russia. That should be enough.
6
@Areader
Yes clearly you didn’t read the story. Trump had nothing to do with the agent’s extraction. It was considered before he even became President, as the Times reported. The CNN claim is false, as the Times confirms.
You just made my point. No one cares what the truth is. If it implicates Trump it must be true.
1
Was the agent's name leaked to hasten their demise, to poke the bear into action.
Dead agents tell no tales to congress.
1
Yet Nancy Pelosi does nothing, leaving these agencies to fend for themselves.
1
I don't understand what keeping this person anonymous helps, would they not be noticing lack of attendance at that high a level in the Kremlin?
2
He is kept anonymous to minimize the trail that would lead whatever the Russian KBG is called these days to him. If his face was plastered all over the news, he would be easier for acquaintances to identify and Russia to track down and murder.
4
The Russians have their highly placed, secret source in our government too--Trump!
13
So where does DJT go when he is voted out in November 2020? Where is he extradited to?
He will not be safe anytime, anywhere!
He accepted russian help in the 2016 and on numerous occasions has met alone with putin while traveling internationally taking no other official with him.
He works for putin and knows too much. Once out of office he will be worthless to vlad.
Not a good thing for DJT!!
2
It’s interesting that the following was buried deep in the article: the agent was compromised by “the media's scrutiny” of the CIA's source, and NOT from anything Trump did. Meanwhile CNN is still reporting its “fake news” story (see CNN website). So thank you New York Times for digging and reporting this fairly. Your next step is to give news that goes against the anti-Trump mantra the same oxygen as those that don’t. FAIR, CREDiBLE reporting is one of the things that will help us get this disaster out of the White House.
4
This information really should not end up on the front page. Like it or not, some things have to be kept secret...or lives are in danger.
4
The media hates Trump so much, THEY are the ones compromising national security and our agents overseas.
5
So, how did the information of such a "high-level source" get told to news organizations?
The media will report what they learn - that's their job. The responsibility for such a damaging leak of information to the media lies with whoever let that cat out of the bag.
I wonder who had such motivation?
Regardless, there is no doubt that Pootie loves Donald, and Donald returns the favor when he can. Putin has been proven to have worked very hard to sink Clinton and contaminate the election of a US President. Any other winner in the past would have had the honor to call Putin out. Not Our Little Donnie!
One is an enemy of the US, the other a traitor to it.
6
This is very dangerous business we ask our operatives to do. Curious media and recklessly loose-lipped politicians risk lives. Dick Cheyney's friend Scooter Libby went to prison for outing Valerie Plame and was pardoned by the current White House resident. Trump is not someone I would trust with any secrets.
3
Without doubt, the GOP members who claim to love America should now hold their heads in shame. Trump voters, eat this bitter porridge and still claim that you support the Russian Asset in Chief.
After the Blue Wave of 2018 ripped the House upside down, I can only hope that the 2020 Blue Tsunami comes in time to save us all.
When the CinC is an enemy asset, U R N deep trouble.
7
The US can not expect to receive any sensitive intel information from our allies while trump is president. No one wants to take the chance that their most secret information will be handed over to trump’s buddy putin. This president has put America in a more dangerous position due to his narcissistic tendencies and the fact that he believes putin over his own intelligence agencies.
6
‘Some operatives had other reasons to suspect the source could be a double agent, according to two former officials, but they declined to explain further.’
It is possible the source was using tradecraft that would have otherwise gotten a foreign spy caught, and the Americans wondered why the source could get away with it without being apprehended.
Unfortunately someone in Russia is probably in the process of ordering Polonium. On one hand we have to deal with Russian interference into our election, and we now also have to deal with media interference into our Intelligence agencies working. Overall sorry state of affairs.
7
I am greatly heartened to know that the CIA understood that Trump was a serious threat to our national security and specific individuals, before Trump took office. It shows that our intelligence community is competent, can recognize security threats from all sources, including the elected president of the US, and take action to protect our country.
Well played. I hope that there are thousands of competent decisions that our intelligence community has made over the past two and a half years to protect us from the most serious national security threat we face -- the current president of the US.
27
This is grounds for impeachment. It’s actually grounds for execution under current law.
15
This is exactly the plot line of the Red Sparrow trilogy, which was written by a former American agent I assume that the real-life basis of the trilogy was this person and/or others like him/her. Like many others, I am a sucker for a good spy story, because they always probe into the deepest recesses of the character of the people involved. People sometimes do not have a feeling for how big a role covert action and espionage routinely play in relationships between nations.
2
@Cookies & Milk "The media is pushing for a new red scare. Fortunately, the American public is not buying it.
Really. A new red scare?
What do you call the 2016 elections?
I call that a Red Wish Fulfilled.
2020 is a new red scare.
Be afraid.
10
After reading this story a few times, I have come to the conclusion that if there was indeed a high-level informant in the Kremlin to begin with — and remember, such a supposition is only that, because in the worlds of counter-intelligence and espionage, life is a hall of mirrors — then he is still there, and the CIA extracted a human source of less importance to throw the Russians off the scent.
To much about this story does not make sense to me.
11
@David
This would be great if only Trump doesn't know about it.
4
@David
Why did you have to come out and say it like that? Now you blew his cover.
Unfortunately we had Nixon undermining LBJ In negotiating a peace plan in Vietnam.Generally I have faith in our Presidents Patriotism,this one either from immaturity,greed,selfishness or all of the above,can’t trust.
Thank You,
J Fitz
8
So we had someone close to Putin and Putin has Trump.
18
This news is a disgrace. It should have been brought out so a corrupt business man like Trump with his business dealings with Russia would have been more investigated. If his supporters still elected him President through the corrupt Electoral college shame on them and they should not be allowed to vote in another election. By not impeaching him will mean the rich and Presidents are above our laws and that must not happen.
4
This is why Trump needs to be removed ASAP. He is a danger to our country and he is a danger to the world. Please vote this guy out as it seems like the democrats will never get it together to impeach him.
11
@Peggy
Why? The leaker for this story was clearly a former Obama official.
1
Is governmental exposure the worst or is it that, on spying, it is media coverage?
There’s two types of Treason, intentional and unintentional! Both are grounds for impeachment. We are no longer talking about politics but National Security. This is the one concern that unites people in America!
31
@TheHowWhy
That used to be the case, but apparently it is not anymore.
There is reason to fear what is likely to come.
5
Why is the New York Times publishing this information for the world to see when it could have damaging effects on a person's life, family and national interests? This is not a spy novel, it's reality!
12
@Vivian
I don’t think you understand the article. Trump compromised this valuable asset. He has been removed for his own safety. We are now blind in Russia. This is about the past. Read better.
12
@Vivian: the exfiltrated spy is in an undisclosed location and under security protocols. The existence of a spy is not news to Russia. They found out when the spy suddenly disappeared from their government. The only thing they’d like to know now is where the former spy is, which the article is not disclosing.
11
@E. Chother But the media will never quit looking until they find his location. Talk about our National Security, Media is our worst enemy.
1
“We have a president who, unlike any other president in modern history, is willing to use sensitive, classified intelligence however he sees fit,” said Steven L. Hall, a former C.I.A. official who led the agency’s Russia operations. “He does it in front of our adversaries. He does it by tweet. We are in uncharted waters.”
So Agolf Twittler knew all long.
17
The sudden disappearance of a top aide must mean that by now Putin knows who the informant is. Just a thought.
12
When you elect a president that believes he is the smartest person in the room but in reality is a threat to national security....
21
@Andrew
Well, Trump is smarter than his GOP supporters, including all the GOP Congressmen. Does that help?
2
Am I the only person who thinks this reads like a new season of The Americans?
9
@Hope Springs It' s the new season of Homeland.
1
@Hope Springs
Nope - you're not alone.
And we are not wrong.
You do know the CIA has denied the Certainty Not News report, right?
4
@Jackson
When the CIA's Brennan falsely accused the president, he was heralded as a "hero" by NYT readers. Now that the CIA is free of politicos like Brennan and telling the truth, its credibility is somehow suspect?
They have it exactly backwards and insist on holding these misconceptions despite all reporting to the contrary.
4
@Jackson: of course, this is standard procedure. Also, the Russians would never confirm nor deny that they were spied upon. Normal procedure in espionage.
3
@Jackson Not exactly. The CIA and the White House spokesperson deny that the asset was extracted solely because Trump let out sensitive information in the Oval Office to high Russian officials. They do not deny that the informant was extracted.
5
The American news media helped Trump, not the Russians!!
It’s the news media that used the Russian info to help Trump, not the Russians!
The Russians don’t run the New York Times, CNN or the other outlets!!!
This still doesn’t change the fact that the Russian efforts wouldn’t have been effective if the American news media hadn’t helped spread the “dirt” on Hillary.
It’s still the American media that covered the emails and helped spread the Russians’ work, and seemed eager and happy to do so. Interestingly, while the media were happy to share the results of Russian efforts, they reportedly sat on stories about Trump, claiming they didn’t have corroboration etc. they knew of Trump’s alleged hush payments or dalliances with some of the women, but claim they couldn’t go on with the stories.
Yet, when they got dirt produced by the Russians, they seemingly had less hesitation.
They keep saying the Russians did this and that, but it still comes back to the American news media!!!
Not only did they help cover and spread these stories, they effectively gave Trump free wall to wall coverage worth millions of dollars!
So, to me, the whole Russian thing still doesn’t add up! The Russians or others will always have their preferred candidates and help when they can, it’s the American media that really helps!!
The news media is still the central actor here!!! If the American news media can’t admit their central role, it suggests they may to do the same again sooner or later!!
12
@Freak
SOME American news media were anxious to spread lies about Hillary Clinton. SOME OTHER American news media called the lies bulsht. The Russians used Facebook, twitter, RT, and comments pages (like this one) to disseminate propaganda. So widespread was their messaging that false information reached the phone of a United States Senator.
7
Not sure that any of this news serves the American public in any way. It's supposed to be secret, right? How we do things, how close we got, that sort of thing? Can't we keep our big yaps shut?
9
@Barry Moyer
This news does serve the American public. It further shows that the current president, who reveals highly sensitive, classified information to our adversaries, cannot be trusted and is the greatest threat to our national security. Most Americans don't believe that Russia is a threat. Perhaps stories like this may enlighten them. As far as keeping "our big yaps shut", Putin, a former KGB agent, knows how these things work and probably places his own people in our government, so who else of consequence will be affected by releasing this story?
3
@Barry Moyer It serves us to know that we have a president who can't keep his big yap shut and who hurts our efforts to gather intelligence on our adversaries.
4
@Barry Moyer
Release of info now is strategic.
The point is not to jump and blame and shame for breaking silence.
It's to recognize the value of reporting now.
2
NYT, excellent reporting. Once again you've bested the WaPo.
4
That’s hardly a compliment.
2
@SpotCheckBilly
That's hardly the point.
This is not a game. Or, if you like, it is, played for life and death stakes.
Some folks seem to have forgotten how to register what is really serious.
This is serious. Time to catch up with that, people.
I like how the fact that it was the NYT and Washington Post which published details about the informant that led to the extraction of the source is buried until the fourth paragraph from the end of the article. Before that are half a dozen references to a Trump and his handling of information, with innuendo that it is his fault that the source was lost despite a lack of evidence. In the past the press respected boundaries related to national security, now clearly not so much. How about a more accurate lead for the article such as “media reporting leads to loss of valuable Russian agent”?
10
@michaelf
You are inaccurate. The asset was extracted before CNN, NYT, and Wapo reported on the informant yesterday. But just prior to the extraction, Trump had his private meeting with high Russian officials in the Oval Office.
The White House spokesperson denies that Trump's national security breaches were the sole reason for the extraction operation. Temporally they seem connected however. Not a traitor, just a blundering oaf who can't hide his cards.
6
@michaelf
They can easily hide behind Trump. Throw in a few loose accusations, and that is all its readers will see.
4
@cjg Try reading the article which clearly states:
"The news reporting in the spring and summer of 2017 convinced United States government officials that they had to update and revive their extraction plan, according to people familiar the matter."
2
Looking forward to the day Russia extracts Trump when republicans in congress turn on him and he is nearing a prison term as a traitor.
40
What is it with Republicans compromising assets? Dick Cheney did the same thing.
37
@Jtati
Cheney did something similar. Valerie Plame was not an asset, however; she was our spy, not a recruited foreigner.
3
Add mishandling of classified information to the long list of misdemeanors justifying trump's extraction from the Oval Office.
16
The real question is who is working for the CIA in Hong Kong.
1
"This article is based on interviews in recent months with current and former officials who spoke on the condition that their names not be used discussing classified information"
I stopped reading, after reading this line. I'm tired of all the use of unnamed sources in the media today.
2
@Peter Felts Agreeing not to disclose the names of governmental sources is standard practice in conventional journalism. In most cases, the journalist will get confirmation of the content from a second, independent source. The reader's confidence in the integrity of the news organization brings confidence in the subject matter. Unfortunately, some political leaders (and some commentators) have spent more time bad-mouthing the alleged bias of the news media than addressing the issues raised by news reporting. This is from the playbook of authoritarians who wish to silence the press, first by mockery and then outright repression.
1
@Alan Mass Thanks for letting me know that journalists will often get a second source when using unnamed sources. I wasn't aware of that practice.
I also do buy your comment about bad mouthing the press being part of the authoritarian playbook.
I still feel that because this practice has been overused (and abused), as you alluded to, that it is not a practical tool any more. Personally, I hold the NYT to a higher standard. Conventional journalism does this practice, obviously, but, in my eyes at least, it's no longer a viable journalism tool, due to it's overuse and abuse.
This is why Trump needed to be surveilled closely from the moment he and presumably his staff began receiving classified info in the summer of 2016. U.S. intelligence officers sympathetic to his campaign might well have tipped Gen. Flynn and others about the informant, even if short of a full ID.
A POTUS-to-be already indebted to Russia for his financial survival could well have been willing to pay that off with info.
36
@Paul Gallagher
Thankfully, we have laws against spying based on imaginary and politically motivated scenarios like these. Fortunately, Barr will make sure those laws are once again followed.
4
McConnell could have acted when confronted with proof that Russia was hacking our election in 2016. You can thank him for the mess that ensued.
15
@Designing Woman And why would McConnell have done this for our country?
“We have a president who, unlike any other president in modern history, is willing to use sensitive, classified intelligence however he sees fit,”
How do you say security risk, at best.
46
It's in our faces. Trump will do anything to secure his future, even if that means ditching US interests to further Putin's.
Failure to secure our elections, seeking to waive sanctions our government placed on Russia for election interference, pronouncements about getting Russia back into the G-7 without Russia's pullback from Crimea, forays at normalization of dictator Putin, pushing away from our staunch allies, denouncing climate initiatives as science gets derailed while Putin sloppily releases radioactive material in the Arctic without any outrage from us...on and on.
Russia under Putin will collapse. Rather than try to perfect our democracy, Trump works daily to tear us down. Why? Putin will not end his corruption that stagnates Russian growth. Does Trump drool at the prospect of limitless wealth while at the helm of our government with aspirations of a lifetime dictatorship like Putin? Meanwhile, Trump's businesses are tanking and Putin continues to influence Trump's policy decisions to grab what he can without regard to the Constitution or our laws.
31
@Leslie Duval I agree with you 100 percent.
6
@Leslie Duval
Democracy is limitation of powers of the monarch. During the war time democratic parliament elects dictator to effectively drive country against foreign invaders. Russia is at economical war with US. As you say the goal of US is to collapse Russian economy for any cost by any means. So that is why Putin as a dictator stays in power for last 20 years as long as war lasts. Democratic institutes are based on laws and limited to boundaries and jurisdiction of the single state. So your words about "your" democracy are limited only to boundaries of your state and has nothing to do with Russian government and people. In the plane words your jurisdiction has nothing to do with Russia. You are just invader their.
@Sergey Hazarov
I take it from your written word that there are nuances you have missed from my writing.
My reference to "our democracy" was directed to the people in this country who have a deep interest in its success. Democratic principles have no limitations or boundaries. However, its operational reach is only limited by jurisdictional dictators who claim economic war to justify their continuation in power.
In "plain" words, a successful democracy does not have to fight wars or destabilize dictators. Dictators fall through their own making, incompetence and corruption. The ideal of democracy is already in the minds of Russians and others in the world who continue to be ripped off their despotic rulers.
2
Trump is a loose cannon. I cannot fathom how the Director of the CIA and the Director of National Intelligence can work with him.
The bureaucracy of intelligence has grown like Topsy since 9/11. That multiplies the number of people with clearance and the opportunity to gain access to critical intelligence. It multiplies the potential for leaks and makes protecting sources more complex and difficult. The expanded use of contractors has extended that difficulty and complexity into a fourth dimension.
When the President of the United States cozies up to Putin, the leaders of foreign intelligence services interested in Russia immediately recalibrate the level of their cooperation with the United Sates.
National security demands a grownup in the White House.
45
Does CIA have sources in Russia? Yes.
Did Russia try to influence the election to the tune of several hundred thousand Dollars in a one billion dollar election. Yes.
Was the Russian involvement decisive in the Trump victory? No.
Is Trump controlled by Putin? Are you kidding?
9
@Pressburger Is Pressburger speculating? Yes.
1
The United States is in a period of great tragedy when the leader, so-called, of this country cannot be trusted to choose his own country over Putin, that is tragic. It is also infuriating. For Trump to have an approval above 5% is astonishing. Who knew we had so many gullible citizens who refuse to see the downward spiral, soon to be called circling the drain.
28
No other president has ever done so much damage in so many areas in so little time as Trump has done to America! Why is McConnell's GOP controlled Senate not putting America's national security first instead of their partisan politics!? He knows having "acting" WH personal in place of Senate confirmed appointees greatly impacts our national security as "acting" personnel do not have the security clearances needed to be informed of whom, where, and what dangers may be imminent. The GOP owns this entire debacle from beginning to end. McConnell's weekend blame game on the Democrats for his own vote allowing Trump to take money from the military to be used on that visually aesthetic but ineffectual wall was just another example of their failed policies in action. It is blindingly obvious Making America Great Again has always been for the RICH ELITES, not the country as a whole! That swamp was never drained, it's just been filled with most corrupt and slimiest creatures ever seen in American history.
53
@Independent American
Reagan destroyed America's soul. Trump leads a zombie country. Who killed the America this foreigner once loved?
3
@Independent American
No, No, No, No. This is the most honest Regime in American history. Conmen all, theological, economic and political they wear the label conniving proudly as we engage your confidence. Every American government has been a government of the values and ethos of White, Christian, Western Civilization, America.
Trump is who we are and I for one am totally ashamed and being Canadian I personally humbly apologize and will try to do better.
1
Given Trump’s cavalier approach to sensitive information and his strange attraction to Putin, including a willingness to believe Putin over our intelligence agencies, the CIA would be grossly negligent not to be concerned that Trump might unwittingly endanger the mole.
32
@Rita It’s likely that a “deep state” exists within the U.S. intelligence community, although the polar opposite of how Trump condemns it. By being very guarded in what information they share with this president, these intelligence professionals may be a critical bastion preventing the collapse of our democracy through Trump’s betrayals.
6
@Rita
Or wittingly.
3
I still think Putin knows something important about trump and is using it to blackmail him and obtain any sort of favors , after having propped him up in the Oval Office.
Probably something related to some salacious videos or photos .
So many important men have recently fallen because of sexual revelations , the “ me too “ movement has been successful in disclosing many hidden dark individuals.
Let’s wait and see , everything eventually surfaces.
24
@inter nos Don’t forget the financial aid Trump has received from Russia.
11
The media is pushing for a new red scare. Fortunately, the American public is not buying it.
6
I hate to break it to you, but for those of us who read the newspaper every day, the old red scare never went away.
8
If you DON’T think Putin (aka Russia) has it’s long-term sights set on major democratic disruption in the U.S. (and elsewhere), you are being extremely naive. Russia rising in the world is almost directly proportional (at least in Putin’s way of thinking) to the diminishment of the U.S. What better path to diminishment than Trump?
9
@Cookies & Milk You're correct. It's not a red scare we should be afraid of. It's the red and ORANGE scare combined, that endangers our homeland.
7
That a CIA spokesperson would say CNN's report that a valuable CIA asset's extraction was caused by Trunp's loose lips "misguided speculation" seems more an affirmation than a denial in a world where up is down and yes is no. Can't wait for the book!
9
You hit the nail on the head.
1
Is there any one in the deep or shallow state protecting American interests? Or, are there really no American interests just personal gain, self-interests? Was the greater good just a fiction along fair play & an equal playing field.
Who are we now ? Come on NYT report!
5
Even if Trump is defeated in 2020 (assuming he relinquishes power), think of all of his fellow Russian moles he will have embedded into the corridors of power in Washington through appointments and otherwise—and how many of them, beyond Moscow Mitch and Leningrad Lindsey, will remain behind. Now that’s what I call a Deep State!
19
Chuchill - I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia.
It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian interest.
9
Trump is a clear and present danger to the security of the uS and to American democracy.
17
To a jaundiced eye this seems clearly an effort to distract and defend from unfortunate conclusions by the inspector general. Death throes.
5
@Susan Which inspector general? What conclusions?
5
The following is the oaths of office for the President and Congress:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
Every one of our highest elected leaders swore these oaths to protect our country. They know who they are. And every one of them should be held to their oaths.
Some times less is more. This should have been one of those times.
3
It is interesting to note what is not mentioned in this article; specifically the arrests on treason charges of two very senior FSB officers in late 2016. Both were involved with running the Kremlin's counter-intelligence and cyber operations. Then, in early 2017, two executives of Kapersky Labs, a Russian cyber security company were also arrested and charged with treason. Given this all happened around the time the U.S. released it's intelligence assessment of Russian election meddling, it's not too far out to see some Nexus to this story.
16
The public, including our media, need to show support to the intel communities in monitoring the Trump Whitehouse for signs of treason.
If found, they should send a letter to the former presidents and the leaders of congress. Moscow Mitch will be hamstrung and remain quiet. The Supreme Court Chief Justice might be included in the communique as well.
Sitting on our hands is not the patriotic option.
3
There is wide (and credible) speculation he was forced to leave....out of fear trump would compromise him.
One more "win" for Putin, at the expense of America...
19
We can vote an irresponsible president out of office, but how can we dismiss an entire media industry that has more interest in digging up and reporting drama than regard for national or individual safety? CNN, NYT, and others need too take hard look at their ethics and methods.
6
@Nancy Translation: Good news is news, no news is good news and bad news is proof of a media plot.
2
Decades ago?
During the terms of Aldrich Ames treachery at the CIA and Robert Hanssen at FBI?
When the Soviet Union fell?
When the Russians took parts of Georgia and the Ukraine?
What good was he in deterring, detecting and defeating Russian hacking and meddling in the American 2016 Presidential campaign and election?
Why extract him now when the 2020 election looms with even more Russian hacking and meddling is expected and welcomeed by Donald Trump?
6
@Blackmamba
You obviously didn't read the article. The source was not extracted "now", he was extracted in 2017.
3
I have a couple of thoughts. The first is that Russia will remain a so-called black box, regardless of the reliability of the human assets that we think we have in the Russian hierarchy. Human intelligence is the least reliable, for obvious reasons. And the Russian leadership, and Mr. Putin in particular, know how to weave webs within webs, especially amongst their closest associates.
I also wonder how much longer it will be before this particular informant wants to return home to Russia. I hope that the New York Times is able to continue to follow the story to what I suspect will be it’s ultimate conclusion.
6
@ Chris S. Florida. Re: Admiration of Obama officials. While silence re: specifics related to the Russian agent is admirable. all former Intel and Pres.Obama himself should have made the highlights, gist of Russian interference public and exposed Mitch, Ryan. McCarthy (see WAPO, “keep it in the family”).
Obama made a political calculation vs Doing what’s Right. And it back fired horribly.
The same goes for not prosecuting WS top banking executives and/or clean sweep of the C suites. This failed and redounded back on the D party in the form of the T party and 2010 Congressional loses.
Similarly, the efforts of several small countries to hold Bush, Cheney et al responsible for their war crimes should not have been blocked by the US.
All of these politically expedient moves have further tarnished our once moral standing globally. Sometimes doing the Right thing is necessary.
Pelosi, Nader et al should recall these miscalculations in the long term and adjust accordingly.
I am rarely critical of the Press but after watching this reported in great detail on CNN and MSNBC yesterday with way too many
specific details hinting at the identity of this brave informant,
I am horrified at the degree of irresponsibility shown by all involved. While I agree with freedom of the Press, there should
have been an agreement by all those reporting that for the
safety and quality of life of this former asset discretion would be
shown. While an informed public is good, sometimes a story is
better off withheld if it saves someone’s life. A scoop isn’t everything and I was appalled when CNN’s Jim Sciutto gave further identifying facts about the asset on air just because The NY Times had printed them. Where is the discretion and judgement here ? This isn’t the wise and careful Press I knew.
26
@SEA
When it comes to Trump, anything now goes. This is nothing new. Started before he became president.
1
@AACNY
When it comes to Trump, anything goes? Yes, that’s true and it has always been true. Trump has always been Trump – – an odious grifter interested only in self-advancement.
7
@Katonah
What is also true is that any accusation against this president, regardless of how baseless and unsubstantiated, is now taken as "fact". Look at what so many readers took away from this story. Exactly what they want to believe regardless of the facts.
2
Given that neither our intelligence community or our allies trust the current occupant in the white house, it makes sense for both our government and our allies to protect their assets and not tell him much of anything. On the other hand, it doesn't seem to matter to him. He appears to just makes things up as he goes along and doesn't listen to advice.
19
@tom
How do you know our intelligence agencies don't trust this president? You are mistaking the rank and file of these agencies with their now disgraced leaders who broke laws (mishandled classified information) and rules (ex., lied to
Congress) to perpetuate their case of Russian collusion.
While Comey was on his book tour, many FBI agents, both current and retired, reached out to conservative media to communicate their disgust with Comey. One even called him an "absolute mess."
2
@AACNY The FBI is not a foreign intelligence agency.
6
Many have attacked Trump because "he cannot be trusted" despite a clear absence of evidence involving him. The FBI has been heavily involved in the Russian collusion charges against this president. Its involvement is directly responsible for the response by readers.
This story reveals the dangerous friction between the intelligence community and Trump. Trump has attacked the CIA and FBI relentlessly since becoming president. Then he tempers his attacks and says he is only after leadership, not the agents working in the field. The two cannot be separated. Leadership is responsible for the safety and guidance of the field officers. It's called command and control.
But Trump is motivated by self promotion and glory. The thought that the Russians did anything to help him get elected pierces his very being. So talk like this must be part of a conspiracy to get rid of him. This is where it all started and continues to this day.
We have seen conservatives point out that there is no direct proven link between the extraction and Trump and claim that as some kind of victory. Trump poisoned the water. That's what motivated this extraction. As pointed out in Goldberg's column today, Trump has been extremely reckless in his handling of classified information. He has kowtowed to Putin and totally rejected (Helsinki) Putin's involvement when our intelligence community has provided the proof.
This climate of Trump's putting Trump first is what precipitated the extraction.
409
@Bruce Rozenblit
What a revisionist interpretation. Trump turned on the CIA and FBI because they were spying on him! They were attempting to entrap him and members of his campaign team. This should incense all Americans. How dare they attempt to take down someone duly elected just because they didn't care for his politics and/or they had hoped for big jobs in his political opponent's Administration.
Hatred of Trump has allowed our intelligence personnel to ride roughshod over their own rules of conduct. Note how many rules Comey broke by hiding those memos, leaking them to the media, and then having his buddies, Strzok and Paige, "classify" them once his actions became known. He then had the audacity to tell us that they weren't classified when he released them. He fails to mention that he kept them from FBI agents who came to collect his documents.
Trump has every right to defend himself. It's a shame animus towards him has excused the behavior of our intelligence agencies. This is why we cannot trust the left to do what is right.
9
I think a key element is that his Russian ties have not been proven yet. That is not to say that in the future they will not be validated. We do know that there has been activity of a business nature preceding his election to office. I can say that after attacking the candidate trump in a public forum I was tortured and later events involved a Victoria Secret’s connection and a Russian with connections to Putin.
6
@AACNY
Seriously?? Practically every one of his aids, advisors, etc. from Manafort on down the whole rotten line broke the law! Most of them multiple, serious felonies for which many of them are sitting in prison as we speak.
Entrap?? How was Manafort 'entrapped' into providing reams of detailed internal polling data to an ex-KGB agent? Money laundering. Multiple meetings with Russians. And then lying under oath about it all multiple times. And then I suppose Flynn was 'entrapped' into working as a foreign lobbyist for Turkish interests and lying about that?
76
Those that are reporting this now are doing us a favor, as the damage is already done. Congress needs to get on the job. The fact that Trump's election to President helped expose and remove a longtime secret US informant from the Kremlin means that Putin's investment in getting Trump elected has paid off in spades.
19
I remember a report that came our a year & 1/2 back. It stated that Donald Trump wasn’t only beholding to Russia for obvious reasons, but Russia also has a “Very High Ranking Senator that was way too beholding to them to “effectively do his job”.
No names were mention, but it was a safe assumption that they were talking about the same Senator who tried to bring a Russian company to Kentucky. That company is now embroiled in a “ Moscow mess” with the Kremlin.
Again though, no names were mentioned, so we can only have an educated guess who that report report was referring to.
20
Aside from the issue whether the media should or should not be reporting such a story, consider the vascillating analyses by CIA intelligence officers with respect to the trustworthiness of their mole. Then read "Spy vs. Spy vs. Spy," in the September 2, 2019 issue of The New Yorker. There have been a few real spy coups over the years but mostly there's so much second, third, and fourth guessing going on that whatever might have been the truth gets lost in the angst of over-deciphering it. Sometimes the truth is right there to see on the very first read.
3
I think the dems in the House should focus on this.
The republicans will give Trump a pass on obstruction of justice but treason is a different story.
The Constitution says two instances have to be produced to convict on treason. The Mueller report (and now this) cited numbers examples of where Trump was ready to commit treason with Russia but his aides stopped him.
228
@Paul
Trump wasn't involved. To try to incriminate him would be just another "witch hunt". How many will more of these will we need before his critics accept that Putin controls Russia's actions, not Trump?
1
@AACNY: isn’t the question “who controls Trump’s actions?”
29
You're correct on the need to focus on this. I respectfully disagree with your assessment of the republic party. It will kowtow to Trump about and for anything and everything.
16
Let’s stop dancing around the issue, Donald Trump is compromised, and Putin and the Russians put him in office. If you begin there, then it all begins to make sense. You also could add key Republicans. How will it break?
23
Let’s stop dancing around the issue, Donald Trump is compromised, and Putin and the Russians put him in office. If you begin there, then it all begins to make sense. You also could add key Republicans. How will it break?
497
@Marc Castle Let's also stop dancing around words. "Compromised" suggests being in an inadvertent position of helping an enemy. Trump is not inadvertent. He is purposely helping an enemy in order to further his own ends. specifically to line his pockets and maintain power. So, not "compromised" but, " Donald Trump is a traitor..."
39
@Michael
No argument from me.
15
@Marc Castle
Well we are doing a slow dance..But Trump and his supporters are doing the Charleston in covering up what is obvious to anyone beyond the second grade.
11
The FBI and Mueller have not let the public know the truth and that is with the election decided by around 70,000 votes in key electoral states, Russia did effectively change the outcome of the election. They did this with their attacks on Hillary Clinton by making people reluctant to vote for her and stay home or vote for a 3rd party candidate, or even write in a vote as the Bushes did. Depending on how useful Trump is to the Russians, they may do it again. Or they may do it again just to sow extreme division in our democracy. The tv media is out of control with people like Meghan McCain warning of bloodshed, along with the typical Fox crazies doing the same. These are dangerous times for American democracy. The democratic candidates should not ignore this issue. In the meantime, our country as no Federal Election Commission, and Mitch McConnell welcomes Russian interference as long as he and his party can win and retain power.
11
If the CIA knew Putin was working on behalf of Donald Trump, had first hand verified it, and President Obama was informed, why was nothing done? Why was Trump not arrested? Why was the plot not revealed in real time? This isn’t an intelligence failure, it’s a political failure. This should have exposed in real time and definitive countermeasures instituted immediately before the election, while the Obama administration still held uncontested power.
3
To all the people questioning the media in reporting this story:
I lived in Russia for 14 years. I witnessed, firsthand, the corrosive affect on society of a hobbled media, a media that was complicit in spreading lies and disinformation as well as not reporting what was actually happening.
I saw the media hysteria that came out during the Maidan Revolution in Ukraine, how it was painted as a US plot and a coup and all other manner of nonsense.
I saw the media justify the invasion of Crimea and the subsequent Russian instigated, and supported, war in eastern Ukraine.
Nixon waged a secret war in Cambodia until the media exposed his illegal actions. Should the media have not reported on this story? Should the media just ignore malfeasance and corruption in government?
This story exposes how deeply this current administration is when it comes to hiding the truth behind Russian interference in the 2016 election.
it exposes how the intelligence agencies feel when it comes to giving this president classified information. They do not trust him, and for good reason. He tweeted out a highly classified satellite photo of a failed Iranian missile launch. He revealed to the world the US's intelligence gathering capabilities.
He has had multiple secret meetings with Russians. He confiscated his own interpreter's notes after one such meeting with Putin.
He gleefully walked into North Korea for a photo op and a meeting with a brutal dictator.
No one should trust him. Period.
859
@Roger Binion
But he's our president; what are we supposed to do?
2
@Chuck
He is not my president...he is nobody;s president...he is in in for the money and the fame..AND......he lost by 2.8 million votes...the Electoral college must go ..but until it goes we must vote in massive numbers ...Trump tipped this election by 77,000 votes in 3 states..
VOTE VOTE VOTE...VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO...VOTE..
36
@Roger Binion
We knew all this before this asset was outed by the media. What I and others are concerned about is the long haul and the safety of this asset's life and those of his friends and family. Who's going to want to work with the CIA if newspapers can't keep CIA assets confidential?
Also, You may recall recently in Britain that a former spy and his daughter were poisoned. Putin is know for holding grudges to put it mildly.
18
The US knew as early as 2015 that Russia was meddling in our election. The bigger question is why the Obama administration allowed it to happen. There's more to this story.
6
@Pepperman
If you had read the article, you'd know that President Obama was informed by sealed messages in order not the let the Russians know that the US had an asset close to Putin in their midst.
And yes, there is more to this story, yet it is about the behavior of Herr Trump believing Putin, while not believing America's own intelligence agencies.
10
@Pepperman, surely no question is as big as why Trump accepted Russian assistance?
2
The Russian source was blown by the publication in the press that someone witnessed Putin giving the order to interfere in the US election. This leak must have come from CIA or some other official US source. So, in effect, the US intelligence services are themselves responsible for exposing the work of what was a valuable source and putting that person in danger.
3
Consider that publicly Trump has consistently denied Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election.
Consider also that this asset had first hand knowledge of Russia’s IRA and GRU activities during the campaign and presumably also of communication between Trump and/or his campaign people and the IRA and GRU. (Mueller did not say there was no evidence; he said there was not enough to prosecute anyone on Trump’s team.)
That asset may have initially declined extraction more from fear of Trump than of Putin. As between those two, Trump had, and has, far more to lose should the truth be known publicly.
73
Geez, ya know, the Russians apparently are better at the spy game than we are. They managed to recruit an operative at the highest level of US government. And they haven’t seen the need yet to pull Donald Trump from the Oval Office, while the US just reeled its spy in.
666
And Moscow Mitch still controls the Senate.
42
@Wallyman6
Climate deniers are not smart. But those who think trump is a Russian agent are elite thinkers. Lies and fact checks aren’t important if the idea is negative towards Trump. Shaking my head- but this stuff goes on and on.
4
@Wallyman6
We don't really know the intentions of the spy. We just know what happened on our end -- that is, with the CIA, media sources and the media.
2
Seymour Hersch is proven right again.
As in - Mr. Hersch assertion that Osama wasà betrayed by a CIA informant and not the Hollywood caper movie that showcased pain staking intelligence.
CIA has worked best because their informants do it since most want to live in America - a much better life than anywhere in the world.
This case is no different. Even that Russian mole in highest ranks of FBI was betrayed by a Russian turncoat.
As to this story and its smearing angle on our POTUS - is a payback by intelligence DeepState for him to go after them.
And if CIA believes that Russia interfered in 2016 because of one mole - Congress needs to ask why are we spending all this money on CIA??
This is a good story for a day that I expect will result in a tweeter storm from one particular person.
12
@Neil
Hard to follow your English, but your logic has it that the objective of article was to assail Trump? By revealing the decision was made before Trump took office?
If you read article- the problem was the media. Not Trump. But hey- in some people’s minds obstruction is almost shutting down an investigation (but not) while destroying 30,000 emails after a court ordered her not to - is a shoulder shrug. These are people that worry about “the truth”.
1
@Neil
That probably sounded a lot smoother in the original Russian.
5
@Neil
Thanks for the view from Moscow.
Sounds pretty twisty....and illogical.
2
Were breadcrumbs left as an act of revenge by Trump for telling tales of Russian election interference?
Why were the interpreters notes seized by the president?
Did the interpreter later try to reconstruct those notes and do es that reconstruction exist?
The interpreter needs to testify in a closed door session.
96
Our President's word is not to be trusted. He is not reliable in his decision making, nor does he seek reliable sources of information. He acts on "instinct" and his "gut" which are okay if your only responsibility is to decide what to wear for the day, but not so good if you are the leader of the free world. President Trump is not up to the job the electoral college gave him. He needs to be removed from office as quickly as possible via the vote or impeachment. He is a danger to democracy.
219
@Patrick Stevens When all your adult life you've been engaged in a high-level grifter business, what does anyone ever expect. Groups that supported Trump all-in for all this time are waking up to a shocking realization, that they have been seriously gaslighted, and willingly so. Now the farmers' leaders realize how seriously they've been had. That line that's growing steadily under this administration is the bankruptcy line while the super rich farmers rake in the dough by the billions of dollars. Now it's our own safety and security Trump throws on the dessert plate for Putin. Impeach now while we still have a democracy.
17
I wonder how these unnamed sources who are disclosing sensitive and classified information, who likely think of themselves as patriots, never get exposed and then prosecuted.
12
@Charlie Oft Times, sources do not give their names because they do not want to lose their jobs, on which their livelihoods depend, yet they want to do the right thing in the face of wrong. In a case such as this, I would assume, it is primarily for their safety; this is, after all, a story dealing with Russian spying. Everyone knows that Putin is former KGB, and the KGB has long been known to be highly trained, highly skilled, highly dangerous, and extremely good at what it does.
For what would these sources be prosecuted? Coming forward with important information that is in the best interest of our country?
17
@S Disclosure of classified information without proper authorization is in fact against regulation and statute. See 18 U.S.C. 798 for example. It really doesn't matter that the individuals believe disclosure is "in the best interest of our country" especially if they are employees of the government. They in fact could be prosecuted and imprisoned for their acts. Which is why I applaud their courage and dedication.
6
@Charlie
Too busily hunting Trump.
CNN fabricated the charge that Trump was involved somehow. Americans, including many NYT readers, will now believe it, and repeat it, without any evidence that Trump was involved. The media bungled this, not Trump.
34
@AACNY
I’d advocate firing the CIA decision makers if they weren’t, at least, seriously concerned with Trump’s cavalier approach to disclosing sensitive information and with his strange affection for Putin.
8
@AACNY
The assertion is not that trump was involved in the extraction, but that he had further endangered the informant by mishandling classified information. Seems that's true whether or not it influenced the decision - national security feds were concerned about trump's sloppiness, regardless.
We don't really need any news analysis to suspect trump complicates matters such as these... just knowing that he met with Russian leaders without anyone else in the room makes him an outlier of a president who can't be trusted.
24
@AACNY
Do you know of anything that definitively rules him out?
We don't need CNN to tell us that something or someone is suspect. Some people are simply self-suspecting.
6
Trump owes Vlad big time, so when Vlad tells him he thinks there might be a spy close by, given revelations about his direct involvement in getting Trump elected, and could he get him removed, what would his puppet do? There is much more to this story than meets the eye.
91
So if Pres. Obama knew of this spy when he met with Sen.Maj.Ldr McConnell and Speaker Ryan, did later two know about this person as well? If they did, this meant McConnell and Ryan knew Putin was actively supporting Trump. They knew it and didn't do anything to stop it.
318
@C Billiau
Your post presupposes that this information was passed by the Obama Administration to Moscow Mitch or his Boy Wonder, Ryan.
You have zero proof of this.
What we DO know is that trump is unstable and Barr leaked his name to the Russians.
But, hey, don't focus on THAT aspect.
15
Read the links from this story. Trump's Justice Department and then with Barr "inadvertently" leaked the informant's name. Trump and Barr went on a declassification expedition in order to get to the bottom of what the intel community knew. Why, to make him feel better after losing the popular vote and the mounting evidence that he had illicit support. I find the comments on here attacking the media as chilling as Trump's danger to all our security. The media is supposed to ask questions. Obama "warned" Putin to cut it out, "we know what you're doing". A natural question wouldn't be, how do you know? The US is not the only country with media, the questions come from all over the world about these things; Russia meddles in countless countries affairs. Stop blaming the media for the incompetent government leaders you have chosen.
363
@M
Many Americans want to get to the bottom of that investigation. Our own intelligence community was trying to take down an elected president based on the flimsiest of information. That is the real story.
2
@AACNY. Yeah. We have a great bridge over the East River which I’m sure you know is often for sale. Are you interested in that as well?
BTW: how is it that you and others in the last few years suddenly appear to distrust the agencies that have protected you for decades but trust a President who literally lies to your face every single day?
26
@AACNY
You mean illegitimately elected, thanks to pervasive Russian interference and the hubris of Jim Comey.
19
From the day he looses to the inauguration and beyond, he and maybe his family need to be kept watch guard for national security.
35
Our intelligence agencies are probably thrilled that Trump is taking more and more 'Executive Time' and playing more golf. The less he knows, the better.
140
@Larry
Seriously.
Could imagine the damage he could do if he had an actual work ethic?
20
Something tells me that even if the spy had a video recording of Putin ordering the interference of US elections----Trump would still feign disbelief. After all, the very idea of video recordings in Moscow apparently still brings nightmares to Trump and succor to Putin.
Amazing how Trumpistas still view Russian interference as fabricated when it's the very propaganda dispelling Putin's actions they've actually swallowed. It makes one wonder whether even Rupert Murdoch's media empire has Russian "investors" given the glaringly parallel campaigns in both the UK and USA to undermine democracies, disassemble international trade agreements/alliances, and bash immigrants are all part of Murdoch's AND Putin's script.
Sure Boris and Trump are the patsies but we, fellow citizens are the real victims in this tsunami of billionaire fueled propaganda.
106
@Zdude
Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to make the specious accusation that President Trump orchestrated the Russian meddling, especially, as we are now learning, the charge was based on very weak evidence.
4
@AACNY
Utterly hilarious. Nothing specious in my comments, the facts are RUSSIA did interfere with our elections the fact Trump attempted to coordinate that effort is apparently lost on you, but have no fear impeachment is here. Weak evidence because Trump is only because Trump was too frightened to answer investigators key questions and refuses to divulge the Russian rubles his own son admitted to receiving for their investment schemes. Stay delusional, Trump is betting on it.
9
@AACNY He may not necessarily have "orchestrated" the meddling, but it seems pretty clear he happily danced to its tune in order to clinch the presidency of the United States. Art of the deal.
4
Isn't it scary that Trump is privy to top secret espionage issues? He can't even tell tell the truth about weather forecasts.
How many government agencies need to be politicized before even the MAGA crowd becomes alarmed?
Too many of us are either too consumed with our daily lives or just indifferent to pay attention to what Trump and the Moscow Mitch style Republicans are doing to our country. It seems that power does indeed corrupt and they won't stop until their power is absolute. You know how the saying goes.
It is time to get the adults back in the room. We have been lead astray by a party that has succeeded by appealing to voters baser instincts, fears, and prejudices. They do nothing for these people except to convince them that they hate the same people they do, and that they are the "real Americans".
All Republicans need to be voted out. We will never have decent health care, education, infrastructure, or a clean environment under a party that is all "me" and no "us".
128
@mike
Furthermore, what "the media" needs to do is share more intel with the readers about how the Republicans and even some Democrats have received campaign finance from Russian oligarchs via opaque organizations enabled by Citizens United.
The reason Moscow Mitch is not supporting any kind of investigation or electoral security measures is because he is also compromised with 'kompromat'; namely, his Citizen United dark money chest has received hundreds of thousands of 'Benjamins' and if the truth was known, he would be a candidate for impeachment as well.
This is not new information; it just hasn't reached a national level of discourse.
6
That Trump has been compromised by Russia is my biggest concern about him and has been since his election.
Everything that he does seems to reenforce my belief, his refusal to criticize Putin, his personal meetings with Putin and more recently Iran's provocation of the US, including their shooting down of a US drone. Its almost like Iran knew that the US won't retaliate, and they have close dealings with Russia.
I hope that my conspiracy theories are just that, but there is only one way to be sure and that is to not elect him.
64
@John
I've just started "House of Trump, House of Putin", by Craig Unger; this is a damning account of President Trump's long association with the Russian Mafia.
Trump was one of two property developers, back in the 1980's that allowed investors to purchase condo units secretly, without disclosing their identities. This remains legal, but Unger will be showing that there is plenty of available information to show with a preponderance of evidence, that our President has long consorted with an unseemly group of business people.
Shockingly, our country is chained to this man because of an odd confluence of intelligence secrets that can't be revealed, campaign finance that has compromised a vast swath of Republican elected officials, Citizens United and other opaque business practices that provide dark money to the political class, and a weird dithering by Democrats, not confident they can make a compelling case to impeach.
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How can one trust Trump would believe the report. It like drawing the hurricane path. He would just act on he own beliefs and no the data.
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That our intel folks should even have to CONSIDER our president could be an operational danger kind of blows my mind.
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@David Anderson
They tried to bury Trump with accusations of Russian collusion, just like they did with this story. That blows plenty minds as well.
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@David Anderson
I think this point had been established many times over, even before Trump was officially elected. His impeachment is way overdue and every day that he's in office is a legitimate threat to the United States of America.
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@David Anderson You have that right.
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What is the purpose of this article but politics? Is it in the national interest? I remember JFK's speech on freedom of the press during the Cold War. I also remember a recent article from the NYT regarding how the US had planted "malware" in Russia's electrical grid. Or the article that this POTUS intended to raise the US nuclear arsenal by 30%, backed by three White House sources. Fine and dandy. No harm to the national interest with this style of reporting?
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@Beigun
No harm whatsoever.
I'll take the media reporting on the actions of the government than the alternative any day of the week.
I lived in Russia for 14 years and I witnessed, firsthand, the damage done to society by a press that does not report the truth or on the actions of its government.
The people deserve to know what their government is up to.
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@Beigun
The "purpose" of the article, sir, is to inform the Public of the actions of this administration; and how those acts compromise Our Nation.
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@Beigun Thank goodness I'm not the only one who thinks this way
Tom Clancy .....”the Cardinal of the Kremlin”. Here it is in real life...at least some of the significant concepts are parallel. Our problem is that , no matter which political party you may support, there are intelligence issues and rules to handling them. DJT always acts as if he is above any rules or restrictions. Can’t imagine how it must feel to be a field officer in thee times. Your life potentially at stake because of your Commander and Chief’s erratic behavior and attitude.
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Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Please VOTE. We need to stop the madness.
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@Paul
While you earned my recommendation, what is being done to stop the Russians interfering in the 2020 elections now just 14 months away?
I used to work for the military and I suspect that something is being done be we won't read about it until after the fact; you don't release stuff to the NYT (or the so-called President) stating what you're doing to prevent an enemy attack.
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@Paul
This madness happened under the prior Democratic Administration.
I will vote for Trump because I want to get to the bottom of the questionable activities of the CIA and FBI and, more importantly, to prevent them from meddling in a presidential election ever again. This isn't a third-world country where intelligence agencies decide who should and shouldn't be president.
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@AACNY
First, this is a trolling comment. Second, some incredibly insightful comments here which you obviously disregarded. Finally, you are correct, the FBI and CIA shouldn’t decide the presidency. They aren’t. Russia is. Your Trump is their agent. Good luck with that. The other 70% percent of us plan to vote him out of office in 2020, if he isn’t impeached for treason before that.
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I look forward to this Russian testifying before Congress.
It will be high drama.
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@Thomas
It would be a death sentence to the Russian. Are you serious?
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@Betsy S
One imagines the Russians have already worked out who the informer was.
Until Trump’s “presidency” is over, one way or another, we’re essentially blind when it comes to espionage anywhere in the world, because of Trump’s blowhard tendencies.
On the other hand, Trump can’t keep a secret, and invites spies into the Oval Office, with no US representation. I’ve little doubt that he sees to it that there is no room on Putin’s desk for half of the information that trump funnels to Vlad with a fire hose.
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Were the agent still in position to reveal future Putin shenanigans, Trump might have had to suffer further embarrassment. So Trump must be greatly relieved that we no longer have a direct window into the Kremlin.
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I’m sure at this stage there is enough information. It’s a pity he/ she, (we don’t know yet) couldn’t carry on further. I’m glad the person is out but are they safe even in America if that’s where they are?
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I’m sure we have many other informants.
2
Or so they say.
“We have a president who, unlike any other president in modern history, is willing to use sensitive, classified intelligence however he sees fit,” Totally within Mr. Trump's style, using anything to further his personal goal with disregard for the effect of his actions upon others. This is more a character fault than a lapse in judgement, and therefore a serious long term danger to our Nation.
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The plot thickens. Interesting tone to the comments so far. Many blame the media for revealing this agent. Perhaps if our current administration had given us any confidence that they took election interference seriously and was doing something to protect us from tampering, the press wouldn’t need to be so aggressive at proving the point.
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We only know so far that an agent has been extracted, no identity as of yet.
I know there was a time when news like this would have been shocking, but it feels long ago and far away.
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@A
What is most shocking of all is that millions of Americans are just shrugging their shoulders in reaction.
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Is there some reason we were able to keep the espionage secret for decades, but failed to keep the "extraction" a secret?
Or perhaps this is a PR attempt to embarrass Russia?
It seems rather provocative, and furthermore, recklessly endangering to the spy's family and friends back home.
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@Lonce Wyse
Your question is a contradiction, to say the least.
Espionage, by its very nature, is secret so, of course, this particular espionage was kept secret.
The extraction, not so secret.
As for embarrassing Russia, they do not need any help from the US doing that. They do that on a regular basis all by themselves.
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Sad that Trump’s impulsiveness raises questions as to what knowledge he may blurt out for momentary advantage.
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A CIA spokeswoman claims that Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified intelligence leading to the extraction is “misguided speculation.” But was she threatened by Wilbur Ross first? Public trust, once gone, can be impossible to regain.
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@LHH To a certain extent, it doesn't matter whether or not this specific reporting is misguided speculation. The sad fact is that Americans now truly believe a US president cannot be trusted with classified information, based on three years of his behavior and his administration's willingness to cover for his lies, intellectual shortcomings, and lack of required knowledge to effectively lead this country.
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@LHH
Trust seems to be very high when the lie involves an indictment of the president.
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@LHH
I think we can assume at this point that every government agency has been corrupted and operating under dictator rules. Anything less is naive.
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I just love this, or hate it...I’m not quite sure.
So now you’re reporting, at long last, that Brennan relied on ONE SOURCE, who may or may not have been a double agent, for all of the Russian election interference accusations? Am I reading this correctly?
And the media, without ant real knowledge of the source and only using carefully selected leaked material, jumped on board and reported again and again that Trump’s election was rigged by Russia?
Perhaps this story, while being excellent reporting, comes three years too late...
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@Anne: You misread the article. The source was thoroughly vetted and re-vetted to be reliable, and he was in a high position close to Putin, to the point of regularly meeting with Putin. And of course he was not the only source, but he was the most important one due to his closeness to Putin.
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@Anne
I suggest you read many more articles on the extent of Russian interference if you think that the CIA relied on a single source for its assertion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
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@Anne
I suggest you read Volume I of the Mueller report.
9
And who is it that works at CNN that may have provided false information and inaccurate timelines due to his hatred of President Trump ?
John O. Brennan
Rumors have surrounded this man since he served in Saudi Arabia and reportedly became a Muslim, John actually took his oath of office not using a bible but the US Constitution.
The fact that he is now a CNN analyst after formerly holding one of the most sensitive positions in government shows the need to stop the revolving door between sensitive government information and the news agency. You must realize CNN did not hire Brennan because he has a pleasant personality, he doesn't.
He is a leaker.
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@Tom ,Retired Florida Junkman
Nothing wrong to swear on the Constitution as long as you defend and uphold it.
He is not Muslim, but even being one would not harm anyone other than Trump's base, I guess.
I agree with your last point. To be a public TV figure after you held critical positions within the US agencies, is a low grade. But still, it's a free Country and as long as you don't break any law it's deemed to be legal, right?
2
@Tom ,Retired Florida Junkman It remains unclear to me why Trump supporters are trusting the President in this case more than anyone with a long track record of serving the country - although they literally know nothing about the President himself as he has manicured his image for decades but never revealed any detail about the “real” Donald Trump. From the true color of his skin to his tax returns and alleged wealth - nothing is really known about him....only the image he created himself. Just in opposite to literally any governmental employee and especially those in the intelligence community who are subject of repeated background and security checks.
4
Fascinating with a clear measure of objectivity - the writers obviously takes some pains to avoid politicization of why an extraction was necessary. It is worrying, though, that journalism put American national security interests at risk in the interest of the irresistible "Russian Interference Story." There just seems to be no holding back in media reporting anymore - no matter what's at stake. The first amendment's a wonderful thing, but it does seem to me that reflecting on what not to say has its place.
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@Rob
Had Hillary been elected in 2016, we'd know a lot more about the 2016 Russian interference than we do now.
Do you honestly feel that the American people do not deserve to know how democracy was subverted?
The story wasn't 'irresistible.' It was, and still is, huge news and needs to be reported on a regular basis.
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@Rob Wouldn’t be the correct question “how can it be that the President is not trustworthy”? It appears that most Trump supporters conclude that “hate” is the driving force for folks to reveal things like this spy extradition. Just consider for a moment that they have insights that are so alarming to them that they have to go public. President Trump spent most of his time during the first weeks (...and months) after his inauguration attacking the intelligence agencies and the free press - not the other way around - gambling the main asset of any President away: being trustworthy. The shear number of documented lies coming out of this administration and the often ridiculous personal attacks against anyone opposing the President do also not justify a blind reliance on anything coming out of the White House. Remember the inauguration images or now the bizarre Alabama hurricane “forecast”? Things like this are not made-up by some rogue journalists - they are made up by the President himself - basically inviting scrutiny about everything he does and says.
5
The amount of damage Trump has done to American intelligence communities are incalculable. People need to know even if he is not deliberately trying to build a dynasty. Trump Inc. is forever tainted.
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When Tom Clancy's "The Cardinal of the Kremlin" was released in 1988, most readers thought the whole thing fantastic. After all, the dynamics of spy craft simply were too mundane, if dangerous, and extracting a mole from Russia in the dead of night, however reluctantly the asset was willing to cooperate, seemed melodramatic at best.
Today, however, the erratic and unpredictable nature of the American president has brought fantasy into reality. The truth is now "fake news;" up is down, and so on. This administration has yielded up the better part of more than half a century of stored information vital to America and its allies. The irresponsible American president thinks this is all a game to be played on television for ratings.
The Republican Party, once the stern guardians of national security, have left their desks, content with the damage that their president has--and continues to do--to the nation's best interests. They, like Donald Trump, are far less than patriots and more like perpetrators in the degradation of intelligence sources that we need to maintain our peace and security.
Have any Republicans spoken to the president about how dangerous he has been--and is? And how this will affect us for the foreseeable future? Who, now, among our dwindling roster of staunch allies, can now trust us with their secrets?
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The news media's transparency fixation has serious downsides. In this profit driven, highly competitive business, the public good can easily be compromised, as this story suggests.
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@HPower
This story suggests no such thing. The media worked tirelessly to report on the Russian interference in the 2016 election while keeping sources secure.
This exfiltration happened in 2017 and the public is just now learning of it over two years later.
The media did just fine protecting this CIA asset.
21
@HPower: Try reading the Christian Science Monitor. Most objective, level-headed, in depth, and NON-Profit news source out there. Don't be misled by its name. The paper's news reporting is impeccable and about as unbiased as humans are capable of.
1
Articles like this always remind me of the delicate balance we must walk as a democracy which values free speech and freedom of the press yet must (like any country) use covert means in order to protect itself. On the one hand, in the moment it seems as if the press does a disfavor by revealing things that should be kept secret. The potential risk to sources is increased. The avenues to vital information are closed or curtailed.
On the other hand, a system where the press is muzzled or willingly keeps information from citizens is a system which is less than free for it potentially allows bad actors to operate in secret under the guise of national security. It is a potential path to lawlessness and oppression.
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@Anne-Marie Hislop
The media has been doing this delicate dance since the founding of the country, save for the period of 'yellow journalism.'
I trust [most of] them to know what to report and what not to report.
I'm more concerned about rogue administrations that do illegal things, from war crimes in SE Asia, outing a covert CIA agent to punish her husband, secret meetings with adversaries and so on.
And, under the current administration, I'll take the media's side on the ability to keep classified data classified, unlike #DementiaDonnie who has shared secrets with the Russians and tweeted out a classified satellite photo of a failed Iranian missile launch.
5
I'm afraid we cannot take the CIA spokesperson at her word when she says this informant's extraction wasn't because they can't trust Trump. But they couldn't admit that for a variety of reasons. What a sad, frightening reality that our intelligence community must operate without confidence in our president and those he appoints to top intelligence posts, especially given his history of appointees (Michael Flynn being top of the list).
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@e w
You'd be singing the CIA's praises, taking every word on faith, if it had confirmed that Trump was the reason for this bungling. The truth is now discounted because it doesn't fit the anti-Trump bias.
6
Speaking of Michael Flynn, he is due in court today "to discuss his cooperation with prosecutors and whether the two sides are ready to set a sentencing date", per article in Time magazine. Flynn now has a new legal counsel, Sidney Powell, who is a conservative commentator and a critic of the Mueller investigation. She has made accusations against the Justice Dept. allegedly withholding evidence that would be favorable to Flynn. Fur might fly as Judge Sullivan was scathing about Flynn's actions the last time Flynn was in his courtroom, ordering him to cooperate further with the investigation.
It seems Flynn and and Ms. Powell have done the exact opposite. To this observer, it appears Gen. Flynn has consistently shown poor judgement, today should be interesting. Flynn is obviously angling for a presidential pardon.
12
@e w
I agree with your statement, but I would add that no one should ever take any CIA spokesperson at their word.
3
It is a fascinating story, but one cannot help but wonder why the press was allowed to publish so much about the source. Those publications have hurt the United States intelligence operations and make us less safe.
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@Buzz A
First Amendment.
And the media regularly does not disclose information that it has acquired.
It's not the media that has hurt intelligence operation but #DementiaDonnie who likes to share everything, including classified satellite data of an Iranian missile launch. It's him who has secret meetings with adversaries and takes interpreter's notes.
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@Buzz A
Exactly. Loose lips sink ships.
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@Buzz A
"one cannot help but wonder why the press was allowed to publish so much about the source"
Because we have a free press? Because the government cannot dictate what the media does? Because of the 1st Amendment?
9
Question remains: what information was so important and possibly contentious? Surely not that the Russians tried to influence the elections (duh). Also not that Putin personally ordered this (that's how such "governments" work). Than what? A Trump tower in Moscow to "show Putin's appreciation" for the help received? Let's hope Donald does not find out who the source is.
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@Architect even "that Putin personally ordered this". This is the key point in my view.
20
Yes, agreed, Donald should not know who the source is. That could be very dangerous.
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@Architect
Putin hated Hillary. Imagine what else he would have done if she had won? For starters, we might never have known about Russian interference.
1
As always, fascinating stuff, brilliant journalism. An achingly small question comes to mind; if an agent is discovered to become a double-agent but is then turned again by the original agency, do they become a triple-agent (and so on...) or resume as a (single) agent? As I said, achingly small...
24
@johnny patrick, Basically yes. From Wikipedia: A triple agent is a spy who pretends to be a double agent for one side, while they are truthfully a double agent for the other side.
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@johnny Patrick
For more insight into this pressing question, please reference back issues of MAD Magazine's "Spy vs. Spy".
1
@johnny patrick I wonder what the world record is.
1