When Trump was elected in 2016 with Russia help, the Russians knew that this would help their goals. Russia does not want to make America great again nore will Trump. Trump is a crimminal, a destroyer not a builder. When this is over there will be a lot of pain and people left behind being hurt and
abused. Wondering how stupid they were to have believed the sham and not have understood the way the narcist Trump works.
He does not care about you. Nothing.
43
It's what Putin told him to do!
23
Tump, in more ways than one, will be lacking in intelligence.
25
The Mad King.
17
Simply doing Putin's bidding.
You know it makes sense. DUMP TRUMP.
21
What could possibly ho wrong? Everything.
18
I was sorry to see such a half hearted slap on the wrist by the NYT editorial board.
The base of our Constitution is torn apart by our kleptomaniac President and the country has changed in a very short time, three years from democracy into a dictatorship about the same time it took Hitler in the thirties and again
major media is treating it as something that might pass, hardly worth talking about.
One has always wondered how it
was possible that the German people didn’t the warning signs after Hitler was talking about him gaining absolutely power.
One of the reasons then was that their corporate world only saw more money in their future and the mass media were as haphazard in responding to his fascist message.
The same is happening in the USA, corporate greed is at the highest level and can’t get enough of making more money while the media is wearing velvet gloves and refuse to call it by its real name, reawakening of fascism build on the back of workers who haven’t gotten a meaningful increase in salary in many decades (as happened in Germany as well).
America’s believe that the German situation would never happen here, is a clear sign of a full denial, a “blinders up” mentality.
Wake up NYT before it will be really too late and you too will be charged along all other media for willfully being blind to money.
29
Treason through Incompetence.
Incompetence is Treason.
20
the surest way to prevent the truth from coming out is to eliminate those who seek the truth, much like the Stalinist purges of the 1930s'.
28
What does Alan Dershowitz think about Trump's stance?
11
Intelligence - what’s good fo. Nuthin - shut it down.
6
Another 9/11. Won't be fake news.
8
"Cripple the Intelligence Agencies? Not Smart"………
"Not Smart" — It's insanity….
Donald Trump insanity….
What happened to the America we grew up in?
The America that hundreds of thousands died to protect?
The America that Arlington National Cemetery represents?
Are we going to, let one egocentric Donald Trump destroy everything this country once stood for, fought for, patriots died for?…...Have we totally lost our minds, our political sanity…..
Look around you, see what's happening, not what you're being told by a madman……
Freedom is not free and Donald Trump is using every trick in Putin's book to take yours away……Fight back now or bequeath your children a dystopian, fascist Trump envisioned world………..
Think about it as it's happening right now today in real time…...
26
Insecure stupid people lash out to help themselves dissociate.
If we look at what Trump and the republicans want we see their true nature is anti American. They want to bully and force and threaten and do actual harm to make the world behave as they want it to. They do this because they think they can and that they have the right to. But most importantly because they think themselves superior. They see being civil, fair and solicitous as unnecessary with people who are not their equals. And anyone who does not already agree with them is not an equal.
Or they know they are wrong but do not care because they are all traitors intent on destroying us to profit themselves.
The paranoia anger and lashing out are also the symptoms of life long dishonesty and conscious dissociation of that dishonesty.
19
God help us.
15
I'm really starting to believe that Trump is listening to his Russian master and is dismantling the once-great USA piece-by-piece. Worst of all, the Republican-dominated Senate has turned a blind eye to this whole charade.
30
At least the Times board is consistent in supporting the Neocons. Readers should never forget weapons of mass destruction propaganda was unquestioningly pushed by the Times. The Times has always been on the side of war and intervention abroad and always will be. Those who claim to be "progressive" but support this because they don't like Trump and think this hurts him are blind fools and hypocrites.
8
Yes, yes, yes, We know Trump won't acknowledge 2016 Russian election interference. Stop making that point! What does need to be underscored is Where are America's Patriots? Thank you Sally Bates.. C'mon Tillerson, McMaster, John Kelly, Bolton, James Mattis, Kjersten Nielsen and others... All of you should reveal the dysfunction and chaos being wreaked on our country by this President.... for the good of the country.. Semper Fi
15
Read Admiral McRaven’s opinion piece in the Washington Post. A frightening assessment.
28
Not smart? Quite the opposite. It is very smart to cripple you enemies. And there is hardly any doubt now that US intelligence agencies, for whatever reason, instead of protecting the country and opposing its enemies decided to oppose and attack its elected leader. That treasonous deep state needs to be not just crippled but completely destroyed. And those self-appointed "resistance fighters" must be uncovered, discharged and prosecuted for treason.
41
@David Interesting, David from Brisbane. Some of us think Russian intelligence is actively supporting our Elected Leader and that the Elected Leader is way too friendly with Putin. Indeed, some of us think Putin and Russian intelligence are actively working to destabilize American democracy, which makes Russia a hostile foreign power. And if our Elected Leader is cooperating with a hostile foreign power, what does that make him?
378
@David from Brisbane, a prospering city just south of Smolensk ;)
Burning your own house down is an interesting approach to fixing a problem. Normally this type of fix is not proposed by those currently inside the house.
223
@Tom
It appears we have many people, often outside the country, who support the president or oppose those who are trying to unseat him in 2020. Odd when you think about it.
159
What's good for Russia...
13
Times: I suggest an opinion piece comparing Trump to Stalin. Beginning in 1938, Stalin purged his professional officer corps and military command. Under the uber-corrupt State Police Chief, Beria, he continued purging the Air Force and Army, in an attempt to blame them for his own alliance with Hitler and lack of military prep against the Hitler invasion. This continued even as Hitler was invading. Stalin was as autocratic, paranoid, and unprepared as Adolph Hitler, and Hitler never encountered a better internal ally than Stalin. A comparison with the Trump-Putin relationship can go rather deep.
28
We laughed when OJ Trump vowed to destroy our government from within to make 'Murica great again. He was mouthing another of Bannon's fevered dreams. Little did we know that this fragile little man would actually accomplish that deed through his lethal combinations of incompetency, ignorance and jealousy. Meanwhile Red Hat Nation cheers him on without one worry about why Vladi wants the useful idiot to destroy Mother Russia's number one enemy.
29
From an OP-Ed piece in today's Washington Post by Admiral William H. McRaven:
"As Americans, we should be frightened — deeply afraid for the future of the nation. When good men and women can’t speak the truth, when facts are inconvenient, when integrity and character no longer matter, when presidential ego and self-preservation are more important than national security — then there is nothing left to stop the triumph of evil."
Think about the implications of this extremely courageous person telling us "we should be frightened":
--William H. McRaven, a retired Navy admiral, was commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014. He oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden.
574
Bay of pigs, wair in Iraq, Gulf of Tonkin to Vietnam, Cointelpro, MK Ultra, Libyan fiasco, funding Osama and the mujahedeen....
Destroying the IC might be the best thing a president could ever do.
Was it not liberal and NYT darling JFK who wanted to scatter the CIA into the wind?
6
So basically "President" Trump is outwardly saying that he does not care whatsoever that our elections are being interfered with so long as President Trump himself is the beneficiary of such interference. If that is not a crime against the United States, I don't know what is.
1054
@Arthur Minas the senate allows for this. unless and until there are big changes in the senate, we will have more of this.
100
@L'historien The Senate though is elected by the People. The President’s actions are ultimately an expression of the People’s will, as distasteful as they are. Trump has a 49% approval rating.
12
They should be impeached for dereliction of duty also.
23
Voting for the most Divisive Presidential Candidate in American History...who criticized fellow Americans from all walks of life....including a former POW...NOT SMART ! But everybody makes mistakes! Continuing to support the Worst President in American History...with the most Chaotic amd Dysfunctional Administration in US History...with an over 80% turnover rate is …..Beyond Not Smart! It's just plain DUMB !! Like they used to say on that old commercial....That's What You Get In....Cracker Jacks!! What is wrong with so many of us that we would support the disabling and destruction of our own Democracy ??…Don't be...Not Smart.... Vote Blue No Matter Who 2020 !!!
23
Binarism. 2 choices. Heaven or Hell. Church has been riding that pony forever. Here we are again. One side wants to go back to just 2 choices of thr days gone by. The other side see's many many choices and preferences. Way easier to control things with just 2 choices. Sure, let's Go Backwards. Every civilization that wants to go back and reset it's heritage or culture is doomed. Listen to the young people.
6
Everyone knows what the problem is, it is the Republican leadership (assuming they still has some) and the Party in whole throwing in the towel and letting Trump basically destroy anything of value.
We have a news network (Fox) which defends every thing Trump does. If Obama ran the country like Trump is Fox would want him impeached. But they too turn a blind eye to it and instead of reporting the truth simply pander to a base which thinks bad is good and good is bad.
Not one Republican seems to care.
Trump, the Republicans, their news network is simply out to demonize anyone and anything that isn't in lock step with Trump.
The truth be damned. This is not only sad, it is horrifying.
23
Treason? Treason? Reason? Reason? Debt? Debt?
All roads lead to Putin.
13
Eventually Trump will start firing people for not clapping hard enough ... just like most dictators ...
26
Heck of a job draining the Swamp, Mr. Trump.
6
Please stop using the word “meddle”. Russia aggressively used hybrid warfare to “attack” the US, and the people inside the WH, the GOP enabling it would therefore be traitors
27
Crippling American Intelligence will likely be a small part.
Trump will turn them into a Gestapo like personal Agency.
The Mercer, Bannon, Trump reelection 'cabinet'. and Facebook
know way to well how to use intelligence to actually cripple it.
13
Considering that the vast majority of CIA, FBI and NSA people are Repub conservatives, it's interesting to imagine what they make of this prez who is kissing up to the enemy.
27
Donald Trump, Sr. doesn't want to cripple nor does he distrust all intelligence agencies.
Trump respects and trusts Russian military intelligence aka GRU, Russian domestic intelligence aka FSB and Russian foreign intelligence aka SVR.
Trump trusts and respects Israeli foreign intelligence aka Mossad and Israeli domestic intelligence aka Shabak and Israeli military intelligence aka Aman.
It would be nice if the American people knew as much as Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu about what is going on in all of these matters from Ukraine to Moscow to Tel Aviv to District of Columbia to Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster.
16
Trump ain't nothing. It is REPUBLICANS who have shown they are evil rich old white men. The saddest part is the mindless American electorate that likes to 'believe' lies over truth.
19
“Mr. Trump doesn’t like to hear about election interference, much less about interference by Russia. He sees the entire topic as an effort to devalue his 2016 victory.”
This might be partially true but mostly it’s his conscience. Trump is guilty and he knows it. He wishes the country would just move on and acknowledge his greatness or kiss his ring.
Mueller did not find Trump guilty but he did not say Trump was innocent.
Trump had advance knowledge of Russian hacking of the DNC. He mentioned it to his supporters the afternoon BEFORE it happened.
Trump is a traitor. Working hand in hand with Putin. If you look into his bank statements I’ll bet you find payments also. I’ll bet the evidence is damning.
Now, let’s talk about gathering his DNA.
Let’s talk about E. Jean Carroll’s rape accusation against him.
Let’s talk about jail. Let’s talk about it very soon.
26
And Republicans love him no matter ANY threat to America.
8
You must ask yourself:
How many of Trump's actions benefit his lender of last resort?
(Putin and the Russian mafia)
13
electoral votes in states of 11 pardoned by trump
Illinois 20 blogoyovich
ohio 18 debartolo
florida 29 freidler
texas 36 hall
new york 29 kerik
california 55 milken
texas munoz
florida negron
texas pogue
florida safavian ( florida gave law license back 4 days ago)
georgia 16 stanton
one day, and that day may never come, i may ask you for a favor....
9
Kill the messenger is a response that only the seriously mentally handicapped would consider,especially if the messenger is protecting your life and well being and the well being of your country.. Trump is mentally unfit for office.He does not care about protecting this country. He cares only about himself, but he is his own worst enemy. His followers are in not much better shape. The ship of state is foundering on the rocks. WE ARE IN TROUBLE, BIG TIME.
Those people with all their mental capacity still intact need to pay attention carefully to what they must accomplish to turn this around. The time has come to stand up.
8
“…Mr. Trump’s replacement pick, Mr. Grenell, has little intelligence experience and has never run a large bureaucracy…
Wow – sounds like you’re right to sound an alarm, NYTEB…
Yet, for picking a replacement for Mr. Trump, loyal opposition seems to have little regard for choosing someone with a modicum of intelligence, experience, or who has run a large bureaucracy…
Further yet – well, read your own paper:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/07/us/politics/gina-haspel-cia.html
“…When President Trump picked Gina Haspel to run the Central Intelligence Agency, he opted for a seasoned veteran of the nation’s spy apparatus, a career professional removed from the partisan skirmishes of recent years who had the respect of many fellow intelligence officers…
“…But Ms. Haspel’s greatest strength as a nominee, her extensive record, has become her greatest weakness as critics pick apart her role in some of the agency’s darkest chapters…
See – you’ve all been found out…
At least some of you – you simply like to break things and set things afire and watch things burn…
And – that includes at least some of you, Senators…
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/us/politics/gina-haspel-cia-torture-letter-senate.html
“…With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the C.I.A. should have undertaken…
Good thing for her she didn’t have to debate Bernie and Liz and Amy, to land the spot…
4
Can't trust anybody these days, can you, trump? I guess you really will have to fix it alone. Just dissolve the entire State Department, along with the CIA, the NSA, the all those other pesky departments that are out to get you. That'll show 'em!
6
Well, the Trump presidency wouldn't be a national nightmare without a few more unqualified ghouls in the script. I believe if one or two more of the "best people" in Trump's orbit end up in the federal pen they can start their own bridge club. Aww..
5
Another temp with no expertise and whose only qualification is loyalty. Banana Republic.
12
I can certainly understand why Trump would feel that intelligence is souperfluous!
8
This is more evidence that America is toast.
Republicans, with the assistance of Russia, Fox and Fools, Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter, misled millions of angry, low-information voters to install a corrupt, sociopathic agent of the Kremlin in the White House.
Meanwhile, Democrats are fighting back by rallying around their weakest candidate for the Party's nomination...again with the aid of Russia and likely their Republican comrades.
Americans are too busy making it through another day to pay attention as the nation we once loved and cherished burns to toast.
13
I still want to see those translator's notes that were confiscated by Trump after his private 2 hour tête à tête with Vlad in Hamburg, Germany.
16
Interesting that a gay man with a same sex husband is promoting far right ideas in Europe, even though that is not part of his job as a diplomat. His evangelical college must have not taught history other than cherry-picked parts of religion if he doesn't know how the Nazis and todays Russia feels about homosexuality! Has Trump checked with his buddy Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Limbaugh to see how he feels about this appointment? Will Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham and Hannity approve?
6
The nihilistic Trump supporters will just say who cares? Crippling the intelligence community means nothing to them.
They are not smart. They love the military. They love seeing YouTube videos of the family dog welcoming the soldier home. But getting the connection between security, intelligence, and military. Nope, that's way too deep state for the red-hatted rally-hooting fools. We're way into treason here.
19
..., cripple the executive branch; imperative!
6
I'm afraid the next Trumpian response to his polititical enemies will be more Putin-like....poisonings, forced incarceration, assassinations...
10
Mitch McConnell: you have failed America.
13
trump is nothing but a Putin puppet. ALL Americans must realize this frightening reality and unite to defeat both internal and external threats to our country.
9
NYT Please Advise: Given...
...the perilous trajectories of our country and planet,
…the criminal acts committed by Trump,
...the impeachment of Trump in the House,
...the sham trial of Trump in the Senate,
…and Trump’s new level of lawlessness…
...at what point does the NYT take the lead, as one of the nation’s most respected news organizations, and call for Trump’s resignation (without the benefit of a Pence pardon)?
Thank you.
+++++++++++++++
FYI: A bit of history from Wikipedia:
Impeachment Process Against Richard Nixon
On November 4, 1973, Senator Edward Brooke became the first congressional Republican to publicly urge President Nixon to resign. That same week, several newspapers, including The Atlanta Journal, The Denver Post, The Detroit News and The New York Times, published editorials also urging him to resign. Time magazine, in the first editorial in 50 years of publication, did so as well, declaring that the president "has irredeemably lost his moral authority" to govern effectively, and that Nixon "and the nation have passed a tragic point of no return."
13
What, you didn't see this coming?
6
Trump is like a little boy, stomping his feet in anger because his mother didn't change his diaper fast enough.
It is galling for a coward and draft dodger like him to criticize a true national hero like Admiral Joe Maguire, just for telling the truth.
It is frustrating beyond tears that there is no mechanism in place to hold Trump accountable for shredding our national security apparatus like this. Firing Maguire and installing a fully, totally incompetent nobody like Grenell to replace him? That is insanity.
This is so clearly part of the direction given to him by Putin. It's been said recently that Trump is a Russian agent. He is that, and much more. He is, in fact, a traitor to our country. That word is not spoken lightly. Trump has been working against our national interests from the second he was sworn into office. And so have the Senate Republicans for blocking any action which could be taken to control him. They are as culpable of the rending of America as he is.
Trump must be defeated in the fall elections. He must be, if we are to save what little of our country will be left by then.
Trump is the domestic enemy our Founders warned us about. He is the antithesis of what it means to be an American. He is waging war against us, and it is past time for him to be gone.
16
Cripple the intelligence agencies? Does the editorial board understand that Donald Trump has crippled the entire political infrastructure of the United States government? What are you all so afraid of? Why can’t you be blunt enough to tell the truth in front of your of 10,000,000 readership? We are dealing with a madman in the White House who is destroying the very foundation of this country day by day because he thinks only of himself and he thinks of himself as a dictator , a president who would be King. You must to your very best to stop this madness day by day , and week by week.
14
“When the president learned of the briefing from a member of the committee, he was furious — not over the threat of foreign meddling, but that Congress had been told about it”
Dear Editorial Board would you be so kind as to share exactly who the “member of the committee”was?
Representative Devin Nunes par chance❓
9
Dear NYT headline writers: Can we take the question marks off headlines now? We the people know Trump is crippling the intelligence community. No question about it. We know he is undermining the legal system with his pardons for payola campaign. We know he trusts our enemy, Putin, over America's intelligence community. He told us that at a press conference with Putin by his side. So please, no more question marks.
8
trump golfs while America burns. All hail the new emperor.
13
“ We don’t need no stinkin’ intelligence “.
Obviously NOT, Donald.
NOVEMBER.
13
Trump can't risk anyone credible offering a 'counter narrative' to the "alternative facts" Trump pushes. Thus we get Bolton's book being bottled up as 'full of classified information' - when it is the very person being attacked who is making that decision. Why not some independent committee, Trump? Another abuse of the presidency, "classified" to cover up Trump's incompetence, lying, or corruption... just like "the Transcript" was parked on a classified server so it couldn't get out, lest it damage Trump. And it did, when the fool released even a favorably-edited version. What's in the original, full "transcript" notes, if what Trump released is so damning?!
Trump can't risk having real information about Russia's interference on his behalf get out, since that erodes his self-myth that 'I won all on my own in 2016, and I'll win again in 2020". Trump was right when, in the leadup to 2016's election he harangued about "rigged" elections... he just failed to mention the "rigging" was in his favor. And he sure doesn't want that to come out again. Conveniently, his patsy DNI will also fail to tell him how weak and failing his foreign policy actions are... 'no news is good news' for Trump, even when it is critical national security information. Just another incompetent day in The Worst Presidential Administration Ever.
Only one thing left for our nation: Vote Them All Out. Republicans are unfit, every one of them.
13
It is unbelievably disheartening to read the comments of the Trumpers. They have been totally brainwashed. The intelligence agencies are the enemy, everything Trump does is perfect. We are in uncharted waters in America. No matter what info is presented to the them, Trump’s minions only believe the blather coming from his mouth.
15
WHEN will Trump go too far? Apparently, for Republicans, never. And what qualified, upstanding person is going to take government jobs anymore? You’d have to be self-destructive to work for our intelligence agencies under this regime.
Trump has everyone tip-toeing around him, fearful of his rage! He’s surrounded by cultists, sycophants and yes-men. “Don’t upset Daddy; he had a hard day at work.” This is madness, pure and simple.
Yet, tomorrow, he will do something worse. The idea that there is a bottom to his insanity is - well - insane. How much more of this can our country take?
We look like idiots on the world stage. I cringe for our country. We have become such an embarrassment.
12
“When the president learned of the briefing from a member of the committee, he was furious — not over the threat of foreign meddling, but that Congress had been told about it. According to a report in The Times, he was especially miffed that the meeting had included the committee’s Democratic chairman, Adam Schiff, who oversaw the recent impeachment proceedings.”
(1) Guess which “member of the committee” informed the president of this briefing? Clue... mooooo from CA. Initials ...D N
And
(2) Guess why the president was miffed because the meeting included the committees Democratic chairman, Adam Schiff?
As chairman of the House Intel committee, Adam Schiff is feared by trump because he knows Schiff will expose the president, for what he is, to the American people, as witnesses during the Impeachment hearings.
Hence, the president has appointed Grenell, an unqualified, partisan, Faux News alumnus as acting DNI. Grenell will do the president’s dirty work, to circumvent any further leaks to Schiff, regarding foreign meddling in both the Democratic Nomination election and the November election.
6
So how in the world did trump trust the intelligence about the Iranian general he assassinated? He never once mentioned the deep state might be pulling a fast one, notice? This president thinks he gets to pick and choose his reality.
C'mon, trumpies! You're going to allow this president to rely on experts when he needs them, and hate on experts when he doesn't like what they say. This is 2nd grade level "I get to because I wanna!" I thought you hated entitled presidents who use 'executive fiat'.
I listened to Rush Limbaugh's attempt at history revision last night.
And you call yourseles thinking Americans?
6
America's enemies and adversaries are cheering on Richard Grenell and the dunce that appointed him. Their planning and work against America and its interests have just been made significantly easier. If, God forbid, our enemies and adversaries are successful in carrying out just one operation against America or its interests, such action will permanently be on the heads of people such as Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, John Cornyn, Roy Blunt, Joni Ernst and others that are part of this traitorous cabal.
8
Good move by Trump. Time to eliminate all these Obama holdovers and NeverTrumpers undermining his administration.
3
What’s your name soldier?
My name is Forest Trump, Drill Sergeant President.
Why did fire staff and lie as to the reason?
Because you told me to, Drill Sergeant President.
Repeat for all The President’s Henchmen.
2
"When the president learned of the briefing from a member of the committee, he was furious ..."
The "member of the committee" was Devin Nunes, the same Devin Nunes who collected "classified" information in the Executive Office Building, and ran across the street with it to the White House, the same Devin Nunes who has been implicated in working with Lev Parnas to dig up dirt on Joe Biden in Ukraine, and the very same Devin Nunes whose hanger-on Kashyap Patel is going to be the number 2 in the Office of the DNI.
How about just saying "Devin Nunes, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence"?
182
The same republicans that whined about Hillarys' e-mails being a threat to national security now sit mute as marble statues while trump destroys our whole security system.Nothing but a bunch of hypocritical traitors.
16
Sincerely I don’t care anymore.
3
Yeah. Trump isn't smart.
2
Why does the NYT fuel its readers fears like this? Yes, this sells, but is it really worth it? Indulging animus towards Trump has become a nasty sordid business.
5
America's intelligence agencies just became politicized, and there's barely a murmur.
Welcome to the coming Stasi state, where anyone who says anything remotely derogatory against the leader is a traitor. Can you hear the jackboots coming?
11
When push comes to shove and we actually do enter
territory fraught with significant costs if poor decision
making occurs, based upon delusion or the detached from reality, gut inspired whims of dear leader, as compared to a thorough digestion of all available intelligence and its range of plausible meanings, the price to pay will be paid by everyone, including the maga hatted cultists, not that they'll notice. Will the source come from NK, Iran, ... elsewhere?
However, since everything seems to be going gangbusters
in the world according to trump, with plenty of crumbs, if not paper towels to heave at the irrelevant needy for the sake of a good media event, there is nothing really to
fear or be anxious about...so just get over it. No reason
to worry in the slightest. Just put your mask on and
breathe normally.
In the meantime, we now have all the needed
institutional ingredients for truly massive screw ups so that everyone can experience the inevitable disaster.
The only problem is that
the decadence is so rooted, the fatigue of living one's life in this country is so debilitating, and intellectual faculties are so distracted and therefore vitiated, that too few will even care enough at all to have noticed that something really bad just
happened unless it hits them directly between the eyes.
6
This pick is going to bite Americans in the butt, whatever, he’ll blame it on somebody else. If it gets him elected, he will start WWIII. Vote blue and hope it’s not erased.
1
I just wrote this letter to my representatives in Washington (Including Sen. Portman):
Quote from Rob Portman on impeachment: “It is time to turn the page and begin a new chapter.”
Rob Portman’s “new chapter” is now revealed to mean the total surrender of the Trump-Cult-Republican party to the siren call of dictatorship. Acquiescence to Trump’s take-over of the United States Intelligence apparatus for the sake of furthering his own false narrative is an act of treason against our nation, against our values and against our democracy.
Mr. Portman, have you no shame?
Please, folks, help save our democracy by letting our representatives know that this is not OK.
25
Anything that implies intelligence, is not part of Trumps America.
12
Grenell with little intelligence experience is appointed by trump who has little intelligence. No surprise there.
6
Trump’s response is totally irrational not to mention unAmerican - unless he’s got something to hide.
6
It has been crystal clear for some time that Trump favors loyalty over competence, intelligence, or experience. His ignorance and ego are ruining this country.
Politicizing the Intelligence Community is not a viable plan, nor is appointing Grenell as DNI. Grenell is very loyal to Trump but is not a good ambassador, so why would anyone expect Grenell to be a good DNI? If Trump truly were a stable genius, he would understand the situation and make better choices.
8
Well, there is intel and there is intelligence. Have the intelligence agencies warned about a real threat before it came to pass? I can not recall one. If it were not for the Special Ops teams, actual American soldiers, our Middle East engagement would be a total disaster starting in, oh let's see, 1950's? Israel is secure, that's the only success, but largely of their own making. At least we backed the right horse on that move.
1
Since the details of the intel meddling are scarce to non existent it doesn't take much to fill in the blanks.....it is about social media and little else. Anybody who looks to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the rest for real information is already in the hands of the Russians. It is well known, even to Trump, that this has been going on for a long time. Russia has been meddling with all sorts of hacking in all kinds of national elections around the world. Being told they are doing it is not news.....what is news, perhaps, is the evidence that they have gone beyond the idiotic social media to spread their rumors and lies.
This is a blatant attempt by the sitting "president" to abuse his powers to allow a foreign adversary to manipulate election results in order to improve his reelection chances. With his history, Americans must assume he has follow up plan to continue rewarding the foreign adversary with policies that benefit them.
If this is not treason, nothing is.
Trump's next book release: The Art of the Treasonous Deal
(Hopefully released from behind the walls of a maximum security federal prison)
6
Now about this DNI flap:
I've got a great idea for you Mr. president.
Rod Blagojevich is free. He really likes you and will be a loyal friend. Perfect for Director of National Intelligence.
And the best part is he has been away for awhile and knows even less than your new acting director.
3
Trump might, in fact, have some national catastrophe before he gets out of office. Perhaps the Coronavirus spreading across the US which is his administration is ill-prepared to deal with. It might just be Trump's Katrina.
Crippling the Intelligence Agencies or any other agency is ignorant.
4
It's crucial to see this recent cycle of events as the flip-side of the Ukrainian debacle. Back then, it was a case of: "Until you give me dirt on Biden, and exculpate the Russians of involvement in 2016 elections, I'll not release congressionally approved military aid or meet w/ Zelensky."
This time it's a case of: "Once you, DNI J. Maguire, formally allow info about Russian involvement in the 2020 elections to flow to the appropriate congressional body (House Intel Committee), I'll take your job away and install a know-nothing-about-intelligence partisan-hack in your place." In both cases, suppressing evidence of the role of Russia in our elections is the obvious goal. Noticing this pattern should be deeply disturbing to anyone interested in fair elections, and the future of democracy in the US.
Oh, and let's not forget that today saw reports that Ric Grennell, the incoming acting DNI, has ties to the fugitive oligarch, Vladimir Plahotniuc, a Moldovan politician barred from entering the US:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/richard-grenell-trump-acting-intelligence-director-plahotniuc_n_5e5054c6c5b629695f5aa4b7
4
What a hatchet job of an editorial.
First off, we keep hearing and reading about this Russian 'interference' in the US election process. Yet, we never have any details as to what it amounts to.
1. Is it hacking of voting records and or polling sites?
2. Is it bots and trolls spreading disinformation on social media?
3. Is it front organizations putting themselves forth as 'disinterested' groups or talking heads that then spread pro-Trump and/or anti-Democrat disinformation?
For these, 1. is a crime. As such, it should be openly and vigorously prosecuted. That should have been back in 2016 in the Obama Administration. Why wasn't it? Why doesn't Trump do it now? My take - because there is nothing there! It's just as Trump has asserted. This, to me, has a whiff of 'deep state' complicity by the intelligence apparatus.
For 2. and 3., I would imagine such actions are not only being done by Russia, but also by other foreign governments - think China, Israel, N. Korea, Iran, etc. - or their stooge fronts. Also, such actions are being carried out by US based groups and organizations - Chamber of Commerce, unions, etc. - on both sides of the partisan divide. Could we have more disclosure of activities beyond those of Russia?! And, this may be troubling, yet it is not necessarily illegal.
Yes, Grenell is a partisan player. Yet, many Americans are very suspicious of the quality of the disinterested service of our 'intelligence' apparatus.
Saturday 2/22/2020 3:15am
3
One cannot be led into autocracy if one does not follow.
Get our kids out of the military right now.
Mutiny
Our kids did not enlist to protect a purposefully ignorant, pathological narcissist, extortionist, Russian money-launderer, who disregards threats from Russia and makes Democrats the enemy of the State.
Trump wants a war. Give it to him.
No Mercy.
End it now. Save the US Constitution. It is almost in shreds and cannot protect itself.
Mutiny now, or it will be our own kids that will be firing upon us.
1
"Cripple the Intelligence Agencies? Not Smart"
Thank you Captain Obvious. I think we may have lost our chance to do something about it when we failed to impeach Trump. I said at the time, that he would rig the next election if we didn't impeach and remove him. Now the window is closing on the election option.
Look for the Chaney gambit. A big reason for not impeaching George W. Bush was that we would be stuck with someone even worse - Mr. Snarl himself, Dick Chaney.
It was a brilliant move by Bush.
V.P. Pence has little support in the Republican party. He could easily go the way of Jeff Sessions. The trouble for Trump is, who could he pick that would be worse than himself?
1
This is on cowardly Republican senators who keep tiptoeing around our rampaging dictator when the very integrity of the election process is at stake. Mitch McConnell is beyond redemption, but what about the rest of them? Will they ever acknowledge that it is suicidal to Fox News-ify the government and just say "no" to Trump?
4
Obama weaponized our Intel. agencies. But Tucker Carlson described it best last night in his "Ruling Class Incompetency" monologue:
"Our democratic system is under attack, that much is true. But it's not the Russians who are attacking it, it's not even the Chinese, it's being attacked by our own ruling class. They are undermining democracy because they have no choice. If they left it up to voters to decide where to go next, they'd be out of a job tomorrow because they have been terrible stewards of this country. Some of them would be in jail. So they have got to subvert our system; their livelihoods depend on it."*
* Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iruf0Qc7saw
1
So what could go wrong? Replacing a respected admiral with years of experience in working with military and intelligence affairs, with a sychophantic lickspittle. I guess all we can do now, given the fact that the GOP will do nothing to rein in this lawless president, is to hope that we don't find out what could happen.
5
I remember before the invasion of Iraq by the Bush Administration, any disagreement with the idea of the war was met with a phrase like “why do you hate America?”. You would be told that “you are with us, or you are with the terrorists”.
And now, it seems that so many of the same people who pushed the disastrous war are supporting the idea of a disastrous dictator in chief, who shreds the Constitution, and flouts the rule of law.
Where are the patriots??
6
What really is going on? When did a President not trust his own intelligence? What about Trump makes you secure that he knows anything about anything? His reading ability? His choice of top notch people he keeps close to him? His people are generally convicted criminals. What about Trump makes you loyal to him? Does he exude loyalty to anyone?
8
Aren't this president's actions "High Crimes" ? Treason?
I guess I'd better go back and check my dictionary as the Senate seems to think not.
My perspective is that his views and acts are the culmination of having systems of justice based on how much money one has, or how good one's lawyers are at twisting the truth.
Now it's even okay to collude with foreign officials to keep one's office as President of the United States and trash our intelligence officials.
Since when has it been okay to elect a mob boss to run the country?
12
Chaos, more chaos every single day. This is what Putin wants and this is what trump delivers wittingly or unwittingly. The storm swirling around the White House and the nation will surely help muddle the election in November. If trump is not ousted in a landslide of epic proportions the country will never recover.
9
Rep. Devil Nunes had to immediately run to tell Trump? I am sure that Trump was briefed but probably didn’t understand.
4
“All enemies foreign and domestic” appear to have merged in one Donald J Trump.
As such “our” intelligence agencies are now in the hands of Trump and foreign enemies. It would appear that these are being directed by Putin, to whom Trump apparently owes fealty.
So we’ve become a fiefdom of Russia, it would appear.
Or maybe this is not yet a completed fact.
But the Merger is obviously agreed already.
The only question now is whether the “election” is in quotes. Or not.
This election = The Merger v the Constitution of the United States.
8
Has anyone noticed that Trump's demonizing and firing of so many officials in his Administration are people "he" hired and promoted in the first place? Including the former head of EXON for Pete's sake!
It a product of his incompetence, insecurity, paranoia and vanity. And where, pray tell, are all of the "Law and Order" Republicans who swore an oath to provide an equitable counterbalance to his unconstitutional overreach? They seem to be increasingly buying into his "TRUMP/PUTIN 2020" campaign.
10
Before 9-11 some people were running around Washington with their hair on fire trying to get the attention of the Bush administration. They were met by blank stares and literally ignorance: paying no attention. But you didn’t have to be part of the Intelligence community to be aware of something being planned by the Taliban. If you read the newspapers and watched TV reports you would have been made aware of interviews with those on the periphery of the Taliban that they were planning something big.
Once again with Republicans in charge their own selfish needs for profit, for position, for power causes them to argue nonsense or to totally ignore the clear evidence of an incompetent and destructive President. G. Bush may be excused for simply ignoring information.
Today we have evidence that the entire world acknowledges but which our President ignores because it hurts his feelings and dents his sense of being loved by being obeyed! So what does he do? He shoots the messenger and further, he destroys the nation’s ability to access and process information to protect our security. Those who shield him put the entire nation and our democracy at risk. Clearly, they don’t care as long as the economy continues to keep the public comatose. They represent the most anti-patriotic, anti-democracy set of legislators in our history. This democracy is going down and it’s all perfectly legal and being done with their acquiescence. Putin is dancing every night.
10
Undermining the American intelligence agencies is a feature not a bug of Trump's policies.
4
"What happens when intelligence officials warn that Russia is meddling in American politics again?"....Well, duh. Nothing. Because Republicans in the Senate sit on their thumb out of fear if they do something Trump will go after them and they won't get reelected.
4
Mr. Grenell won't be on the job long enough to matter.
Besides, the main defense we have against this "Russian interference" is our own common sense.
We've been conditioned - through decades of Madison Avenue's best efforts - to be able to recognize false of misleading advertising designed to spark certain desires in us. Why would this be any different?
Be wary, as always, of what you read on social media. Sample widely from trusted news sources - not just the ones you like - and read and listen with a skeptical attitude.
It is time to call Robert Mueller back to emphasize, with candor, that the detailed findings did NOT exonerate the President of abuse of power, and made clear that the Russian government DID interfere with the 2016 election, helping the minority election of the President. That President's lies, and repeated use of 'acting' appointments to crucial posts (without need for congressional approval), to serve his own, rather than the nation's interests, is destroying our nation and our future, This reality should have led to his conviction by impeachment. Since it did not, the nation faces its greatest crisis since the Civil War. Understand the truth and reality ... and vote.
8
Why is it that any mention of RUSSIAN election interference gets DJT mad, but not a fabricated Ukranian election interference, since Trump himself was advancing a fable re the latter? If, as it is said, he feels that it diminishes his "victory", why is it that a purported interference by Ukraine does not? I wonder what may have gone on between him and Russia in the past. The only logical explanation that I can find for his reaction is that there was something shady in their interaction. Thus, every time Russian election interference is broached, he fears renewed scrutiny and possible exposure. Why does he keep pretending, not only that Russian interference did not happen but, more delusional still, that people are in the dark about it, especially members of the House Intelligence Committee? I cannot even find a logical explanation for that, other than a serious defect of the mind, his mind.
5
I’m sure that if a prosecutor or a government agency is investigating or preparing a criminal case about illegal activities, they would be upset if someone in their organization told the world about it. Secrecy seems to be valued. For example, no Republican representatives were invited to learn about secret plans to impeach Trump. Why not? Why was it kept secret? Why then should Trump be pleased that details of an ongoing criminal investigation of foreign interference in our elections have been revealed? Maybe those who revealed it have motives other than catching and prosecuting the criminals.
1
The Russians are trying to demoralize the US electorate? The problem is that this story fits way to neatly with the Schiff failed impeachment trial summation. Now that Sanders looks to be a major road block to the Democratic establishments plans for 2020 he must be being helped by the Russians. The Brennan plan for destruction of Trump has yet to pan out. How many times have the national security agencies been used for promoting a political agenda? Facebook claims that they haven't seen any Russian interference. Schiff and his pals know that each time they raise the issue of Russian interference the corporate news media goes to full hysteria mode.
1
In this case I agree with Trump. Alerting us to the threat of further Russian election Interference is good to know, but why only necessarily with regard to in favor of Trump? All that was lacking was who approved and paid for this House Intelligence political ad.
2
I’d wonder why it’s so tricky for Trumpists to get it through their heads that, “help Trump,” might very well include pushing Sanders on the theory that he’d be easier to beat, but then I know the answer: their “ideas,” all come from the shabby likes of Rush, and they are, after all, Trumpists.
2
An unfolding reality tale:
There was an insecure adolescent who craved popularity, success, admiration, love. He wanted it known that he was a very stable genius.
His parents – fantasy news and a permissive Republican party – catered to his every immaturity. Assorted hangers-on sang his praises.
But he wasn't happy.
Democrats and the press were against him. They told the truth. And that he disliked. It challenged the notion of success and popularity and stability.
His ministers – a cadre of enablers and flatterers – shielded him from reality. Anyone who criticized his ways was out.
But his unhappiness grew. A meeting of professionals to discuss matters of substance brought excoriation and dismissals.
Fears about his impact on the future grew. How would the nation find its way back to normalcy?
Everything seemed to hang on a November election. The monstrous man-child would have to be defeated convincingly. Otherwise, he might claim fraud.
People didn't want to consider what that would that might bring.
5
Until people like Bolton, Mattis, Kelly, Tillerson etc. are willing to be interviewed on Fox News and tell the world that Trump is completely unfit for the office he holds, we are all on a sinking ship. It's been made clear that the Republicans in Congress will do nothing to protect us.
13
I wonder what the NDAs the President allegedly makes everyone sign who works in the White House say? What are they all so afraid of?
5
Mr. Trump doesn’t like to hear about election interference, much less about interference by Russia.
Trump pretends not to like such talk, but inside he must be laughing his head off at all the constitution following losers suddenly running around Washington like chickens with their heads cut off. American justice went AWOL when Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland was ignored. Four years later The Editorial Board of the New York Times needs to finally call this gang of vultures out for what they are; 'not smart' hardly comes close to fitting the bill.
5
The Trump-Russia hoax.
The Ukraine -Trump hoax.
The soft coup against Trump, including Cross Fire Hurricane and FISA abuses.
The fake media stories that are always anti-Trump.
The phony impeachment hoax.
Now, we are back to square one: A new Trump-Russia hoax.
The Dems know they will lose in ‘20, so they are back to their first hoax on a redux.
3
Since when does this administration care if its smart. They just care about supporting what we have in the WH.
Maybe if the Obama Admin didn’t use and abuse the DoJ, the FBI, the FISA courts, and the CIA to destroy Trump as candidate, president-elect, and then president, Trump would look more favorably on those who seditiously tried to throw an election.
1
It's clear that Trump only wants intelligence about his political enemies, not the enemies of the US.
6
Trump is weak on national security. Dems need to start hitting him relentlessly on this.
5
Donald throws a hissy fit because why? his game was found out.
Donald is a danger not only to America but to humanity.
The American people must step up as it did against Nixon yet even more so.
The world must rise up to stop the run away dumpster fire.
5
In November 2016 when President Obama ejected 35 Russian nationals for the DOJ and NSA combined report of election meddling (putting it politely) the US entered the 2nd phase of Russia's plan called Grizzly Steppe. That is, a propaganda arm of the Russian GRU with active and admitted interference to American politics as detailed clearly in The Mueller Report. Since that time 7 of the President's men have received jail time. Today in 2020 we are a nation under the thumb of an illegal President, impeached and acquitted by a sham trial that presented NO EVIDENCE, WITHOUT witnesses. Hence, 45's days will be filled with more rage against those he views as "unloyal. The porn star paying, tax-evading Trump is about to take a big fall once the tapes from Jeffery Epstein's house become pubic after forensic assertion by a small gang called The New York Police Department. As Allen Dulles stated quite clearly in his autobiography, "Intelligence is human, not conditional to government employment." In other words folks, as Mueller told us, "It is all hands on deck" if you want to live in a democracy again.
7
Why does trump and republicans in Congress remind me of 1930’s Germany and his diehard followers at trump rallies remind me of German citizens of the same era.
8
We are in trouble.
4
how an American president can be so much against the United States? How can he hate his country so much? How is it possible someone who received so much from his own nation wants to destroy it so intensely? How sick is this!?
4
How much of his anger has to do with the fact that his archenemy, Adam "Pencil-Neck" Schiff, was at the briefing and that the information was presented by a middle-aged woman? Everything is so personal to this lunatic.
2
Grenell, Pompeo, Barr, Miller, McConell, Nunes, Graham a long list of toadies that is by no means exhausted.What to do with these people once the nightmare is over?
2
Hmmm. Isn't loyalty the chief expectation a gangster boss has of his underlings? It was always the case in the movies I saw as a child. How about EARNING the loyalty of patriotic civil servants? Isn't that the job of the POTUS?
4
Well, it's back to my favorite topic about Trump and the toxicity of runaway narcissism. By the way, that's how to get his goat. Bring it up and often and he'll pop his gourd. So, is he a malignant narcissist, a grandiose narcissist, a vulnerable narcissist? Yes. Yet all I hear is the silence of the lambs.
2
Anyone who served in the military or intelligence community ought to be sounding the alarm that President Trump is leading us quickly towards a autocracy.
Although it's the Times' competition, a WP, OPED by former Special Ops Chief, Bill McRaven should put a shiver in all of us.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/william-mcraven-if-good-men-like-joe-maguire-cant-speak-the-truth-we-should-be-deeply-afraid/2020/02/21/2068874c-5503-11ea-b119-4faabac6674f_story.html
3
The briefers should have warned lawmakers that the Russians were trying to help Bernie Sanders as well as President Trump. They might have also pointed out that Bernie Sanders was the prime prime beneficiary of Russian meddling in 2016.
The Mueller Report notes that Julian Assange despised Hillary Clinton, who he described as “sadistic sociopath.” It reveals that Wikileaks contacted Guccifer 2.0—the persona of Russian intelligence operatives—and asked for “anything Hillary related” because the Democratic National Convention was approaching. WikiLeaks told Guccifer 2.0 that “we think Trump has only a 25% chance of winning against Hillary so conflict between Bernie and Hillary is interesting.”
Guccifer 2.0 sent WikiLeaks 20,000 emails and other documents stolen from the Democratic National Committee computer networks. They revealed the DNC had been stacking the deck against Bernie to ensure Hillary won the Democratic Party nomination. The WikiLeaks exposé, which forced the resignation of DNC cochair Debbie Wasserman Schultz angered and energized Sanders supporters, but Hillary won the nomination anyway.
Today, the DNC hack is considered the prime example of Russian interference in the 2016 election. People forget that it influenced only the Clinton v Sanders contest.
Source: Muller report, Vol. 1, Page 45
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/18/us/politics/mueller-report-document.html?auth=login-email#g-page-52
You know, I do like the part where you went back to Mueller’s report. It’s a shame that you glossed over its principal conclusions—for example, that there was a concerted, deliberate Russian campaign to get Trump elected—and warped its minor conclusions and info out of all recognition.
The reason that they wanted Trump in there is simple: he’s a greedy idiot, and easy to take advantage of.
3
Admiral Maguire, terminatied.
General Mattis, terminated.
General Kelly, terminated.
General McMaster, terminated.
For Trump, loyalty first to America, not Trump, is a punishable offense.
4
@The Alamo Kid
So far “terminated” only means “let go.”
But it could get worse.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
President Trump is mad, He gets madder 24/7,and he won't get any less mad in office if America makes the catastro[hic mistake of re-electing him in November. Who can deny the Republican establishment is happy as pigs in mud? The Democrats are trying to make a viable beat-trump nominee and their chances of having a ticket to defeat Trump are slim to none. Everyone from Russia's Putin apparat to America's intelligence officials are meddling in our elections. And the social media platforms of disinformation peddlars FB and Fox News, are advocating a return to an American dictatorship under Donald Trump. Mr. Trump is a president for the history books (as leaders of the Axis were 80 years ago) and he can't leave the White House and the G.O.P. enablers who put him there soon enough. Democracy is almost dead as a doornail.
2
If only Trump's supporters could see that Russia wants Trump to be president because he's the worst for us.
My thoughts of Trump are unprintable, 'tho I'm sure many have the same thoughts.
Read my mind.
5
It's smart if you're concerned about intelligence operations unearthing your international crimes.
Very smart for President Trump.
3
Trump resembles the Iagos and Wickhams of this world. In the end the Iagos and Wickhams destroy the people who believe them, were ready to believe them or decided to believe them.
2
Meddling in politics has gone on from day 1, the only thing that has changed is the medium. Lincoln was called spotty Lincoln by the local press in Illinois for his stance against the Mexican American War. Ed Koch was taunted with the anti gay chant of Vote for
Come not the homo when he ran for governor of New York.
Unlike the cunning displayed in other adminstrations Trump has openly acted to only preserve himself. Period. No outrage.
Instead the country...yawns.
3
It sounds to me like Americas intelligence agencies are meddling in our elections. Any memories of them lying to us? Gulf of Tonkin? Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq? If you think the Russians are spreading fake news, it is the job of the NY Times to tell us, not the CIA. Also, sometimes the Russians are spreading real news which American media refuse to cover. I've read the NY Times for 40 years, let me be the judge of what is true. And why aren't we more concerned with the influence of the British with the BBC and the Israelis with AIPAC or a Mexican national's partial ownership of the NY Times? The concern for foreign interference seems to parallel support for certain political positions.
It is no contrived foreign threat but America's secret intelligence agencies themselves--elected by no one and accountable to nobody--who should end their meddling with our electoral politics. Establishment Liberals are foolish to align themselves with the military and the secret police, their eternal enemies.
14
@Red Allover
Secret police? You mean our FBI and CIA? They are accountable to the public and the law.Trump is correct there is a deep state in this country. It's a deep state of sleaze and corruption emanating from the top. An autocracy may seem ok to you as a Trump follower, but in an autocracy it can turn on the whim of the leader and with no laws to protect you. You can be labeled an enemy of the state at any time. We need to get back to a Democracy and that means Trump must go.
180
@Red Allover Intelligence agencies collect information. They provide that information to the people who make decisions and policy.
They do not meddle in our politics. They do not decide what to do with that information. They do not make policy.
This President has decided to ignore the information they provide him. He instead trusts the leader of a country that is sowing distrust and discord in the United States and other western Democracies. A leader who wants NATO and the US weakened.
118
@Red Allover
It appears that you're advocating that the United States abolishes it's intelligence agencies. And this is because the president doesn't like what they report. That would be the equivalent of eliminating your immune system. The United States would become defenseless in the face of foreign aggression. Because they are unelected does not invalidate the work they do for America. Remember that these agencies are run by people who have been vetted and approved by the Senate who has been elected by the people. Anyway, when was the last time you elected each member of your local police force?
66
Admiral McGuire should agree to be interviewed in depth as soon as possible by someone credible like Lester Holt on Prime Time national television.
Trump presents a clear and present danger to our country and must be stopped by any means possible.
204
Surely the intelligence agencies know the details of laundered money exchanges that DB used to prop up trump in '07-09. They must know who sent what amount. They probably
also can access the tax returns...
So what is keeping them from telling everyone else what they've had under wraps? There is no longer reason to play
nice with people whose sole purpose is to destroy you.
1
The least knowledge or experience in intelligence, the more liked by Donald Trump.
That’s intelligent, right?
2
When will enough be enough? Trump’s hatred and paranoia is clearly evidence of ever worsening mental illness.
2
For Trump, loyalty to America is a punishable offense.
4
Paranoia strikes deep after reading about the new spy chief Grenell staffing up with Patel and his ilk and the purge of Maguire and any remaining truth tellers. Can it get any worse? Oh yeah. Enemy lists are in place. Loyalty oaths are next. And then it will get even worser. Will we even have an election this fall or martial law? Everybody look what’s going down.
4
It's all going according to Putin's plan.
3
“Republicans are for national security, fiscal responsibility, and the rule of law. They wouldn’t put loyalty to Trump’s insane and self-serving whims over those things!” — every Right wing pundit pre-2016
3
I'm sorry. I just don't believe the US government about Russia.
We are entering dangerous territory and are well on the way to a totalitarian system. This president claims absolute immunity for himself and the staff that is working for him. He declares himself chief law enforcement officer and is pardoning his friends and soon convicted felon like Stone all without proper review traditionally done by the justice department. He refuses oversight by a co-equal branch and does not provide any documents needed for proper review. He declares the free press enemy of the people putting targets on their backs. He asserts that whistle blowers are traitors leading to death threats toward their attorneys. Now he puts a sycophant and loyalist in charge of the intelligence community controlling the flow of the most sensitive information. He openly welcomes interference from foreign countries helping him to get reelected manipulating free elections. He vilifies immigrants and brown people. Our democracy is in grave danger and the parallels to the German history 1933 are truly striking.
5
Why isn't the whole senate and house up in arms about the interference from Russia????
2
Trump is angry that the truth is revealed. Most Americans think he's corrupt and criminally insane and he can only win with help from his friend Vladimir. A patriotic GOP would have impeached him.
3
“...will not tolerate any discussion of Russia’s meddling in American politics, no matter how compelling the evidence.”
What evidence? None has been presented. Zero.
Or do you actually count the mere word of the CIA or the “intelligence community” in a “briefing” as being actual evidence that something is true? “Trust us, would we ever lie to you.” Really?
Name one election anywhere in the world in the last half-century that the USA has not meddled in.
How many elections did Hillary personally meddle in while at the State Dept?
The issue is not the meddling, its the seeming complacency/incapacity to resist the meddling.
Perhaps too much playing offense versus defense?
Uncomprehending that hacked propaganda-bots could be reprogrammed and used again you?
2
GOP = Government of Putin
Trump is irreparably destroying the US Government, and no one is doing anything to stop him. Putin just laughs.
4
Would someone on the Hill, ideally in the Senate, get alarmed? Our system is supposed to contemplate making a mistake, including electing a corrupt president, and fixing it with the celebrated checks-and-balances.
Oh, wait, we're too busy fighting over pronouns for the non-binary, rooting out micro-aggressions, defacing Plymouth Rock and making sure billionaires' college kids never hear an unkind word about Israel.
In other words, in our TV-social-media-live-streaming total-immersion age, all we want to do is luxuriate in our own custom-made mythology, and punish savagely anyone who threatens it. Forget about the real world.
And when Trump replaces the management of the Federal Register with his shills and refuses to convene the Electoral College, we'll be irked for a week, and then go back to teaching that Jesus said pi was equal to three, or holding sit-ins demanding the dismissal of teachers who said that US wealth might have one or two causes other than the free labor of African slaves.
A pox on all our houses! Wake up, America!
2
Grenell is 45's token gay person. "See I even let one of them be an ambassador." And Fox has used Grenell this way as well. "See we even let one of them be a commenter."
This is akin to saying, I'm fine with homosexuality. I even have one of them as friend."
In an election year, 45 wants to let the gay community think he is on their side.
Of course, if the person is an ignorant loyalist with a following, it doesn't hurt, especially if Russia's interference can be down played, smoothed over and ignored.
What a less-than-human person is the current white house occupant.
2
Well, when a criminal runs the business/show/country, of course he's going to go after the cops.
5
Trump...and the GOP...are now foreign assets. Bad history repeats itself in a country made willfully ignorant by hate, laziness, and lack of education. Am I one of the few who remember the collaborators of Vichy during the German occupation (1940-44)?
5
It's becoming more and more obvious that when the trump moment is gone from our national scene and the GOP has completely lost not only confidence but power (in other words, when our very democracy is not under threat) that our new Congress will have to revamp and reinforce, by law, several things, among them the erasure of "acting" government positions.
We can obviously no longer trust elected officials to do the right thing, obey the rule of law, and sustain the norms most Americans accept and expect from such people. Ironically, it will be those of the "conservative" bent (actually, the far right) who will complain about "too many laws," when they themselves are the very reason why we need such things now.
3
The Russia conspiracy cudgel needs to die
"Not Smart" is the defining characteristic of the entire trump administration. "Sucking up to the hair" is another defining characteristic
4
MAGA = Morons Are Governing America.
7
Apparently, the Constitution says that the entire government is intended to be used as a personal tool of the president. Or so our elected Republicans think. What are they thinking? My imagination fails me.
7
They're thinking "Show me the money"
4
When John F. Kennedy was president of the United States - over here in Denmark - many, including undersigned, considered him our real leader. The credible spokesman for the free world. How we miss such a person in the White House.
5
Aren't Trump's interests and the preservation of his power in the national interest? That is what Alan Dershowitz told me.
Also, it must be remembered that Trump was not helped by Russians or even the American voters. He became President all by himself.
2
Trump is a Russian asset working for Putin to dismantle the government and American democracy. There is no other explanation.
5
We can see with our own eyes that Trump is compromised by Putin.
And we know from reading the papers that Mitch McConnell has been bought off by the dutiful Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, as well as accepting fishy campaign funds from Len Blavatnik, a Russian American in partnership with his Russian relatives and who maintains Kremlin ties.
In fact, we can be reasonably sure that all sorts of Russian money found its way to many Republicans, some of which we can track via OpenSecrets and most of which is buried thanks to Citizens United and middlemen like the NRA and numerous shady PACs.
So, yes, Trump is eager to squash all investigations in Russian interference, and his criminal syndicate (aka the Republican Party) is unwillingly to uphold federal law enforcement.
The only chance we have to beat this criminal cabal is to Vote Blue No Matter Who, and in enough numbers to overcome intense voter suppression and election interference. Not every Democrat will bring joy, but at least he or she is not part of this Russian/Republican crime wave.
7
The Russians are playing games at the encouragement of Donald Trump.
If the news is full of Bernie being steered by Russians are people less likely to vote for him? Bernie, who could beat Trump?
So let’s get less people to vote for Bernie - and wha la!
Donald wins! Alas!
2
Russian intelligence has captured the US executive branch.
This was made possible because the US has failed to address growing wealth inequality and division regarding race.
Until we address these internal fractures, enemies from without and charlatans from within will continue to exploit these issues.
4
Poor Donnie - his complicity with Putin got found out. But by now, with his total disruption and corruption of almost all aspects of American government and his seizure of almost all the levers of political power, does it really matter anymore? It should, but really, Emperor Don's momentum is so strong that it will take a miracle to keep him from establishing the petulant dictatorship he craves, whether or not he retains the trappings of democracy. Do I believe that said miracle can happen? Less each day, especially with Democrats eating their party's candidates away from within, and none of them except Bernie being any sort of charismatic.
And no, fervent fans, Bernie's nomination isn't the miracle. His candidacy is the gift the Trumpists want most to receive (which is why Fox "likes" him) because of the number of people he alienates, which include those influenced by domestic and foreign disinformation and - worse - "moderates" who might stay home if their minds are poisoned enough by the propaganda.
I can't help but feel that we are much further down the road to a WWII-style fascist dictatorship than I - or many Americans - am willing to realize. Please, my fellow citizens, prove me wrong!
4
I see Trump's clamp down on the intelligence apparatus as a coverup of his complicity in Russian's intervention in the 2016 election. And in the upcoming 2020 election as well.
If Trump can muzzle it with two incompetent loyalists, then -- in his thinking -- no one can find out the depth of his involvement.
3
Can anyone here think more than one step ahead? Instead of the hysterics about Trump's "lawlessness", look at what's really going on.
Putin couldn't care less about Trump's re-election. You think he's scared of Sanders or Mayor Pete?? Russia knows that even the suggestion that they are helping Trump will drive the Democrats (and the media) crazy. This in turn drives Trump crazy, and his overreaction leads to an overreaction on the other side. He wants nothing other than chaos and division and the NYT is playing right into his hands.
I continue to be shocked at Trump's obvious machinations to keep important revelations of intelligence opaque. The latest explosion apparently was caused by Adam Shiff's presence at the intelligence briefing on --guess what ---pinging news of possible Russian meddling in the current presidential election. Next, Maguire, the acting director we all saw during his appearance in the House cmte. hearing, is FIRED. OK, that's pretty inflammatory news itself, but there's more. His replacement is another know-nothing who currently is serving as ambassador to Germany, former Fox public affairs person, whatever that is, presumably PR, which is appropriate for Fox since news per se is not their main product. To avoid any public scrutiny, Grenell will "continue in his capacity as ambassador." For those of you who support Trump and find these actions suitable, normal, acceptable, there's nothing further to be said.
2
pretty sure this whole russia thing has been debunked over and over and over and over, yet the “intelligence” “community” is trying to meddle in OUR election yet again. Russia is friendlier to. USA than our government.
In the few months after Trump’s inauguration and installation in the White House it became apparent to me from his all his official actions and general behavior that his intention was to take autocratic control of the country and become its first dictator. I said as much to anyone who would listen and commented the same to all the media I could on a regular basis, all to no effect whatsoever. It does not make me feel any better to see now from Trump’s most recent arrogant maneuvers that except for his mentally disadvantaged loyal base everyone else can see now what I saw 3 years ago. What I fail to understand is two things. First, that it took Trump’s spitting in everyone’s faces just to get their attention, and second, that the only people that can keep the country from becoming a full fledged dictatorship, namely the Republican party, are apparently okay with this and make no attempt whatsoever to keep it from happening.
3
This is all perfect for trump, he can now declare the russian manipulation a “national emergency,” and cancel the election—as he has said he will do multiple times.
He could well arrest the congressional Democrats, leaving only trump supporters in congress which then promoted trump to president for life.
1
"Not smart" is an understatement. Al-Qaeda and ISIS operatives have to be out there somewhere in the Middle East or Europe licking their chops. Not since George Armstrong Custer led the 7th Cavalry into the valley of the Little Big Horn River has a commander's incompetence been so glaring, so flagrantly noticeable. A leader should never be afraid to hear opposing points-of-view. That's how catastrophes like 9/11 are avoided. Joseph Maguire's dismissal is an absurdity.
4
Trump is in league with Xi JinPing of China: sack the messenger for bringing bad news rather than take a hard look at the message itself. Case in point, the manner in which the State silenced the messenger that warned China of the dangers of the Corona virus.
Trump is now in league with autocrats like Xi JinPing, Putin, Erdogan and others, who KILL the messenger for bringing bad news ...
2
The 25th amendment was written for a man such as Trump.
5
@Albans
Klobuchar is an abusive, cruel person unable to control her temper. Just look at how she couldn’t handle the heat of debate. She literally balled her fist to hit Pete and at end stalked off the stage not speaking to anyone. That’s Klobuchar, for you. Ten years ago, Sen. Harry Reid called her on the carpet for being so abusive to staff. Here we are ten years later and she leads congress in staff turnovers. She had a hard time getting staff for her presidential run because of her well earned reputation as an abuser. Just read the stories from staff who have had to deal with her on the road. She does not understand a president’s role. At the debates. she sounds like she’s running for senator again, not the presidency. She needs mental health counseling to deal with her anger and not be anywhere near the seat of power. Warren, like Bernie are losers in the Electoral College. Extremists like them will never win especially at this time. Trump has been campaigning throughout his presidency against them. Biden has slowed mentally and stays in the past. Bloomberg is a republican, NOT a Democrat.
This country needs a real leader who has a vision for the future. Pete took a mid-sized “dying city” and in only 8 yrs. turned it around. Any mayor will tell you how difficult that is. The predominantly black areas received more money and care in his tenure than in previous 30 years per blacks on the ground there.
That’s a leader.
Mr. Trump could care less about American national security. He cares only about Trump personal security.
Having a light shone on his warts in public only adds to his corrupt behaviour. He will favour Russia over America at every turn to benefit himself.
The ‘base’ better figure out fast that their man Donald Trump is a Russian agent. They better remember that a vote for him is a vote for Putin.
Trump is very afraid that he is going to go to jail after he leaves the White House. So, anything that he can do to put that off only gives him time to plan for the eventuality of escaping justice. I would not be surprised to see Trump quickly run to a country that does not have an extradition agreement with the US after he leaves the White House.
US politics is so much fun to watch. Makes me glad that I am Canadian. Gotta go, I have a doctors appointment (and I don’t need to take my credit card with me or sell my truck on the way).
3
I think we will eventually find out how the Russians have Trump over a barrel. And it will not be pretty, probably in the gutter, and involve payback for Russian oligarchs all over it, also likely a breadcrumb trail which leads to Trump Tower Moscow. Putting a totally unqualified yes man in place as National Security Advisor is just one more of Trump's open, public admissions of his treasonous intents (somehow committing a crime in the open is forgivable in Trump's twisted version of reality). Who, besides the Democratic House and true patriots like Adam Schiff and, belatedly Mitt Romney, will stand up to him and call a stop to outrageous assault on our homeland? Will Lindsay Graham eventually wake up someday after having a dream that the ghost of John McCain came back and scolded him for his sycophantic, groveling adoration of this true tyrant and traitor to America? Hopefully it may not be too late to right this hugely tragic wrong at the ballot box.
3
Donnie's goal: the dumbing down if the US government so that nothing challenges his ego nor his public persona. These are scary times.
4
One must conclude that Trump, with the support of the RINO Party, intends to remove any checks and balances for this administration. It looks more and more like Venezuela , the Philippines and Niguarda than it looks like what the Founding Fathers had in mind. Yes, Ben Franklin......we have a Republic if we can keep it. I am not sure this country could sustain it founding vision with four more years of this person mostly playing golf than doing the people's business.
3
It's the the on-going tunnel-vision process of replacing real facts with fake facts. To mange your perspective, just keep in mind that whatever this guy accuses someone else of doing - he's really talking about what he thinks, does, says, and wants. Ever wonder why or how the German people died by the millions for their "leader"? Leaders can mislead - even themselves.
3
Russia is making our intelligence agencies think they are meddling, without really meddling.
They are therefore able to do more harm with less effort and money.
That also explains why our establishment is brainwashed to believe that these American patriots are undercover Russian puppets: Trump, Bernie, Tulsi Gabbard, Dr. Jill Stein.
Russia is succeeding .. because of our "intelligence" agencies.
Hey Editorial Board . . . shouldn’t you be questioning senate republicans about the impact their acquittal is having ? If they had done their duty for the country, rather than their party, this wouldn’t be such a serious issue.
4
Up is down, light is dark, truth is false, and falsehood is the gospel news. This is TrumpWorld. If it were entertainment, it would belong as its own theme park. Come join us for the land of alternative reality. The rides are swift, if a bit jerky. We’re still working out the safety issues, but not to worry, the owner is exempt from the usual liabilities associated with operating such a place. Will it last another season? Who knows? That’s up to the patrons. Stay tuned for the season finale on November 3rd.
4
Another tepid statement of what might be when we have hard evidence of what already is: Trump is conducting a slow-motion coup of the reins of power.
He owns the intelligence community, the Department of Justice, including the FBI, and he dominates Republicans in Congress.
Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to the republic and insipid editorial comments will not move the nation to action.
7
Maguire does his duty and reports that our enemy is attempting to control or influence our elections. And, he is fired.
That smacks of treason on behalf of Trump and his cabinet plus the entire GOP. Fox News supports this treason.
We seem to be helpless against the obvious attack that Trump and the GOP, and Rupert the Evil, do not even bother to hide anymore.
What happened Generals? Are you going to let this continue? We are under attack.
227
trump is simply continuing to provide aid and comfort to the enemy. I think there’s a name for that.
7
A rational politician would quietly dismiss stories he "doesn't like to hear" and move on to important policy matters. An irrational politician breaths life into the Russian interference narrative every day - at every rally, with every Tweet, every staffing decision, but wonders why it won't go away.
You get to pick in November.
2
A President’s number one job is to keep the citizens of America safe. He has failed this job on every single level. Like he’s told his allies and followers over and over in private this is all an “act” on his part he doesn’t understand why anyone else can’t see it. He’s just going through the motions of being President. He still can’t believe he’s in the White House either but now that he’s there he and his family business are in control just like the Trump organization.
1
Trump's idea of making America safe is hamstring and undermine our intelligence services, many being part of the military. I can only imagine how those people must feel about an inexperienced partisan as DNI, who's only there to watch the President's back.
It makes perfect sense for Russia to meddle for both Trump and Sanders. They're hedging their bets. They expect Trump to beat Sanders, but if they're wrong, Bernie might be easier to deal with than someone like Joe Biden.
1
They want to help Sanders because they think Trump can best him easier than Biden
1
This is scary stuff. Purging so-called disloyal civil servants who are just doing their job is questionable.
I wonder what criteria are being applied since federal employees are expected to be nonpartisan. Will a whisper campaign help the decision making? Does this remind us of the McCarthy era or worse?
We will lose bureaucratic knowledge along the way and hollow out the agencies, probably the goal of our autocratic in chief.
November can't come soon enough!
3
Another step towards installing a full fledged dictatorial system. Al this aided and abetted by the Republican Party as if that system was already in place. No wonder.
9
The clear and present dangers of an insane and rogue administration are why the warnings of Edward Snowden were spot-on. We're experiencing those incredible dangers right now.
If there was ever a time for the public to rise up and demand changes within the intelligence community, it is now. Our 4th Amendment rights are being violated every single second. Our government is tracking information about us and storing that information (forever) in massive data warehouses. All of it is available for Trump and future administrations to manipulate and violate for whatever reasons they may wish.
BTW, if you're not using the encrypted "Signal" app for text messaging, you should be. Everyone should be. It's a start towards some protection from government intrusion.
3
It is impossible at this point to conclude anything other than Trump welcomes Russian interference on his behalf. His refusal to reject such interference, coupled with his clumsy attempts to cover it up, leave no other choice.
We know is that the Russians have the means to interfere. They proved that in 2016 in the United States and between then and now in several European countries. We also know that such interference is in Putin's interest. Given Trump's explicit or tacit collusion, we must anticipate massive interference.
We cannot expect our national security agencies to help ordinary citizens counter Russian interference. Trump is their boss and he can thwart those agencies.
I would like to see the private cyber-security community step up and provide ordinary citizens with some tools to identify Russian interference. If we can combat software viruses and malware, why cannot we combat Russian bots and disinformation?
13
The editorial board here likes to pretend that a serious and dangerous malignancy has infected the Intelligence agencies? How could that be? The past three years the entire country compromised by a fraudulent investigation. The origins of it rooted in bad actors within he intelligence administration. This paper participated in spreading and reinforcing the hoax. And now that President Trump is aiming to clean those sectors of our government that have proven themselves dangerously compromised, this paper chooses to condemn such an action? Is it self protection? We shall see when Mr. Durham's report is finished.
5
@Len This is the same playboy of the 70's and 80's that I saw in NYC say and do things that you NOW oppose. Wait, I forgot, he switched to your side, it's all forgivable now. Failed casino's, aduleries, payoffs, fraudulent universities and foundations and tax manipulation lies all just washed under the rug......
Brietbart on line 1
3
By his very actions trump is probably bringing the issue to the forefront of discussion and confirming that it is a real threat to our election process. Over use of the term "Hoax" is becoming synonymous with "there is something there". The primary motivation for people to question the legitimacy of trump's election are trump's actions and total denial of any Russian interference in the election process. It did happen and he is only confirming it is happening again.
10
The US Intelligence Agencies don't have a monopoly on detecting Russian election interference here in the US or worldwide. Russias spreads its propaganda, in plain view, on its state-sponsored websites, such as RT.com, and other media. Russian election interference takes advantage of our free speech rights and ubiquitous social media sites that metastasize Putin and company's desire to disrupt our democracy to favor authoritarianism that thrives on misinformation and confusion. It's not at all subtle. Facebook posts are filled with it, posing as news from your politically-active friends and Facebook itself as suggested posts and advertisements. The net effect seems to suggest a diminution of American influence worldwide at the economic and political expense of our citizens and our values.
9
When Mr. Grenell started his ambassadorship in Germany, he started criticizing the the policies of his guest nation, a no-no for any ambassador.
Other ambassadors to Germany distanced themselves from him, as well a German politicians, and people invited to the American embassy's events started ignore Grenell's invitations.
According to the German press, he soon was the most isolated Ambassador in Berlin.
Him being such ineffective ambassador and Trumpian sycophant is a warning sign for everyone in the intelligence community.
28
@Sarah Grenell's own politics align with the far-right and neo-Nazis of Germany, who now pose an existential threat to democratic Europe, and a boon to Putin.
In short, he was a perfect Trump appointee.
2
First, if this was a democratic administration, I'm sure we would have immediately had gushing reports about the first openly gay leader of the intelligence community. I won't hold my breath waiting for them.
Secondly, as an American I do question exactly what intelligence the Russian interference is based on - if its Facebook posts from St Petersburg I'm not terribly worried - if it is something more, please explain.
Finally, the thing is, once the democrats and their media allies bought into a pervasive Russian influence, Putin and crowd have already succeeded - they need to do very little to stir up confusion and distrust because it is a self-sustaining narrative at this point.
7
@Chris Russian intelligence wages information warfare on a mammoth scale -- hundreds of millions of twitter and Facebook posts that are microtargeted on Americans (and Brits, and Germans, Latvians, Peruvians etc) identified by their attitudes and opinions. US politicians do the same thing, and the Trump campaign is doing it now. But the Russians are trying to disrupt our political system, mostly by playing one group off against another. In the Democratic primaries, the Russians seem to be favoring Bernie Sanders because they think he's the most beatable Democrat -- Putin wants Trump re-elected.
41
@Chris Maybe us non conservatives are more worried about our country than someone's identity. If a Democrat made such an appointement in a critical area, Fox news would blow a gasket and Benghazi like hearings would commence endlessly.
22
@Chris
Any time Russia is mentioned in relation to an election outcome, the entire country should reply with this:
"Prove it!"
1
You write that the post of director of national intelligence was held for years by "James Clapper, a seasoned intelligence professional."
Unfortunately, Mr. Clapper bears a most unprofessional animosity toward Russians. To a Russian-American (I am one), it is straight-forward anti-Russian ethnic prejudice.
Such incitement is no longer acceptable in the US, except in the case of our ethnicity.
He referred on NBC to ‘the historical practices of the Russians, who typically, are almost genetically driven to co-opt, penetrate, gain favor, whatever, which is a typical Russian technique’ .
He remarked in Australia before the country's press club that it’s in Russian "genes to be opposed, diametrically opposed, to the United States and Western democracies."
That's strong and menacing stuff to direct at the million Ethnic Russians in the United States, many of us citizens for generations.
This anti-Russian bigot is one of the two original sources of the allegations of Russian intervention in our 2016 election.
Had his low remarks been about any other ethnicity, he would have been sent packing. Instead, he is lionized as a patriot, and his claims about Russia are taken as compelling rather than suspect.
1
Do you deny the practices of Putin and his administration to hold onto power by preventing democracy and rule of law from taking hold in Russia? That an important part of Putin's strategy at home and abroad is to use electronic media to create and spread misinformation for the purposes of disrupting democratic, governmental and political processes in Russia and other nations, to make them weaker and chaotic except where it benefits strong men favoring Putin's Russian political machinery?
The US has been the beneficiary of many hard working Russian immigrants over time, who escaped conditions in Russia not favorable to democracy and the economic welfare of workers and professionals. The US has also been an opportunity for mobsters, mafia and political exploiters from all nations, including Russia.
We should not paint the Russian people, Russian immigrants or Russian Americans with the sins of Putin or past Russian demagogues. However, we should surely measure and hold all past, present and future Russians and Russian Americans with the responsibility for respecting and working with all other Americans and free nationals for securing, preserving and reinforcing democracies and justice for ALL.
Many Americans are falling down on their obligations to our democracy under Donald Trump. This probably includes some Russian Americans whose values are bending towards if not matching Trump and Putin.
45
And so the Cold War was just American racist bias against Russians? Clapper is mentioned once in the article.
2
How naive to think that the "intelligence" community is honest in its reports, for example, that the Russians are working in support both Bernie and Trump. In fact, what this community is doing is sowing discord and wagging the dog, in an effort to avoid its own indictment and removal. Unlike Mr. Bouie, in his nearby column, who is claiming to see the return of Jim Crow (funny that such a return didn't happen in the first four years of Trump but is sure to happen if he is re-elected -- but that's another subject), what Trump's re-election will mean is the dismantling of the overly-powerful, fickle and anti-American intelligence community. Hence, their effort to stop Trump at all costs.
3
Trump does not get mad. He is mad, as in crazy.
11
Getting mad at receiving truth & facts. Firing people who deliver those facts.
How irrational is that?
Oh, well.
The Repubs had their chance to remove Trump. I bet even they didn't know how deranged he could get. All they can do now is double down and continue to carry Trump's bags. They know they can't possibly show one ounce of regret now.
16
How dare the POTUS require those who are entrusted to carry out his policies support his policies.
Remember when Obama required every US Attorney and every Ambassador resign so he could decide who to keep and who to fire?
Sauce for the goose ....
1
@Republican It is my understanding that it is customary for those resignations to happen when the administration changes. It's boilerplate.
2
@Republican Ambassadors are mandated to carry out government policy.
Trump secretly undermined his own regime's policy toward the Ukraine, in favor of his pal and the country's enemy, Putin, then, subverted and fired the ambassador for doing her job. The president committed treason. No president of a modern democratic country can be compared to your boy Trump.
2
@Republican
The intelligience agencies are not required to carry out Trump's policies and whims. They are required to INFORM the president about possible threats to our country and to our system of government. That is their job -- and Tumps makes it impossible for them to do it. Or rather, he punishes them for doing their job just because he doesn't want to hear the truth. It's his own paranoid fears that are now running the country, and that is very scary. Without intelligence agencies that are allowed to do their job, our country becomes extremely vulnerable to attacks from within and from without.
3
I'm crying for the US...
7
The power amassed by the Trump cabal through partisan unqualified appointments and their staffs is frightening. An entire political party, the Supreme Court, Department of Justice, Senate and complete control of the National Security Agencies have evolved into cult members led by a mentally defective charlaton. The Trump rallies confirm the fact.
19
I am so tired of this presidency. It is like a dumb soap opera. Why do so many people believe Trump and flock to him? He is not a patriot. He puts himself above country. He is not faithful to the U.S. He couldn't even be faithful to his wives or family. This reign of error can't end soon enough for me. We are a laughing stock on the world state. It will take a lot for us to get our reputation back. It took Obama after Bush. Who will be our savior? Someone with a lot of nerve, intelligence and know how. Just get rid of Trump. PLEASE.
21
"Public Affairs consultant" Trump has turned our chief of intelligence position into a PR propaganda machine for his administration. How Kremlinesque of him.
11
Lest we forget that Putin likely has some very damaging "golden showers" evidence/kompromat that keeps Trump in line, every waking minute of every day he is in office.
8
I wish the editorial is stronger in the condemnation of this aristocratic behavior. This is a constitutional crisis, steadily getting worse every day from the crookedest crook at the top and his gutless followers in the GOP. Very scarily reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s.
All of us who have a moral support for the truth and, most importantly, the press must fight this with all we got.
Cannot rely on the November elections: they are already rigged and the GOP will see to it that they are by no means honest!
15
"The purge is expected to continue, with anyone suspected of insufficient loyalty at risk."
Here's a serious question, NYT. How long do you think you're going to be able to publish? I'd say a few months, give or take. Once a dictator consolidates power, as Trump is doing now, it's impossible to stop him. And if you actually believe the 1st amendment matters to Trump, you haven't been paying attention. The only amendment Republicans care about is the 2nd.
The whole point of putting a toady in as head of intelligence is to allow the Russians to do their work, unfettered by silly things like laws. And here's another prediction, one I actually made in Nov. 2016, we will not have elections in 2020, or if we do, they will be so hacked and compromised that Republicans will say that the outcome is unknown, so they are staying in power indefinitely.
Finally, the false equivalence that your reporters have penned for the last decade or so has led us to this. Ordinary people who don't pay attention have no idea who is to blame for anything because the mainstream media has repeatedly told them that "both sides are the same." As your doors close and many of your reporters are jailed, I hope you all remember that.
16
The intelligence agencies have earned this. Perhaps they shouldn't have cooked up that Russian collusion scheme. And pushed through those phony FISA applications. And sought dirt from foreign counterparts. And lied to Congress during hearings.
I have little sympathy for our intelligence bureaucrats right now. Neither did the NYT before Trump was elected. Now it's lionizing them. Entirely predictable.
4
Our president is now public enemy number one period. He's done far worse damage than Osama Bin Laden. And Trump will get full benefits for life on the taxpayers dime. So tell me more about our "justice" system.
8
Remember, it's Putin that controls our president. Then, it all makes sense!
Trump "gets" to play King. But Vlad is the real power behind the Throne.
6
Not Smart is pretty much the theme of this administration.
6
Whoever says that Trump is a Russian stooge by doing that doesn't insult him personally but the entire USA.
Whatever Trump says or does is our collective mistake and failure, have no doubt about it!
That's why I am trying to be minimally critical toward him.
If Trump truly were a Russian wedge, he would be ineffective as long as we are not polarized and divided as a society.
If we were flexible, tolerant and cooperative, the wedge would be totally ineffective.
It means whatever Trump says is irrelevant as long as we stayed united and faithful to the basic principles of solidarity, team spirt and unity.
Never blame Trump for our own sins.
Mr. Trump, our Manchurian president, is smart only for doing whatever is best for his personal gain. Taking down the USA intelligence system is just collateral damage for him. And for the GOP leadership.
So Russia, the Soviet Union KGB represented by Putin, won the cold war. Just because the president is building a Cabinet of fixers. Of Michael Cohens. It is OK if they break the law, go to trial and sentenced to prison. They know that a presidential pardon will await.
Why have elections? Russia is re-electing Trump. The Maguires, the Muellers and the American people do not matter. Not anymore.
6
Many have listened to the dog whistling of Trump and his advisors on Fox “News” and now bleat the same rhetoric-the intelligence agencies and FBI are politicized, are now “never Trumpers” acting to undermine Trump.
And I do not believe that for one minute. Federal employees, when they enter the door of their workplaces, leave their political beliefs at home. They have a job to do and if those duties rankle a president, well, that is the way it is. I am a retired federal employee. I know first hand.
Trump has politicized, and weaponized, our intelligence agencies and our justice department as he sees their activities as counterproductive to his, well, sad and sordid, agenda.
What I see Trump doing is invoking the Peter Principle to insure only those who have weak leadership skills, as Trump exhibits, so there is no further dissent from the ranks. Kinda like what a third-rate despot in a banana republic would do.
I long for real leadership in our federal government. Not the toadies, lackeys and hacks that Trump has given us.
16
My jaw drops that the Republicans are taking all this in silence.
How low have they fallen?
And why are we not in the streets, and demanding truth, honor, and justice?
17
It's still too cold out...
How can Trump wreck an intelligence community that missed the 9/11 attacks, pronounced that WMDs in Iraq was a "slam dunk" and which can't stop cyber attacks on our elections? Seems like it's wrecked already.
4
@J. Waddell It was George W. Bush in general and in particular Condi Rice who ignored the 9/11 warnings. Same group pushed the Iraq war to "find" the WMDs, which were never found. They got Colin Powell to speak to that and for which he later apologized. That Iraq war unraveled the ME with results continuing in poor Syria, along w/Iraq, and the entire miasma, including Iran/Saudi Arabia.
3
The intelligence was handed to Condoleeza Rice on an imminent attack. She apparently consulted with Cheyney and the information was rejected.
3
Russia hysteria fueled by the intelligence agencies is what is interfering with American elections, far more than anything that Russia is actually doing. First Trump is practically Putin's agent planted in the White House; now Putin supposedly favors Bernie Sanders and is helping his campaign, a "revelation" that by curious coincidence is coming out just as Sanders is surging ahead of his opponents.
Mueller's investigation was triggered by suspicion of Trump campaign coordination with Russia to advance his election prospects, a charge that fizzled with Mueller’s failure to prove a connection. No wonder a paranoid narcissist like Trump is overreacting today!
Russia spent $3 million on social media ads and memes and did some email phishing to promote Trump. That certainly was interference, but it was a drop in the ocean compared to the billions spent on political ads by the campaigns and their associated PACS. Britain, Germany and Israel have interfered in our elections far more than Russia ever did -- never mind how we've interfered in theirs. It has been alleged but never proven Russia hacked the DNC servers -- the FBI never even examined the server! National security agencies have propoagandized since WWII to advance their agenda of American Empire abroad and surveillance at home
It is shocking how easy it still is to whip up McCarthyite hysteria with so little. The problem is not whom Putin favors, but whom the intelligence community doesn't.
3
It seems the Putin defenders are now here in mass to defend their master and his policies. He is financing all the fascists in Europe. He hates democracy and plunders russia with his oligarchs. He does everything to weaken Democrats, because not all of them can be bought. Republicans are very cheap in this regard it seems.
1
The anger and the horror--they never stop, do they. Not in this child they don't.
I am thinking back to the Mueller report. Many of us felt--I certainly did--that Mr. Mueller was circumspect to a fault. His language--this after two some years of nonstop investigation--his language was guarded. His report seemed to be tiptoeing through a minefield.
He "could not exonerate the President."
That is: the President--long long ago in a galaxy far away" was--in a manner of speaking--oh how to say this?--
--GUILTY.
Guilty as sin. Don't we all know it?
BUT---
--on the subject of Russian interference in the 2020 election Mr. Mueller was forthright. Dreadfully so.
"They are," he told members of Congress (including a number of grimacing, eye-rolling GOP guys)--"planning that interference as we sit here talking."
And Mr. Trump--scowling as ever--pulls out a six-shooter and shoots the messenger dead. (Pardon my violent imagery.)
God help us all.
God help the United States of America.
We need that help.
We're not getting it from the GOP-dominated Senate.
Or the Republican party.
8
What is a classified report? Doe it mean anything? Within minutes of giving the report, it showed up on news agencies like the NYT. Specific details were described. Trump has some reason to think it might be weaponized. A forty million dollar impeachment attempt gives him reason. He is also right that the Democrats have tried their best to diminished his win by claiming the Russians helped. The so called classified document mus have thrilled them. But now, it seems, the Russians are trying to get Sanders elected. This may signal to the party that there is a way to slow him down. Mr. Stephens Opinion article today headlines that the Democrats are in trouble. "Wednesday’s debate left Sanders unscathed. Nothing and nobody touched him. The Democratic Party’s riskiest bet is now its likeliest." Their problem is made worst because of 2016 when the DNC, we learned, actively sought to stop Sanders' surge. If they try that again and succeed, they could have a lot of his supporters not vote at all. Or worst, vote for Trump. They really are in Trouble.
1
If the President of the USA and most of the Republican Senators and House members believe that our intelligence, FBI and Justice department are political, they should be disbanded immediately.
If the President tries to politicize them for his own benefit the Democrats should lead the charge to end them.
The Federal prisons should be emptied out this week.
If the President of the USA is making the argument that our Government institutions are unfair, manipulated and political, the obvious answer is to shut them down immediately. When will they Republicans in Congress get rid of the Patriot act, stop funding Justice, the NSA and CIA and ask for full pardons for everyone in our federal prisons?
We just assassinated a foreign officer on foreign soil based on information from a corrupt intelligence department. If that doesn't say we need to act now, what does?
This is ‘very unfair’. Why do we (most Americans) have to put up with a president who doesn’t follow the rule of law and an Attorney General, who thinks he doesn’t have to? Why are we stuck in this descending into authoritarianism when we have three equal branches of government to check and balance this president? How is it possible that one narcissistic ‘stable genius’ can create and sustain such chaos and no Republicans in leadership can do their duty to the oath they took and stop him? Justice will be served. The day of reckoning will come.
6
Probability suggests over 50 percent govt employees are never Trumpers. They all should be replaced with those who attend Trump rallies. The higher they hold the sign for Trump the higher the seniority they get in their new jobs! Seen it already so might as well go the whole hog.
2
Trump is King. He will do whatever he wants whenever he wants.And who will stop him? Only American voters. The last chance. November 2020. What kind of country do most Americans want?Stay tuned. There are no surprises under King Trump.
2
The worst irony of all is that Trump, if he weren't already president, would be the last person in America to be given a security clearance to work for the Government.
7
There has to be at least an ounce or 100 grams of conscience in the Republican Senators. Maybe the Trump/Putin ticket has something on them all? Why not make it transparent and have Putin run for Vice President in 2020 instead of wasting his time and abilities in Russia?
1
Are we headed towards King trump. Messing with all kinds of government agencies, lying about anything and lacking morals and ethics leads me to believe he is trying to create a kingdom or a dictatorship.
What are we going to do to stop this politicians. I fear for the worst because we are allowing the worst to rule??
3
If the New York Times in particular and the media in general don't start realistically calling these events out for the destructive decisions that they are, we soon will have no America that we recognize. In the last two weeks Trump has taken the wrecking ball approach with everything that he has touched. Last night on her program, Rachel Maddow made the point that Americans and the media cannot continue to try to finesse what is happening. Trump's corruption and power-grabs are out in the open for all of us to see. She said wisely that the dark days are here. All of us from the media down to every American need to take off our rose-colored glasses and look at where we are. The destruction of American values, ethics, and norms is happening in front on us. Your headline says Trump is crippling the intelligence agencies. I beg to differ. He is destroying them and every other agency and department he touches. We all need to wake up.
9
Any other candidate who won the Presidential election and was informed of Russia’s interference would have mandated a draconian response and demonstrated to our Intelligence Community that he supported their evidence and was committed to punishing Russia and prevented any further efforts around the world. Instead, Trumped turned on the Intelligence Community and embraced Putin, most conclusively in Helsinki.
“Cripple the Intelligence Agencies? Not Smart” Might be appropriate if this firing and others and the appointment of the inexperienced, unfit sycophant Grenell. This is not, “Not Smart”. This is catastrophic on the eve of our election and it gives full license to Russia.
Show courage, before it is too late. Equivocation is dangerous in dangerous times. We are in grave danger and our President is the cause of that danger.
7
Should social media platforms such as Facebook go offline – absolutely offline – for the six months leading up to the vote for president? Americans can rely on conventional methods (print media) and Youtube. The country will survive.
1
We have to be real about Trump: say he is systematically and self-righteously self-centered. Nothing else matters.
The Kurds were left because there are two Trump Towers in Turkey. Trump wants good relations with all countries that can benefit his businesses. Do we really think he cares at all about the real 'America'? I don't.
Everything is focused to help the spoiled-brat, bully, braggart become more and more powerful. Our country is such a wasteland of good citizenship that it's happening with little revolt. Trump is not a stooge of Russia; he wants 'in', he wants a Trump Tower there. And, he wants to be an oligarch (such unrestrained power makes him giddy). The poisons of over-concentration of wealth, the end of the good, middle class job and world-wide climate catastrophes mean nothing.
America is not lost, but our leader is and his party, Republicans are. But, remember, he's not really a Republican, not really a patriot, not really a Christian. He's a greedy man that does whatever it takes to gain more mammon. Nothing else to see.
7
Oh, it could be smart, depending on one's point of view. From some points of view, very smart indeed.
Thanks GOP. He's all yours now. Whatever he does now is on you. You broke it, you buy it. I will never forget and I will never forgive what you have done. You have put your jobs and party before country. Shame on every single one of you.
8
@Diane Graves
except for Mitt Romney!
Imagine, if you can, an administration that is reluctant to tell FDR that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, or more correctly is angry they told Congress after telling FDR who didn't want anyone to know about it. That is our current President and his stooges who are appointed, not for competency but for ego protection. It's amazing that he trusts the intelligence divisions when they are pinpointing a subject for a precision raid or bombing but not when they have determined that an adversary is threatening the integrity of our election. I guess the crux of the issue is Trump considers Russia and Putin, not as adversaries, but his personal advocates, when in fact he is their puppet.
5
Up next, cancellation of the November elections. Just wait.
3
Cheney, Rumsfeld, Poindexter, et all must be laughing their tails off as "liberals" embrace all out cold war antics in their delusion over Trump. Why didn't we think of this before!
Rome wasn't built in a day and it didn't fall in on either. By all means keep stacking the deck with the most inferior talent that agrees with you. What could possible go wrong.
1
Republicans loudly proclaim their support for the military and wear it like a badge of honor (though most are chicken hawks). The military’s effectiveness is dependent on a fully functioning intelligence apparatus that is unafraid to tell truth to power. Donald the Destroyer never wants to hear truth and takes warnings of interference in our democracy as personal assaults rather than something that needs to be defended against. One must ask what kind of tell is this? Is it his insecurity, is it guilt, is it fear of being found out, is it deep-seated knowledge that he is out of his depth? Whatever his reaction is telling us, we must pay heed! Thee are most definitely not normal times!
1
China would probably know how to deal with this problem. Could CPC advisors be used?
@M. C. Major It is a tongue in cheek comment. I absolutely support freedom of the press. But social media allows rubbish to be posted, and has a strange interactive interface, which may warp the mind in awful ways, and cause unwanted repercussions
@M. C. Major It is a comment that is a bit ironic. I absolutely support freedom of the press.
However, on social media rubbish might be posted – it has a strange interactive interface – such may warp the mind in awful ways, and cause unwanted repercussions and have odd influences
I was merely suggesting Communist Party of China advisors might advise greater control, less posting that does psychological damage (although temporary it is) – better editing than is in the US!
What I've been struggling to understand is how someone as clearly unqualified as Mr. Grenell convinces himself that he is qualified for the job. I can only conclude that he (and all other unqualified Trump appointees) are operating at a [potentially] catastrophic level of self delusion.
348
@East of Cicero
I am thinking Russian asset. Grenell used to work for a Moldovan oligarch. He can compromise our intelligence within days. Are there no brakes in our out-of-control alleged democracy?
40
@East of Cicero "Your doing one heck of a job, Brownie", keeps reverberating in my head. As Yogi liked to say its Déjà vu all over again.
25
@East of Cicero
Republicans and that quality of person you speak of have not met in the same room for decades. One of the more destructive aspects of deregulation was the spread of the myth that anyone can do anything with just a little info to start them. of course the GOP went all in as it was a refutation of the professionalism being passed on by Unions and the Civil Servants whose professional opinions and arguments made their ideas look as ridiculous as they were. Now that they are gone and the GOP has captured all three branches we get to see the idiots who never understood the reason why our professionals did what they did imagined was the right way to do it. :-) Hang on, they will blame the rest of us who know enough to trust professionals and are honest enough not to suspect every single person without evidence, when it finally crashes and burns.
25
The presidency is in rapid and dangerous decay, The president’s knee-jerk response over the DNI responsibly doing its job because it (in his eyes at least) makes him look bad, is one more example in a litany of unsupported authoritarian behaviors stretching back to his inauguration.
This president dictates governance by Tweet and then expects the departments and agencies to scramble around to buttress those dictats. This is the exact opposite of how the complex job of the presidency evolved to run, where the subordinate agencies work to develop policies, imbued with presidential guidance, that filter up to the president for rejection or concurrence. Trump’s repeated declarations that he is smarter than the military, intelligence, and diplomatic communities combined show that he only wants and needs them to confirm his fevered thought processes which are manifested through his fingertips.
2
This editorial needed to be more forceful in stating that Donald Trump is further undermining the rule of law by demanding intelligence officials suppress sharing information from Democratic- led congressional committees who they are obligated to report to. TV pundits make the mistake of saying Donald Trump doesn’t believe the intelligence. Of course he believes the intelligence— he knows very well Russian interference helped him win in 2016 and he’s hoping for a repeat performance this year. The problem is he doesn’t want us to believe the intelligence, because then it’s clear we have an illegitimate President who won by corrupt means. The only way to keep us from knowing this is to suppress the information from getting out. He will subvert US intelligence operations to protect himself. Cover up and self-protection are a big part of conducting a criminal enterprise.
12
Where are the rational honest intelligent Republicans?
How can they continue to support this destruction of our government.
When it finally collapses under Trump's management, will they be off spending their off-shore accounts in another country.
Perhaps they will go to Russia and stay in Trump resorts as they head multi-national corporations.
14
Trump is waging a larger war against truth, that compound of intelligence and information, on all fronts. He attacks any government agency or subordinate unit which collects and analyzes data on matters of policy contrary to his interests, academic institutions which conduct and report research contrary to his interests, and media which investigate and publicize stories contrary to his interests.
The dangers to the national defense and foreign policy to advance US interests are obvious. The dangers to the economy and domestic health, education, environmental and safety-net policies and programs are less evident. They will become apparent when the economy slows downs, flattens out, or declines; then the numbers and forecasts from the relevant agencies are likely to be distorted to serve Trump's interests.
The antidote, aside from voting against Trump and most Republican House and Senate enablers, is for each person to pledge allegiance to the truth however uncomfortable until we can drain this administration's impurities from the body politic.
8
What is and has been consistently on public display by Trump’s behavior is the effect of personal insecurity. Commentaries on the disastrous predicament we’re experiencing once again under Trump are just that ... talk that goes nowhere. Trump’s the president with extraordinary political power, and the likelihood of him growing up ... especially with the power he knows he as president has ... is surely zero. It’s truly baffling that Trump still has so much public support. It may well be that much of the country in his corner wants the authoritative leadership of a monarch instead of having to bother with the obligations of democracy. After all, life can be messy with freedom ... unless, of course, life’s organizing principle is something like generous common goodwill with willingness to consider a different view from one’s own.
10
This is likely the primary reason Putin wants Trump to remain President. The Republicans who enable this are helping to make long-term damage to our national security.
20
Time for true patriots to stand and be counted. Recently some 2000 prosecutors signed a letter recommending Bill Barr step down. The intel community now needs to show its true character. Basically, a letter stating bluntly that they disdain the appointment of this loyalist toady might do the trick. Hold your breath.
364
@John Holland
Sternly worded letters are to laugh at by this administration. We need dozens of whistleblowers and others willing to protect our intelligence information from alteration, deletion, forwarding to Putin. It seems that we need counter spies within our own government.
30
all of this should be a wake-up call that Bernie Sanders can't be the Democratic nominee... Bernie is an unwitting pawn of Russia's plan to re-elect Trump. Michael Bloomberg showed at the debate that he doesn't have what it takes to stop Sanders... Joe Biden is the one candidate who can save the country from Trump's dictatorship.
7
@John Holland ..."Time for true patriots to stand and be counted."....No. That time already passed a couple of years ago.
8
It's quite evident by now that DJT is an enemy of and danger to this country. It's also abundantly clear that the lessons he learned (per Susan Collins' words) are that not a single person will stop him from doing anything at all.
45
We have long ago stopped expecting smart from Trump. But now he is a clear and present danger to our national security. When will Republican senators, you know, those claiming to belong to "the party of national security," do something about it?
37
remember when Mueller was asked during the hearings if Russian interference was still happening, and he said yes, even as we sit here? I believe he meant that quite literally, and that this goes far beyond Trump... The GOP appears to be overrun w Russian assets, whether by bribery or blackmail or simply shared aims... All is logical when looked at through this prism.
30
@sue denim . . . your assumption that the GOP is overrun with "assets" is exactly the kind of chaos Russia intends to sow.
The only thing we can base the GOP Senators' actions on is what they have actually done: Groveled cowardly, been silent in the face of the facts and ducked their responsibilities to the American people and the Constitution.
Those are facts we can witness. Whether there are "assets" is a presumption that will sow mistrust wherever we let it.
After 45* is no longer in office, the sad thing is that we will have to codify what was once considered to be common decency and common sense. We will have to pass laws explaining that the president can't appoint his unqualified family members and friends to all kinds of important and influential posts (real or made up), that interim appointments have a short time limit (months or weeks) without congressional approval, that you can't pardon anyone you know or who worked for you, pardons can only take place in the last months of your last term, and that you must build a firewall between your and your family's business interests and the government in which you serve... etc. It's so sad that this will be necessary.
44
@Joe Most of the civilized world did this in the early 20th century.
2
Firewall? No. Divestment.
We won't even do that unless the Republican Party no longer has a say.
1
And this attitude, my friends, is what will bring down the president, if not the republic first. Either from within, or without.
8
The only possible impediment to Trump's actions to politicize the intelligence community is for several Senate Republicans to reject partisan hacks as nominees to IC leadership positions.
Judging Senate Republican behavior during the impeachment trial, and their silence as Barr eviscerates the DOJ and judicial independence, I am not hopeful.
18
Bottom line is, the U.S. President is protecting his own interests (as usual) and not only instead of the Country's, but at the expense of the Country's.
25
@Virginia . . .true. Too bad the Senate didn't remove him the first time the people spoke up and called this out.
There is some comfort in that we did Impeach him, but less so because he was acquitted and not removed.
9
@mouseone Well, at this point, they might as well take impeachment out of the Constitution. I can't imagine what a president has to do now to be impeached. Okay...a sex lie by a Democrat about a private consensual affair I guess would do it, and I have my suspicions that if a Trump had been a Democrat, he would have been removed by 100% of the Republicans in the Senate for the exact same activities...okay..let me rephrase. I can't imagine what a Republican president has to do to be impeached and removed from office.
5
No need to worry, as soon as Trump wins in November the Republicans in Congress will immediately start acting like adults and remove him from office as quickly as possible. All they want is a guaranteed second term, and 3 years to complete their agenda.
2
@Sydney Carton So, if I get your point: electing Trump is the one and only thing that will get the Republican Party to change its stripes.
That seems like a most improbable scenario.
5
@Sydney Carton, I think you underestimate what they want.
Trump is a Russian stooge. He may not actively be seeking out help but he sure does not mind the help and seems to be loyal to it. His real crime is constantly and purposefully misrepresenting the truth and the resulting division he has created in the once semi-United United States.
420
@Pablo
If Trump is a Russian stooge, Putin's not doing a very good job of controlling him. Trump provided lethal arms to Ukraine in 2017, after Obama refused to do so despite support in Congress and his administration for such action. The Trump administration has imposed more sanctions on Russian entities than the Obama administration did, including new sanctions this year related to the Russian occupation of Crimea. And Trump has opposed the Nord Stream pipeline, which gives Russia significant control over European energy supplies.
Trump's moves were the opposite of Obama's "reset" in the Russia-US relationship.
1
J Waddell, all of the items you mentioned were done despite Trump not because of him. Sanctions were imposed by a veto-proof Senate. Arms were provided because Mattis and McMaster wanted them provided. Then later Trump endangered Ukraine by holding up arms one day after Trump falsely concluded he had been exonerated by the Mueller investigation.
70
This will ensure that the rest of the world will turn against the US & not share intelligence with us. Those Trump supporters that believe the world respects us due to Trumps’s policies are living in a dystopia cult.
44
Trump has made it clear that he wants our intelligence agents to be his mouthpieces and he will make examples of those who don’t parrot his propaganda.
Insane, grossly irresponsible, and yet another example of how Trump thinks our entire governance is supposed to serve him personally, rather than work for our nation.
32
Trump is now obviously a clinical case. It's called paranoia, complicated in this case by being misdirected against his own country's defenders while protecting a hostile country's dictator who happens to seemingly support him, in reality promoting chaos. It's tragic that a proud country can be pushed by a sick man and his sycophants in this direction. It has to stop, sooner rather than later.
38
@Wolfgang Krug Honestly, I don't believe he is ill. I think he is evil. He is the ultimate example of most of the 7 deadly sins. We would all be better off learning from him than treating him.
Trump's base is too far gone to see, let alone admit, that not only is this dangerous, unfathomable, unAmerican and impeachable behavior on the part of the U.S. President and that, were this a Democrat, such a president would have been gone two years ago per their feet stomping demands in order to protect the country....but when is enough enough for Republican leaders who know, who know this is not acceptable behavior and return to their oaths to protect and defend the Constitution? And Nunes...what a pathetic tattle-tale. He's like Trump's...no, he clearly IS Trump's mole in congress, and he's the minority leader on the House Intelligence Committee, for crying out loud. Is he next going run to Putin or MBS, on Trump's orders, to give them classified Intel too?
32
"When the president learned of the briefing from a member of the committee, he was furious ..."
Even the Times's ever-creative political reporters do not say that President Trump was "furious". They say that "the president berated [acting DNI] Joseph Maguire". However, that is based on what "people familiar with the exchange said".
"According to a report in The Times, he was especially miffed ..."
The linked article doesn't use the word "miffed" either. It says that "Mr. Trump was particularly irritated that ... Schiff ... was at the briefing". That sounds like an unlikely interpretation by those "people", since President Trump is certainly aware that Schiff is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
So this editorial is doubly unreliable for:
(1) Rewriting a Times article by using words not in the article.
(2) Accepting hearsay from anonymous sources with unknown motives as fact.
@PWH
Er...most press reporting of this sort is based on hearsay and un-named sources. What world do you live in? Given Maguire's subsequent removal and replacement by the totally unqualified Grenell it sound entirely credible. Furthermore I'm sure this entire episode is making considerable waves in the intelligence community and at the DoD which will ultimately blow up in Trump's face.
2
I have a father several years deceased. He was a WWII Normandy Invasion veteran infantry company commander, as well as in the Korean War.
I am sure he is turning in his grave over these ongoing acts of blatant, unconcealed acts of treason.
And, yes, he was an Eisenhower Republican through and through.
2
@PWH And your point is that synonyms are not statements of the facts of the matter?
Well, lets call it like it was then. He was angry. That much is clear, the guy responsible for delivering the truth was replaced by an idiot.
Is it not finally time to stop speaking of “the administration,“ and begin speaking of “the regime?” What’s happening is Perónist or Stalinesque. This was predicted by many over the past decade as they surveyed the state of the Republican Party, and they were ignored by the American mass media. Levitsky, Snyder, Ornstein and Mann — it’s not as if nobody saw this coming. It’s time to stop pretending. When does the Times acknowledge that the Republican Party has become a fascist insurrection and that we are living in an autocratic state on the way to full-blown totalitarianism? When does the American oligarchy stand up and decide the survival of representative government is more important than its balance sheets? The answer, so far, appears to be: never.
33
And then we will erase their names from the books, remove their images from the photos, and stand proud as a unified nation.
Worked for stalin.
12
“In recent weeks, the president has removed multiple officials with connections to impeachment.”
Let’s help Il Duce complete the job by getting rid of Susan Collins, Cory Gardner, Martha McSally, Joni Ernst, and especially Mitch McConnell, among other GOP senators in November.
38
Putin rules. Didn't he send a cadre of GRU officials to the
US after comrade trump was elected? Didn't they provide
tutorials on how to decimate the US Intelligence Agencies?
Amazing how one man indebted financially to Putin can
turn this country into a state of directed chaos.
25
Mueller’s failure: to illuminate Trumps money connection to the oligarchs.
4
I sure hope this Russian meddling ends up being something other than a few twitter bots and facebook ads. It's hard to take any of it seriously. Unfortunately, keeping the good economy going works for trump so they can't risk anything that undermines that. They can't make it look like the election was rigged. That will make trump seem even more illegitimate. I'm not sure what there is to worry about.
Otherwise, the purge of this so-called intelligence community is long over due.... they failed this country long before trump came along. If he manages to "destroy the intelligence community" I'm all for that. Trump is a despicable person, but wrecking the military and the CIA would be worth all the other nonsense. All these endless wars have got to stop somehow.
1
@Neildsmith What a pipe dream. While endless wars are awful, simply dismantling the CIA and the military will do nothing but leave Americans and others vulnerable to the aggression of bad actors.
1
My beloved country is in grave danger of needing to change its name to something more fitting. Trumpistan has an authentic ring to it, don't you think?
12
Okay, you said it. In an OpEd. Now what? I mean seriously, New York Times, I’m right now fuming at you. Your insistence in 2016 that Clinton would win, your insistence that Russian bots couldn’t sway voters, the all of it.
Now write this in the news section (not with a wimpy headline “maybe Trump is making the intelligence agencies partisan.” Uhm, maybe??) Since when is it fair and balanced to present “both sides” equally when one side is in an all-our attack on our democracy. Russia wants Nov 2020 to be Trump and Saunders, now we’re all clear on that. And now what?? You going to keep running news items about it being too late for Warren? Or Biden? Or anyone else? What’s going on? We’ve had two states weigh in (one, disastrously), time to step back and start writing NEWS reports that hit hard on our intelligence agencies being GUTTED. Force Republicans like McConnell to answer for why they’re letting their president get away with this. Relentless articles with headlines that poke constantly at how they’re dismantling our country. Do it. Now.
8
Our president's modus vivendi is simple:
1. Ignore information which might disparage him as fake news
2. Ignore information which does not praise him or which he might need in future considerations (see: Presidential Daily Brief)
3. Anyone who even tangentially violates rules #1 and #2 goes first to the woodshed and then to the metaphorical guillotine
4. Wash, rinse and repeat
I believe the job I would like the least would to be his physician tasked perhaps to tell him his health or life are in serious jeopardy (as happens ultimately to us all). Sacking his physician will not change a positive biopsy. Melania or Ivanka cannot stand forever at his bedroom door like Edith Wilson did in hiding President Wilson's strokes from public view and discussion.
Waters will rise; the tsunami will come ashore. Larger and larger rallies cannot protect us from such things. Truth will out. I just hope the husk of America which ultimately remains can be sufficient to resow decency in the land after this Reign of Error ends.
6
This is not directly to the subject buy Congress when there is a sane Congress needs to pass some serious legislation to cap "acting" use. How about a total number of acting per year, or simultaneous. Then make acting good for only 45 days.
5
Semantic surrealism in an enabled, toxic, WE-THEY violating culture.
LOYALTY to the desecrator of:
(1)the Presidency,
(2) facts and truth,
(3) democratic processes and principles,
(4) positive values, norms and ethics anchored in the Constitution,
(5) civility,
(6) mutual trust,
(7) mutual respect,
(8) mutual help, when needed, between kin, ken and stranger,
(9) compassion and
(10)menschlich alliances transmuted into betrayal = Lexical Trumpery!
3
Well, the "intelligence" community has been wrong before.
1
Self destruction of one’s own command and control center with the “willful” blindness of the commander in chief. This is just nuts. America may not survive its wake up call.
6
Everything Trump does gives the appearance he's a mole. Now he is again eliminating vital historical knowledge, presumably to destroy those who know what he is.
12
Trump wants to cripple the intelligence agencies. He borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars from Russian oligarchs and he's too cash poor to pay them back. Trump's payback on the loans he can't cover? Hand over the United States.
16
It is unfortunate that a significant portion of Americans think having a useful idiot to Putin as president of the United States is a good thing. For most of us, Trump’s admiration of Putin has been a brilliant red flag.
13
I always thought that comparing the current administration to the Third Reich apparatus was intellectually lazy and unwarranted. But after reading of how Trump's people feel they have to treat him delicately, for fear of his anger, I can't help but think of how Hitler's generals and ministers came to act that way when the fuhrer was clearly losing it.
Man, is your country in deep trouble or what.
24
@Denis Pelletier - People who object to Trump being compared to Hitler think of the Hitler later in his regime when he was actively killing Jews and waging all out war. What they aren't understanding is that Hitler didn't start out as THAT Hitler. He started out much as Trump started out, and got progressively worse. I'm afraid that Trump's acquittal in the Senate may have been his Enabling Act.
Why isn't the NYT printing headlines every day such as:
TRUMP IS A TRAITOR.
We could use some honest sensationalism to fire up the true patriots of our country, the Democrats. And fire up Congress as well.
Everyone is just too calm, too much like the frog slowly dying in water that gets hotter every minute until it's cooked.
14
We have a paranoid incompetent idiot in the Oval
Office increasingly suffering from dementia. We have a political party determined to keep him there, as is a foreign adversary. This is a slow-motion disaster.
16
“Cripple the Intelligence Agencies? Not Smart”.
Who would ever insinuate that Trump was smart?
His ignorance and general stupidity is well documented.
8
March on Washington and impeach again and convict and imprison this time.
Election against Trump and Russians is too dangerous and besides we cannot imagine what this moron will do from Nov to Jan as a lame duck President.
6
Good night America. Good Morning Amerika. We need a revolt, we need a coup. We need a revolution like no other. For God's sake people wake up.
17
How is it that no one can stop this?
I, and I bet millions of other people, don't get it.
It's really the Senate that has this power alone to stop trump?
There is no way to stop this guy from becoming a dictator?
Maybe the NYT should do a story on that, on what the hell is really going on behind this farce.
Who is pulling the strings?
18
@David Jacobson Read the subtext since 2016 , read the criminal indictments. Remember where Manafort was doing biz? Where? In Ukraine. Deutsche Bank, Russia, all that Mueller found and more, which was subsumed by Barr et al. Too much power concentrated in one party and the institutions of a constitutional democracy have been ripped. Not asunder yet, but frayed. Whether Trump is a narcissist, paranoid, or all other possibilities, he certainly moves like the great mob bosses of yore. ONe of his favorite teachers was Roy Cohn, loathed by RFK. Putin's ambitions surely have exceeded even his belief in own chances . The scorecard uneven, but the contest not viewed nor judged by all.
1
This will be the complete demise of Trump. With these latest moves with a flunky as DNI and a former assistant to Devin Nunes as his assistant, Trump has pushed far beyond the furthest guardrails of propriety, blatantly exposing his disloyalty to this country. I think in this warped world Trump has made us all inhabit, we forget that our intelligence community is overwhelmingly comprised of genuine patriots who have a dead serious interest in protecting this country. Most would go to the ends of the earth to do so. That is where we are now. I believe our intelligence community is presently at DEFCON 1 with the President of the United States as the greatest threat to this country's future. The seriousness of what Trump is doing to the intelligence community and how he is attempting to endanger every citizen of this country cannot be overstated. This American nightmare will be stopped.
442
@Rich D
The only way Trump/Republican accelerating march to dictatorship will be stopped is if voters get rid of Trump AND the Senate Republian majority in November.
That means every one of us need to take ACTION in our own ways -- registering voters, writing editorials, contributing $, doing nonpartisan work and whistleblowing when necessary if govt employees, etc.-- to make sure this happens.
The time for talk is over.
122
David Nunez should be indicted for multiple security breaches. That won't happen while Bill Barr is around and it shows how far we've strayed from putting the good of the country ahead of politics.
Washington, Madison and Hamilton are spinning in their graves - as is Abe Lincoln.
58
@Rich D, until recently I shared your optimism. God, I wish I still did.
30
I saw Adm. McRaven’s opinion piece in wapo a few minutes ago. At what point will the warning “it’s time to be afraid” be seriously heeded by anyone who matters?
17
They been knowing. They are cowering, quitting, or complicit.
We're the last to be figuring this out. That's why the election won't matter. Trump will remain our president win or lose. Whose gonna stop him now?
Nancy Pelosi?
The real problem is that Trump is already consolidating his power. Since senate republicans are just fine with this coup, we will continue to lose our democracy. And make no mistake about this -it is a coup. He even told us. Remember, he accused the Democrats of trying a coup. Whenever he’s accused Democrats of something, it’s always his administration that’s doing it. Now they are allowing white supremacists to join the military. These people are actively recruiting for the military. He has his own tv channel and it’s his way or the highway. Wake up, America. We, the citizens, of this country are at war with fascism lead by dt. He is a traitor and effectively, a dictator at this time. Look up the ten signs of fascism and see how dt is checking each point off. Frightening! The Russians have bought the former Republican Party just like they did the original tea party. The tea party was taken over by “republican businessmen” per the founder of the movement who quit in disgust. We are fighting for our country and our democracy. Vote for a true Democratic leader -vote for Pete Buttigieg.
4
@Lalitasays
I was with you until your last sentence.
I'm leaning Klobuchr or Warren
But I will vote for whoever the Dem candidate ultimately is.
1
My confidential sources are telling me that the USSR tried in 1980 to aid the presidential candidacy of Ronald Reagan to make the USA weaker...
1
@Kenan Porobic
Russia has a funny way of picking the most active US opponents to help itself.
1
The new Director of National Intelligence must be confirmed by the senate, as must any high-level presidential appointment. So, Trump’s temper tantrums can’t do any real damage to our national intelligence capabilities.
Whew!
McConnell, Graham, Cruz, Rubio and Susan Collins have our backs...
No worries.
7
Nope. That’s why he specifically named him an interim director in order to bypass that step. He’s done this with several other appointments.
11
How can this happen in God’s America,our America? How can an honorable good man like Joe Maguire be fired but an unprincipled corrupt leader while many dozens of cowardly Republicans stand idly by? On Election Day, I will have an easy choice.
6
And the band played on.
2
WHY and what basis do you make your assumption that they would be crippled with a new leader?
Can they do any worse than they did under Clapper, Comey and Brennan?
4
@alan
Absolutely yes. Watch what happens.
Intel info will disappear altogether for a time. Then it will get to us (and Congress) ONLY via leaks to the press. Then more leaks about more whistleblowers. And then many more Barr DOJ prosecutions of both groups.
3
@alan
The Inspector General's found they are a mess. We are, evidently, supposed to overlook their missteps and lies. When you cannot see past Trump, you can easily miss it all.
1
If there should be another 9/11 attack on the U.S. after Trump has dismantled the Intelligence Community, upon whom could he place the blame?
7
Russian interference in our elections is a brilliant diabolical move on their part. It's heads they win, tails they win. They know Sanders will split the party if he heads the ticket. Moderate suburban voters won't vote for Democratic Socialism. His nomination would also compel independent swing voters to hold their nose & vote for Trump again. Result: civil war in the Democratic party, Trump wins. If Sanders arrives at the convention with a huge lead in both votes & delegates but not enough to secure the nomination then his supporters will blackmail the DNC. The Democrats may conclude that they have no choice but to let Sanders go down in a McGovern style defeat. Result: Trump wins again. If Sanders loses the nomination outright to say Klobuchar, Biden, or Bloomberg the Bernie Bros will claim Russian interference & stay home. Result: Trump wins. Frankly, at this point, the Russians don't have to lift a finger for this plan to work. They've already injected a huge dose of doubt into the election. No matter what happens from here on out Sanders & his supporters will suspect the Russians sandbagged them. In the general election which they will lose in a landslide, they will again claim interference whether it exists or not. This will hobble Trump's Presidency with more Russian collusion investigations, more drawn out impeachment hearings. Trump in the end he will be vindicated. The net effect: the country will be further polarized with Congress in perpetual gridlock mode.
107
@Bill Brown Sorry to say that you're wrong. This very moderate democrat will vote blue, no matter who as I believe will much of the country. Not a Sanders supporter but he is far more honorable than DT.
65
@Heather Watson
Kudos to you. But that does not negate the analysis. A sufficient number of Sanders supporters voted for trump in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin to tip those states - and the Electoral College - to Trump. It can certainly happen again.
23
Yes, they did. But you assume that these voters were Democrats or at least democratic leaning. I suspect that many were actually republican leaning who crossed over to vote for Bernie. They were never going to vote for Hillary, Bernie or no Bernie.
6
Putin has to be thrilled watching the US intelligence community being dismantled. Scary days for the nation.
13
@Steve
Putin's probably disappointed after watching how effective our intelligence community was in wreaking havoc on our nation.
The Russian collusion investigation, alone, must have been a delight to watch. Democrats turned him into a demigod capable of determining the outcome of a US presidential election. I'm sure he appreciates greatly useful idiots like that.
1
How can our democracy, even with its past and present mistakes and failures, now be totally destroyed by one single person? How can one egomaniac come along and in his personal rage tear down what has, up until now, lasted almost 250 years? How can any one of the president's sycophantic loyalists not be terrified by what is starting to look like our impending destruction. And for those in Washington who do see what's happening, why do they still back an out-of-control despot, pretending they don't see what's right before their eyes.
6
@kbw
This isn't one person.
This is the entire Republican Senate, except Romney.
This is the House Republican leadership.
This is Wall Street and the Murdoch and Koch empires, and information- and education-less Trump voters.
2
The morning news also states that Russia is meddling in the election. Trump will take any help he can get because he is not a patriot. He only wants to rule this country. He is a divider and a hater. I miss the serenity of Obama. No drama. I slept better. This reign of error can't be over soon enough for me. But Donnie has stated he may not step down. In that case we may need the military. I fear for the future of my beautiful country. I haven't been this afraid since Viet Nam when I lost many friends overseas.
4
Let’s be clear, trump does not care about American institutions. He only cares about getting re-elected and filling that gapping hole in his ego
8
Crippling the intelligence agencies is "not smart" if you have America's best interests at heart.
But if you're a Russian catspaw, crippling America's intelligence agencies makes perfect sense.
As a Nobel laureate once said, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."
6
" ... a disclosure to Congress that angered Mr. Trump, who complained that Democrats would use it against him ... " The only intelligence reports that Mr. Trump rants about involve foreign influence to help his re-election. The only criminal cases Mr. Trumps rants about involve his political hitmen. The only "corruption" he rants about is a political opponent. The only "fake news" he rants about are factual stories that expose his connivances. The only anything he rants about is self-serving. Mr. Trump is transparently corrupt, and his GOP sycophants are driven solely by cynical careerism.
5
I have said this and many other commenters also. It is utterly stunning that such a huge plurality of American voters just plain don't care, at all. If Trump wants to create his own reality by crippling the intelligence agencies, that is a good thing for them.
After all Putin told Trump that Russia didn't do it (interfere in the 2016 election) and that he should look at Ukraine as the certain culprit. Trump says he believes Putin and not intelligence agencies. So Fox news and right wing commentators all believe Putin and hence 100% of Republican Congressmen and voters all believe him too.
Oh, you say, "lots of Republicans know Putin is lying."
Yeah, well I am a philosophical existentialist. I believe what people do first. If that doesn't match what they say then they are either liars or dangerously naive. They vote for Trump even though he believes Putin completely and they praise and do nothing about Trump's corruption.
5
Cripple our intelligence agencies?
The real question is, will our intelligence agencies continue to allow themselves to be crippled?
putin, trump, and their comrades will not stop until our intelligence agencies and our department of justice are, not just crippled, but destroyed.
This is an emergency situation with no precedent that requires unprecedented intervention. If our intelligence agencies don't understand this, then it's game over.
5
Should we be surprised that the President should be naturally suspicious? An intelligence community professional, a member of the CIA on the NSC White House staff, had recently filed a 'whistle blower' report that set off the impeachment of the President. That is hardly a way for the intelligence community to engender trust in advising the President.
1
@J House
Let's not forget the dodgy impeachment followed on the heels of an even more dodgy investigation into Russian collusion, for which no evidence was found.
When you consider how much the intelligence community has contributed to those two debacles, it's easy to understand why their house needs to be cleaned.
1
I personally believe Grenell is going to do a great job at the Ministry of Truth.
6
Four Republican former Federal Prosecutors, one being a Senator, and the three others being from the NYC vicinty helped Trump win. So again, who is rigging elections
2
Frightening (but all too predictable). If there is anyone who continues to believe that Trump has any interest in the security and defense of the USA and its citizens, they're deliberately closing their eyes and ears to the obvious. When a leader regards any crisis or threat only as it relates to him personally, and he communicates exclusively with "loyal" defenders and rejects counsel from those he perceives as "unfriendly," there is something dangerously deranged about his actions, and the welfare of the nation is at stake. Yet his Republican enablers are ready to indulge his every perilous whim. Can't we impeach him again?
339
@Carol Robinson, he should be impeached again - and quickly. There are so many charges that could be brought against him, even more since the Republican conspiracy to acquit him. (Anyone with eyes connected to their brain could see that is what actually happened.)
30
@Carol Robinson The problem is he truly is a cult leader.
18
What is there to stop him? Not the senate. Certainly not Vladamir Putin. The people? Through an election? An election that is being meddled in already? An election where voter suppression will be practiced on a scale not yet seen before? An election where the integrity of the voting devices themselves have been shown to be faulty, if not deliberately preset to favor one candidate over another? The greatest democracy in the world? Please. Your'e joking, right?
8
I do not share the opinion that Trump wants to sweep any discussion of Russian election tampering under the rug simply because he sees it as delegitimizing his election. Rather, I am certain he knows that any looking under that rug will reveal far more involved ties between himself and Russia than just the election. It's paramount to his overall effort to remain in the White House to keep the statute of limitations clock moving under the protective umbrella of now all encompassing "executive privilege". This is becoming a farce, albeit a nationally deadly one.
4
Something in the nature of Donald Trump causes him to find cheating irresistible. It doesn’t matter what subject or activity is involved, he feels the need to take a shortcut or change the rules.
Reportedly, Donald Trump is still a good golfer – very good for a man in his 70’s and grossly overweight. In spite of that skill, Trump is notorious for cheating at golf. He cannot help himself.
President Trump does not chafe at anyone mentioning the ongoing interference by the Russians in our elections simply because it cheapens his victory in 2016. He fully intends to keep calling upon Vladimir Putin to lend a helping hand during the current campaign, so he needs intelligence officials who are either blind or corrupt or hopelessly incompetent.
Anyone who intervenes to thwart the Trump penchant for dirty tricks against political rivals is quickly pushed out the door and replaced by a more pliable appointee.
In Donald Trump’s mind, if he does something against the law and gets away with it, that is the same as never having broken the law. According to Trump, helping the Russians defeat Ukraine by withholding funds to the Ukraine president was a good business move, although he inconsistently also denies that such misconduct ever happened.
Every Republican on Capitol Hill except Mitt Romney is too afraid of Donald Trump to object to the Trump-Putin partnership.
6
President Trump’s decision to transform the office of Director of National Intelligence into a wholly-owned, propaganda-spewing subsidiary of Trump Inc. has 52 Republican Senators sweating bullets right now.
It may be true that only Susan Collins was gullible enough to think that Trump would “learn his lesson”. However, the unfettered, anger-fueled acceleration of his character assassination and autocratic behavior was both entirely predictable, and something that the Republicans vainly hoped-against-hope would not happen.
Remember that the Senate GOP's rationale was essentially:
• Trump did a very bad thing
• Given that the election was 10 months away, the people should decide his fate
It is now unavoidable that the spineless 52 set these events into motion when they turned away from two oaths: one to “protect and defend the constitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic” the other to be “impartial” in the Senate trial phase of impeachment.
More simply, they made a deal with the devil to avoid the backlash from Trump’s base, and the debt is coming due.
12
"Cripple the Intelligence Agencies? Not Smart" Well, being "not smart" is the hallmark of the "extremely stable genius's" working plan for the US government, unless, of course, the "chosen one" can find someway to personalize monetize the situation.
2
Honestly, when are we going to acknowledge that Trump has been a Russian asset for decades? All roads lead to Russia with this guy. Our democracy, and ultimately our sovereignty, are worth the inevitable cognitive dissonance of realizing the President is controlled by our enemies.
5
As bad as the developing coronavirus pandemic seems to be, something even more serious has developed in the United States, posing a great and lasting threat to the republic and to the world: the Cassandra Epidemic. Engineered personally by President Trump, all arms of government available to him are being systematically culled of anyone who, in the President’s eye, are not sufficiently loyal to him. This obviously includes those who criticize him, but also those who simply disagree, those who don’t do his bidding immediately and unquestioningly, those who don’t praise him enough, and finally those who simply don’t kowtow low enough and often enough. Most of those dismissed are experienced, long-serving experts in their respective fields, and are being replaced with sycophants whose main credential consists of sufficient loyalty. Given Mr. Trump’s exceedingly poor judgement, domestic and foreign policy is becoming seriously and enduringly degraded, resulting in national and global turmoil from which only our enemies will profit.
5
Ironically, whatever goods on Trump that Putin has (and he clearly does), if revealed, would NOT bother Trump's base. They'd probably admire him even more. No matter what. But Trump likes to pretend that he's 'The Man.' Not so. Vlad is. GOP doesn't mind.
4
People, what did we expect? The big difference between now and before impeachment is that Trump is expressing his considerable rage before the fact rather than after. This way, his cronies can get right on it and make sure that whoever is leaking these "false" but patently true narratives about Russia favoring Trump in 2020 is shown the door pronto. Then the Limbaugh-Hannity spin machine can ramp up into over drive to tamp down the lie that is the truth. And, the revolving personnel door at the Trump White House can continue to spin until there are no more willing patsies to take federal jobs. Steve Bannon will then have won.
5
This purge is a direct threat to national security. Trump is placing incompetents in highly critical positions to secure political power. This absolutely is an abuse of power and is impeachable. His refusal to act upon, and even accept, foreign interference in our elections borders on treason. Who is he working for? The US or the Russians.
The potential damage to our republic from this purge is significant. So much so, that I would like see a massive walkout, or sickout of our entire intelligence community. If the president isn't going to pay any attention to what our agencies are telling him, then why tell him anything at all? Might as well go play golf. Trump can certainly help with that endeavor.
3
Why do you say “ since the Senate acquitted him on impeachment charges”?
Wouldn’t “since the Senate failed to convict him on impeachment charges” be more accurate?
The first suggests the Senate did something they had sworn a special oath to do, the second correctly states they didn’t do their job.
13
Just wonder what the other "5 eyes" country think about this. I suspect that the US Intelligence agencies will now be operating like a horse with blinkers on. Not allowed to see anything that might upset them.
2
DJT is propelled by the spirits of malice and envy; a relationship with him will end in bitterness and sorrow.
3
According to our intelligence agencies, the Kremlin is trying to get both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders elected as the next US president and our services have already developed very detailed plan of action how to prevent it.
1
This, "Mr. Trump doesn’t like to hear about election interference, much less about interference by Russia. He sees the entire topic as an effort to devalue his 2016 victory" might be true. However he does not want the world to know that Putin is gearing up to re-elect him. Everybody who is sentient and has been following the news knows this but he is trying to keep his base fooled.
Obviously this can't work if we had three independent branches of government and they hold him accountable, but we don't.
The Senate GOP are comatose with no brain activity, waiting for their political life support to be pulled. I am fervently hoping that some of them will be put out of their misery in the upcoming election. The health of our democracy is at risk.
3
We need an emergency agreement to stop infighting and purity tests among Democrats.
Trumputin amplifies otherwise benign arguments into a malignant strategy that will draw away voters in key states. They know what they are doing. Do we ?
3
President Trump’s decision to transform the office of Director of National Intelligence into a propaganda-spewing subsidiary of Trump Inc. has 52 Republican Senators sweating bullets right now.
It may be true that only Susan Collins was gullible enough to think that Trump would “learn his lesson”. However, the unfettered acceleration of character assassination and autocratic behavior was both entirely predictable, and something that the Republicans vainly hoped-against-hope would not happen.
Remember that their rationale was essentially:
• Trump did a very bad thing
• Given that the election was 10 months away, the people should decide his fate
It is now unavoidable that the spineless 52 set these events into motion when they turned away from two oaths: one to “protect and defend the constitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic” the other to be “impartial” in the Senate trial phase of impeachment.
Simply put, congressional Republicans made a deal with the devil to avoid the backlash from Trump’s base, and the debt is coming due.
3
With all the prison terms Trump acolytes are serving, anyone who heretofore assumed otherwise can now safely assume that Trump appointees who accept their positions in his cabinet are, at a minimum, are showing poor judgement for accepting them -- judgement so poor as to disqualify them for the office.
3
My focus since Pearl Harbor Day 2019 has been the effect upon high-tech SMEs of those global banks that lack of minimum required capital ratios.
Not a good look especially with PRC denying Trump's offer of sending up to 200 medical experts to seek a vaccine and global protocols to limit the 5th or so concurrent pandemic from Asia -- coronavirus.
Problem is very serious.
Maybe in a month or so when John Durham's investigation is made public re origins of sworn evidence in FISA to obtain surveillance of the candidate/elected and inaugurated President Trump will become a bit more transparent.
I cannot see how throwing good money after bad will somehow improve impaired capital ratios of banks.
Is it time to reassess the brilliance of the Founding Fathers yet? I must have missed the pamphlet titled : On the Decline of Righteousness and the Birth of Mitch McConnell.
3
In the beginning of Trump's candidacy and then presidency, the chattering classes, among whom could be counted the NY Times, assumed that Trump was performing an outrageous act for his supporters and that he really didn't believe all the absurd things he said. It should be obvious by now that Trump is incapable of being anything other than he is. He lives inside a Trumpian bubble completely impervious to objective reality. Facts mean nothing to Trump unless they reenforce whatever is beneficial to him, otherwise it's fake news. This is why Trump fired the intelligence professional, Joseph Maguire, and replaced him with the unqualified but completely subservient Richard Grenell. What has made Trump so dangerous is that he has been able to seduce millions of ordinary Americans and virtually the entire Republican party (apart from Mitt Romney) to enter his hermetically sealed bubble. This might charitably be termed "une folie en masse ". All the while Vladimir Putin is rubbing his hands with glee.
2
What intelligence agencies are you talking about?
Are they the agencies that did not see the collapse of the USSR coming? The agencies that told George W. Bush there were WMDs in Iraq? The agencies that embroil us in pointless, interminable foreign wars?
Those agencies?
I think I'll go with Trump on this one.
"an intelligence community that Mr. Trump has always believed has been out to get him."
All paranoia aside, what if the intelligence community is out to get him? Perhaps because they know that he is a Russian asset.The most outrageous conclusion seems to be the most obvious.
3
As Trump hollows out our security agencies, maybe it will take a huge cyber attack on the US for Republicans to notice the damage Trump has done to US national security. The US electrical grid is especially vulnerable and forcing out cybersecurity experts is a horrible mistake. It's not just election security, it is every aspect of government, business and infrastructure.
4
Mr. Trump is providing a valuable lesson in how to build an authoritarian government in America: Ignore, dismiss or fire anyone with real authority or expertise or who challenge one's personal authority. Consolidate agencies into unified groups of loyalists. Frighten individuals into blind obedience. Use rallies and media to convey your hateful message. Blame immigrants for one's own inability to solve real issues. Tailor the legal system to serve one's personal interests. Manipulate the economic system to serve one's personal agenda. Negotiate based on force, not principles or reason. Cover up the evidence of wrong doing.
History may not repeat, but its rhyme may be more brutal than we can imagine.
5
I have many years of experience with management issues. What separates good and bad leaders, I think, has much to do what kind of people they surrounds themselves with. Really good or great leaders appoints people who are more brainy and more experienced than themselves as advisors, bad leaders on the other hand are afraid of being outshined by their coworkers and appoints incompetent people. We all know what kind of leadership type Trump is, and if you combine this with the fact that he is very incompetent, narcissistic, insecure and inexperienced as a political leader you get a governing philosophy that actually makes the leadership of the tv series The Office seem like quality decision making.
Has our Very Stable Genius done anything actually even smart?
Only if it benefits himself.
When he gets re-elected he will not leave office peacefully when that term is over.
3
Blocking the intelligence agencies is "giving aid an comfort to our enemies". There is another word for this, but who will hold Trump to account ? Can the United States survive?
1
This is part of a bigger picture.
Let’s keep focused on the real issue – stopping Trump from destroying America.
Trump has become a full-fledged corrupt dictator, and the GOP is supporting him.
Trump’s extreme narcissism presents an imminent danger to America and to the world. The GOP caters to Trump’s every whim.
Trump has betrayed our National Security by repeatedly and consistently aiding a foreign power, Russia. The GOP has become the Gang of Putin.
Trump sees enemies among immigrants, refugees, minorities, the Press, our government agencies, and our Allies. The GOP has endorsed all of this.
We need to get rid of Trump and his GOP apologists.
Vote Blue, no matter who!
5
"What happens when intelligence officials warn that Russia is meddling in American politics again? Donald Trump gets mad — at the intelligence officials."
By the methods described here Trump is recreating the intelligence agencies to serve his personal aggrandizement and keep quiet about national security. He's hiding the truth in order to allow things to happen that would seriously hurt the nation. If it would profit him, Trump would (figuratively speaking) feed the nation ground glass. The real mass insanity is Republican Congress standing by and applauding.
3
It is smart if you benefit like Trump will. He can then get reelected and with his self-proclaimed "mandate" get going on Putin's wishlist.
Remove the sanctions the Obama Admin put on Russia through the Magnitsky Act and the Crimean invasion.
Push to turn Bill Browder over to Russia
Defund NATO and withdraw.
That is what a Trump Second Term will look like right at the beginning.
1
Where have the "checks and balances" in our government gone?
Are we to believe that we also have 51 Trumps in the Senate.
That our Department of Justice only exists to enable the President?
Trump cannot be Trump without accomplices
Mueller, The Impeachment proceedings. They showed the powerlessness of the Democrats to reign in this administration without any GOP support less one. Mitt Romney.
It's how are Government is designed.
Without the help of Republicans in Congress and Republican voters who put country before political party it's now become impossible to stop this downward curve.
Republicans, do your sworn duty.
To uphold and defend the Constitution as the Framers imagined you would. Because the "swamp" you're draining is America.
2
I'm convinced the election dirty tricks are from our nation being routed. I'm probably wrong but there are indications.
1
Trump's 'fifth columnism' might as well be called 'the selling of America', as Trump seems adamant in having Putin help him re-assault the presidency this November. All this 'firing' of the Intelligentsia members that dare inform him, and the public, about Russian meddling is totally inappropriate and corrupt to no measure. And while this malfeasance is taking place, the republican party's silence is getting louder by the minute. Shameful and dangerous. And now, are we going to sit idle, look the other way?
1
It’s well known that the Russians co-signed massive loans from Germany’s famous bank to Trump. They laundered billions of Russian rubles into real estate owned by Trump and his cronies.
Why isn’t that enough to sink him?
Putin is amused, if not a bit surprised.
We were easier to defeat than anyone expected. Not defeated yet? Ok. I’ll hang on to hope along with my fellow patriots. No alternatives remain. Of course, we’ll vote our hearts out, and hope...
3
Trump's abject paranoia is in full view. Think about all the things the administration could be working on: Climate change, infrastructure, immigration reform, healthcare and opioids, gun control and a real middle east peace. The last three years Trump has just wasted our time. I'm wondering now if we can make it to November.
2
Elections have consequences. Trump's base has been compared to a cult, and career intel officers are telling the cult leader things he doesn't want to hear. Imagine if a follower had told Marshall Applewhite (heaven's gate) that no, there was no UFO out there to scoop up the faithful. Would he have changed his mind, and would those people still be alive?
The problem is, the truth is the truth. I'm satisfied by evidence that Russia interfered in 2016. If this is correct, and the evidence is ignored to protect the president's ego, chances seem high that it will occur again. In that event, well, we'll probably get whomever Vladmir Putin thinks will most effectively degrade the USA's ability to thwart his plans. I would expect to see continued paralysis of the legislative process and inflammation of the differences between the red states and the blues.
I don't regard this purge of career information gatherers to be good for us in the long run. If I'm wrong, hey. But, the truth, is the truth, and ignoring it plays into a geopolitical rival's hands.
2
I wonder what many of the 52 Senators who acquitted Trump in the impeachment trial on both articles, are thinking right now about Grenell. A nationalist with extreme right-wing sympathies heading the most sensitive of all of the departments in the Executive Branch!
I feel sad that they are already living under an authoritarian regime otherwise known as the Trump Republican Party, with no free will anymore to protest this positioning of an incompetent political hack with a cruel face into such a crucial position. I actually fear for their mental health because of their enablement of Trump and their impotence to influence this decision.
I’m glad that at least for now, Democrats and a few Independents in Congress can act as free human agents with the potential to mitigate the damage.
1
Trump is eviscerating the government by putting people with no competence or experience in various positions that affect what he deems his interest, and by leaving vacant positions that oversee aspects of the government in which he has no interest at all.
What's next? Show trials of people "disloyal" or not sufficiently obsequious to him?
5
I think its called, not ‘taking care’.
@Joe From Boston - When Trump had Vindman marched out of the White House, along with his twin brother who had nothing to do with Ukraine at all, that was a shrieking siren that we're into authoritarian territory now. The media should have pointed that out vigorously. Remember when Trump said we should kill the families of any terrorist we caught? I think the situation we're in is far more dangerous than many people understand.
1
My experience in life is that, if people ignore or justify blatantly bad behavior, evil actions, or criminal behavior there will be a reckoning." One does not have to believe in the Devil to realize that there are evil, self-serving individuals who are capable of any action if they believe it will profit them. When you worship evil people, governments or actions, evil things will happen. I believe that history backs me on this argument.
1
We are one terrorist - domestic or otherwise - crisis away from complete systemic meltdown. Trump truly has abdicated his responsibility to protect Americans. I think he might even welcome it. His actions are incomprehensible.
3
The Editorial Board makes a fatally wrong assumption in that the GOP members of Congress, the federal GOP appointees, and the GOP itself operate in good faith and respect the Constitution and country.
They do not! The domestic enemy running the criminal enterprise is doing it from the White House, and Trump is doing it in a conspiracy with Russia.
We are being attacked, and no one is sounding the alarm!
4
I don't think people are taking this seriously enough.
Trump is unraveling and discrediting ALL of the checks and balances on his power including the intel agencies.
He is constantly discrediting the media
The point of Russia helping him get Bernie the nomination is because with Bernie it will be easier for him to win and take back the House and Senate as well.
Then there is the added benefit of Bernie's tendency to spread lies and conspiracies as well - sowing more distrust
Wth 1/2 the nation brainwashed by FOX News and the Senate and House in his pocket - he will never leave - even if we should win this elections cycle
You know darn well we will need a crowbar and a bunch of lawyers to remove him- he will say the results are a hoax and his loyalists will support him
Things were pretty predictable from day one - his first target - a Russian critic - John McCain
4
Republicans in Congress had an opportunity to defend our country, to protect our Constitution. They blew it when they failed to convict and remove Trump. God help us.
4
Americans have an attitude problem. Many of us believe that no matter how bad a mistake we make, we will be safe because we are Americans. Years ago my wife, daughter and I were arrested for turnstile jumping in the Paris Metro because we threw away our used subway tickets. The police yelled at us, “you Americans, don’t you know anything, don’t you have subways?” Being from Minnesota, the answer was no. We still had to pay a big fine, tears and pleas of ignorance fell flat. Americans, being free from invasion or other existential threats for generations, feel we can mess up horribly and everything will be fine, because we are Americans. Trump’s disdain for democracy and for foreign threats is the existential threat this nation hasn’t faced for generations. He is the mistake Americans will not be able to walk away from.
2
Trump is outraged that Democrats were included in the briefings about Russian interference in our elections, and fired the messengers. Isn't this aiding the enemy? Will any Republicans call this by its proper name? Will anyone in the government to stop our megalomaniac dictator?
5
Trumps actions are beyond transparent.
3
It's a catch 22. To continue enabling a massive intelligence community is to assure too much information about the world that will lead to more conflicts desired by a military in the business of conflict and the political leaders who often make shortsighted angry decisions. Then again, we wouldn't know if we were near imminent attack without them. It's as if Humanity is destined to destroy itself, and Trump is the primordial instinct driven creature that may do it as he seems sometimes determined to, either because he just doesn't comprehend the dangers he presents, or like the boxing fan he is, he wants to.
Regardless of what the reality is, Trump has been eliminating knowledge for all these years, essentially blinding the intelligence and law enforcement communities. That means keeping the nation dumb and in a state of daily chaos with these actions and his Tweets that nurture hate and anger, not allowing anyone to peacefully reflect on what the long term strategy is that is being used. It's "Shock and Awe".
I can sum up my analysis of the last years; Trump is "The Wall" street. The military industrial complex, the military, and the nation's law enforcement now under de facto military command physically and psychologically.
Your minds are not closed, and that is why federal prosecutors and "The Wall" street appointed Trump. I advise everyone to plan for new lives in smaller peaceful nations where you will thrive.
1
@PATRICK - Long before Trump, my two older grandchildren decided to spend their adult lives outside the US. One has been doing it for 7 years and loves it, and the younger will follow suit this year.
1
I think perhaps Congressional Republicans do know Trump is a terrible threat to the country and has committed multiple serious impeachable offenses, and are planning to impeach and remove him after November. They hate him, but they want his base and the power, so they will remain silent until he is re-elected - with the help of not only Putin and God knows who else, but also democrats as they prepare to assure a Trump victory by nominating Bernie Sanders - and then, once back in, it'll take all of 30 seconds for Trump to impeach himself for the umpteenth time, and suddenly we'll be hearing, 'That's it!" from Republicans. Out he'll go...but Pence will become president. I suspect that is their game plan here.
1
Is there a difference between monarchy and our current administration?
5
Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to all American patriots engaged in intelligence activities for the USA. It is clear that he is working in league with Vladimir Putin. Who knows how much data Trump has give to Putin's GRU over the past three years? Putin surely has major evidence of Trump transgressions (the Ritz Carlton tapes?; Russian money laundering through his properties) with which to blackmail Trump.
Trump's nomination of Richard Grenell as acting DNI is an insult to our intelligence agencies and to their career employees. Mr. Grenell is a complete political hack, sans any intelligence services background or training. Mr. Grenell's only qualification is that he is a completely obeisant to the dotard Trump. November 2020 can't come soon enough.
2
Aren't the American Intelligence groups an oxymoron? They appear to exist only to get us involved in vanity wars.
1
Obstruction of intelligence
giving aid to a foreign power
to subvert our democratic elections
for personal, political gain
A misdemeanor - or worse?
2
So Trump is silencing any information on Russian meddling to make it easier for Russia to meddle on his behalf?
4
By appointing yes men to these important posts, the Intelligence Agency has become the Unintelligent Agency.
1
The recently opened historiographic archives of the USSR confirmed Stalin believed that the social safety network installed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the thirties would put America on the socialist path so the Kremlin ran the undercover operation to aid his reelection.
Those documents were found next to the detailed description of the location where Saddam Hussein hid his WMD program before the Iraqi war started.
It is not necessary for the Kremlin to do anything. It’s enough just to start the widespread paranoia that Putin is meddling into our elections and is capable of deciding the winners and the losers to undercut the confidence in our democracy and the entire electoral process…
Trump cares not a whit for the "legitimacy" of his 2016 election. He won and that's all he cares about. Legitimacy is a foreign and much too abstract concept for this transactional person. What he does care about is Russia and what Putin has on him. If not the Golden Shower, I'm willing to bet that his company benefited from laundered Russian oligarchic money when conventional financial institutions refused to deal with his shady and failed enterprises. Follow the money.
4
Trump is a thin skinned autocrat who is threatening our Democracy.This is frightening but what is even more concerning is that so many are so complacent and complicit.I came of age during the protests against the Vietnam War and the outrage over Nixon and Watergate-this was all before social media.At that time people expressed their opposition by marching and demonstrations- now the populace is content to send an angry “tweet” or post a protest on Facebook-we are too complacent! It is time to take to the streets again-words will not change this assault on Constitutional law.
3
Trump’s MO is to sell the country a message of fear and doubt. Don’t trust the career professional class, wherever they are placed— justice department, state department, pentagon, military..whomever, wherever. Only trust Trump. This is the BIG CON, the big lie. At the heart of this con is that trump casts himself as the little guy fighting a governmental evil big brother. Trump is David standing up to Goliath. To the jury of us, citizens, it is powerful strategy. Historically, our government, indeed, has a lot of wrongdoing if not blood on its hands and trump will exploit, exploit, exploit. This big con is now a well oiled machine.
1
President Trump is intensifying his efforts to undermine the nation’s intelligence agencies.-
impeach and remove -
5
It won't be too bad for the corporations and whoever the winning oligarchs are in the coming "consolidations". But hey, that's how capitalism works. You have winners and losers and soon the losers will either agree to lose or have their relatives eliminated. It will be fun becoming Russia. I hope we start having private armies. We have all this military hardware we might as well privatize it. You know that corporations are built to be efficient and will be way more efficient at owning the armies than some bloated bureaucracy. They can then do the patriotic thing and wipe out their competition.
1
The sad fact is Trump is traitorous. Nancy Pelosi is right. Everything he does points back to Russia. Time to start calling a spade a spade, and wake up soon. If we don't, by the time we do wake up, we will have been sold down the river.
And the Republican party is aiding and abetting the POTUS. What is with these people? Are they so enthralled by/with Trump or so afraid of him that they're willing to sell out their country for him? Seems like it. This whole thing is appalling.
2
The Times underestimates the issue here. Trump is not just selfdealing when he protects himself from accusations of Russian collusion. He’s protecting his treasonous actions.
5
Dan Coats is out because Putin wanted him out, no question. It is the same reason Comey, McCabe, Strzok, and Ohr are out. They were all highly dedicated and effective national intelligence people who worked hard to counter and thwart aggressive Russian subversion. They are all innocent victims of trump's shift to a truly authoritative regime in the WH.
trump GOP patsies must be feeling the heat, particularly prominent GOP senators McConnell, Graham, Cruz, Cornyn, Burr, Johnson, and Thune ... their unflinching support is growing more and more untenable each and every day. GOP senators defending trump’s malfeasance (extortion, bribery) are accomplices not dupes.
4
Is this the end of America? It feels like it.
5
Of course anyone who hasn’t joined the cult of Trump agrees with this opinion. But where is the outrage? Where are the calls for new impeachment hearings? Or investigations? Or anything?
3
I am very dubious about the allegation that Putin wants Sanders to be the Democratic nominee so that Trump will be re-elected. Considering the constant barrage of anti-Sanders articles and op-ed pieces in the NY Times, it just seems like a another story to ensure that the Dems nominate another corporate candidate.
1
@Martha Shelley
Putin is just pushing the Trump putsch.
It's to Putin's advantage (and the Russians have calculated it carefully) to have Trump in office, and the Russians believe that American voters will turn against Sanders the "socialist," a term Trump Republicans, and many Americans use in a broad, non-contextualized, propagandistic and pejorative sense.
The Russians would promote Mickey Mouse if they thought it would help Trump win. And at this point, they could so with impunity.
3
Over the last couple of days it has been reported that Kremlin was trying to get elected both Trump and Sanders.
Since it’s obvious that the FOX News Network is trying to reelect the incumbent and the CNN and MSNBC are doing their best to elect the challenger, is it correct to conclude that Putin has gained the control of several influential cable news outlets here in the USA?
The conclusion sounds both logical and stupid at the same time, doesn’t it?
Interfering with American capabilities to combat foreign threats, in this case to hold free and fair elections, is treason, exponentially more so when it comes from the president. From Helsinki to Ukraine this president has actively, and openly, aided and abetted Putin/Russia's actions to undermine this foundational principle of our democracy. This is what he should have been impeached for. In that perfect phone call he tried to force the Ukrainian president, Zelensky, to lend credence to the idea that it was his country, and not Russia that had interfered in 2016. This is from the man who is supposed to be protecting this country from that interference. His actions interfere with and seriously hamper the efforts of our intelligence services to combat this threat. There is no other word for what he is doing. Donald Trump is a Traitor.
2
Let’s call a spade a spade. I recognize journalists are not supposed to judge or speculate, but anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see that Trump doesn’t just want people “discussing” Russia. Putin helped Trump get elected. The intelligence community says so. And the evidence is out there for everyone to see, including the Trump Tower meeting with Russian operatives, and Flynn’s private dealings with the Russian “Ambassador”, (who we all know is a FSB operative in his spare time). Not to mention Wikileaks, and Roger Stone acting as go between. The key is the Trump Tower meeting when Russians told Michael Corleone, alias Don Jr., that Russia wanted to get rid of the Magnitsky Act and the sanctions imposed after Crimea. This is what Russia wants from all this because they are causing huge financial pain to Putin and his cronies. We are talking billions of dollars. No one knows what Trump and Putin discussed in Helsinki, or what Flynn discussed with his FSB contact. But common sense tells us it was a quid quo pro. So Trump knows Russia is about to unleash a torrent of Facebook ads and memes, and quite possibly electronic interference with the votes, to help him get elected and he does NOT want Russia stymied in these activities. Trump is profiting in the millions by being President and wants to keep his money machine going for another years. So he hired a no nothing flunky and he will tell Grenell to cover his eyes and ears and do nothing whatsoever to stop the Russians
1
Donald Trump is in a severe state of denial. Rather than grapple with the reality he may been aided by a foreign power in 2016, he’s being childlike in his response by making sure nobody can remind him of his vast insecurities and incompetence.
He truly is Putin’s most capable asset, unwittingly or by design.
The country suffers to appease Trump’s vanity.
2
How does knowingly allowing Russia to meddle in our elections, and pick winners and losers that are favorable to themselves, not make the President a Russian asset and a danger to our security?
3
our military, intelligence community and State Department have always been our defense against foreign threats and our voice to the world. Now in Trump's demand for loyalty and his raging angry egotism that reassuring umbrella has become nothing but Trump's tool and we are all left at risk. All our efforts to improve our intelligence after the failures of the Iraq fiasco and 3/11 are brought to nothing and delegated to Trump sycophants. GOP is this what you really wanted when you brought us Trump? I know some of you must care for our country and see the devastation left in trump's path. Some how we must stand up together and defeat the ego maniac Trump.
3
He has learned something from his impeachment alright.He has learned that he can do anything he wants. He now understands he is free to use anything in our government for what ever he wants. His protecters have emboldened him. We were told thar the adults im the room will protect us from his malfeasence and that we just need to get through to the next election. Meanwhile, the press soft pedals the dangers and finds ways to weaken Democratic Preidential candidates by highlitin potentialy divisive informaton to weaken them. Increasing DT's chances to hold on to power. The Republicans have unleashed a dangerous animal with thier assurence of no consequences for his illigal and immoral acts against our country. Power has become the only thing that matters to these people. The People have been abandoned along with the Oath to the Constitution that holds this country together. It was what kept the power in the hands of the people. NO MORE. Our elections will be thrown into disaray by this man and what recourse will we have when Mitch M throws his party and the power of the Senate begind him again? The Sec Councel is a means to and end and just another tool to be corrupted to serve DT and his goals. The press musst assure that who ever is the Dem candidate is completely supported for what they are not. Donald Trump.
Nothing else matters. If the press helps him win again, they will be complicit.
Be our voice. Protect our Republic with everything you have. Please. We need you.
1
When are Democrats going to denounce Trump and his Republican enablers as disloyal to America? When Republicans ran against Democrats in the '50s calling them disloyal and communists, the charge was absurd, but it worked. Today, Trump ignores the law and constitution, covers up Russian interference in our elections, and Republicans in congress say that it's just fine. Republicans are betraying their country, and Democrats don't have the nerve to say so.
1
I mentioned to a neighbor Who would have thought that the president of this country is a threat to our national security? His answer? All you Trump haters have had it in for him ever since he won the election fair and square. Really? I wonder how our intelligence agencies are planning to make sure that the 2020 election results are fair and square considering our president has never met an attempt for Putin to interfere in his favor that he didn't like.
1
If it seems like this administration is set to destroy the government from inside, it’s because it does. Read “Shadow Network” by Ann Nelson. You will understand what exactly is going on. And it is, indeed, dark.
2
The upside to this is, of course, that Germany factually gets rid of this obnoxious ambassador who interfered in German internal affairs in the most blatant way.
He wasn't declared persona non grata only because Chancellor Merkel aims to avoid conflicts wherever she can. Maybe she was right this time as the problem has solved itself.
1
Well, “intelligence” has never been Donald Trump’s high point - not in any sense of the word.
3
Not smart? Quite the opposite. It is very smart to cripple you enemies. And there is hardly any doubt now that US intelligence agencies, for whatever reason, instead of protecting the country and opposing its enemies decided to oppose and attack its elected leader. That treasonous deep state needs to be not just crippled but completely destroyed. And those self-appointed "resistance fighters" must be uncovered, discharged and prosecuted for treason.
Do the GOP Senators and Congressmen and women actually care about the safety of Americans? They haven't shown it. They are allowing our democracy to be chipped away at solely to secure their re-elections, or worse, they are such wimps that they can’t stand a tweet. How are they going to defend us if they are too afraid to defend themselves.
That’s what the GOP is doing to America. We’re at each throats, some people 100% are being threatened by their guy...Yovanovivh, Vindman, countless judges, Mitt Romney, Adam Schiff, Maguire, Sondland, Cohen. And what are they doing?
Now we have the intelligence agencies who are supposed to protect the American public, not some jerk’s political aspirations, being attacked for doing their job. Nobody disbelieves that Russia is trying to attack our elections. We believed Mueller and we continue to believe it.
But what about our other enemies? Are we that ignorant to think they don’t follow American politics VERY closely? I’d guess more so than most Americans. They now know that if they start to line up another 9/11, either the people in charge are not equipped to handle or recognize it and if they are, our president may or may not take it seriously if it isn’t personally beneficial to him. Let’s not forget MBS hacked someone to pieces. We did nothing be he’s Trump’s buddy.
1
Emotional intelligence: The ability to be aware of one’s emotions, the ability to harness emotions for thinking and problem solving, and the ability to regulate one’s own emotions and helping others to do the same.
Observations just from this editorial:
"Mr. Trump doesn’t like to hear about election interference, much less about interference by Russia. He sees the entire topic as an effort to devalue his 2016 victory.”
"When the president learned of the briefing from a member of the committee, he was furious — not over the threat of foreign meddling, but that Congress had been told about it.”
"The president took Mr. Maguire to the woodshed over what he saw as an act of disloyalty.”
"Mr. Trump has made clear that he will not tolerate any discussion of Russia’s meddling in American politics, no matter how compelling the evidence.”
"Mr. Trump’s effort to pack the administration with political loyalists has gained momentum since the Senate acquitted him on impeachment charges earlier this month.”
“The purge is expected to continue, with anyone suspected of insufficient loyalty at risk."
The president's emotional intelligence quotient is interfering with our national intelligence. Perhaps our national security as well.
2
Let's look at this in language the commoner can relate to. There's this kid in school with your kids. He is the child of the superintendent. He isn't a very good student. The teacher sits down with the kid and tells the kid "You are failing many of your classes. You will not move on unless you buckle down and get to work." The superintendent was never told the teacher would meet with the kid. He is livid. He calls the teacher and the school's principal into his office and lays them out for doing this. He expects his kid to get passing grades. All A's as a matter of fact. The superintendent has every right to and decides to get rid of the teacher and the principal. And he replaces them with people who will pass his kid no matter what. People who have no training in education. But have supported all the superintendent's controversial policies. And a full 40% of the parents of the students who attend that school are just fine with what the superintendent has done. Until the standardized test scores come back for that school with poor results. But the superintendent will say it's the fault of the fired teacher and principal and the fact that the school is failing because the other 60% of the parents don't support his policies. Making the school great again.
2
The message is, at this point, very old news. Trump cares first and last only about Donald J. Trump. Everything he does whether policy support or seeming care for individuals or groups serves only his goal of "Trump wins." If he sees personal advantage, he will do it. If not, he will not. He, of course, wants an administration peopled with folks who all ultimately work to his goal - Trump wins. Period.
4
The intelligence agencies are working hard to undermine the confidence into their expertise and analytical abilities.
Here is the problem: the White House, the Congress, intelligence agencies and press don’t understand the problem.
They unintentionally undermine the trust the fellow Americans have in our democratic system. Such a behavior is basically extremely detrimental and dangerous.
Let’s start from hypothesis that Kremlin did meddle into our elections and got Trump elected in 2016.
Such a behavior would represent the attack on our democratic system and an act of war.
The only proper reaction would be to declare the war on Russia.
Do we want that?
If not, we must conclude Russia didn’t meddle into our democratic process and election for a simple reason they are incapable of doing it. We are too strong and smart to be swayed by the online posts and comments.
We have the real evidence. Mike Bloomberg spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the advertising blitz and has only 5% approval rate among the Democrats, meaning only 2.5 among the general population.
It means our intelligence agencies should have reported Kremlin posted some comments and ads on line and nothing else.
That’s not meddling in our democracy.
It would be equally wrong to conclude that by doing it Kremlin tried to make our democracy stronger.
1
American politics has reached the point where protecting the US from foreign attacks has become a partisan issue.
12
"Cripple the Intelligence Agencies? Not Smart"
Its brilliant actually. The Trump Administration's objective, as its actions the past several years make clear, is to create an authoritarian regime. It can't do that unless it shifts the Intelligence Agencies' mission from protecting the US constitution's institutional role to safe guard the nation's democratic structures, to one which builds authoritarian structures instead. These include, among other things, limiting political pluralism, restricting the activities of civil sector organizations, transforming the "rule of law" to a rule of the authoritarian's personal preferences, controlling state media, etc.
The Editorial Title is a plea to Congressional officials, to brake this trajectory. It will not be heeded
11
It's all happening before our eyes. Our democracy and base of professional civil servants--particularly as related to national security and law enforcement-- are being liquidated piece-by-piece by Trump in order to help Trump's reelection.
Trump now himself holds all the intelligence and law enforcement keys in his corrupt pocket. And Barr (Trump's protector) won't permit an FBI investigation into potential 2020 election interference without his approval, because he said so. So we, the American people, have to depend on a free press, due diligence, and truth-telling, patriotic whistle-blowers to find out what is really going on and vote and act accordingly in the 2020 elections.
And if we don't see the danger to our free democratic system of government and our national security posed by Trump, and don't expend every effort to get rid of him in the 2020 elections, maybe we deserve to get what we get.
The worst irony of all is that Trump, if he weren't already president, would be the last person in America to be given a security clearance to work for the Government.
21
@Ken
Your last paragraph nails the issue. The agencies must realize that he is a high security risk. I hope not they are not too forthcoming, even though he is highly unlikely to understand and interpret their briefings in a rational framework.
8
@Ken
Your last paragraph nails the issue. The agencies must realize that he is a high security risk. I hope they are not too forthcoming, even though he is highly unlikely to understand and interpret their briefings in a rational framework.
Your last paragraph nails the issue.
4
Are we really in a place where intelligence is going to be withheld from the chairman of the House intelligence committee?? If Republicans have any sense at all the will recognize the risk that such a policy would have for national security. If our system is allowed to fall apart this way, we will be in serious danger. Election interference is not the only security issue, and Congress' responsibility for protecting us cannot be fulfilled without information. Republicans MUST step up and make sure we don't go down this dangerous road.
13
When will we stop being naive, open our eyes and recognize that this is not all about this president. His party supports his actions and that means tearing down our sacred institutions, our freedom and the constitution. They are guilty of covering up whatever crimes are being committed and their allegiance appears to be to Putin. One wonders if they are on his payroll.
2
What’s clear is that Trump will have no discussion on how Russia assisted in Trump’s election and will do so again. He appreciates everything Putin has done for him and can’t wait till a second term to show his appreciation.
9
"President Trump is intensifying his efforts to undermine the nation’s intelligence agencies."
Spot on.
And all the other agencies, departments and branches of government, too.
12
Tactically Russia is punching way above its weight.
It's GDP is comparable to that of Italy and it's losing population - little immigration and a birth rate of about 1.6.
It's chief export is petroleum, not much else of signifcance.
Putin's aggessiveness has been key. Military interventions - notably Georgia, Syria, the Crimean Peninsula, and Ukraine - have been boldly but judiciously selected. Their weight has been sufficient to tip the scales and their assessment of risk of responses by the US and others has proved to be correct.
Putin has also been aggresive in cyber attacks, and he has had success there also.
Trump is his ideal patsy, carefully selected. Now he's trying to select Trump's opponent in this year's election, reminiscent of Nixon and CREEP in 1971-2.
7
No one can deny that Trump and his close group of advisors are very smart, shrewd, strategic and Machiavellian. Can anyone say that he will not win the election.
3
I bet Bannon is still in the shadows, he is doing a lot of damage world wide.
1
@JBonn - While I don't necessarily disagree with most of the adjectives you used to describe team trump. I do however think others may replace the adjectives you used with some (close) synonyms for each, but which have starkly different contextual meanings; very smart - calculating; shrewd - slippery; strategic - manipulative; machiavellian - cunning.
Words with a different context, yes, yet still support your supposition that it is possible that Trump will be re-elected.
I’m pretty sure this sets trump up for the inevitable call that Russia meddled in the election, only if he loses, of course. If he wins then this will all be suppressed as was last time.
17
In the Senate impeachment "trial," we saw very clearly what happens when Trump surrounds himself with sycophants: he becomes more and more unaccountable, and more and more dangerous. The big question now is whether he will be able to implant enough loyal subjects into key positions that if he loses the election he will be able to find a way to convince himself and the general public that his loss was illegitimate and that he should therefore maintain power. If that happens, it will mark the beginning of the end of our democracy.
27
@TLMischler Actually the Supreme Court's decision a decade ago in the "Citizens United" case, establishing money as a form of "free speech", was the beginning of the end of our democracy. Democracy is too fragile to resist the dark primitive power of authoritarian autocracy.
24
@Reed Erskine The irony is that judges in authoritarian countries are the biggest targets. And we have seen that first hand with Trump.
He attacked the judge in Trump U, the judge in stone’s case, stated there are Obama judges/Bush judges.
He’ll go after the SCOTUS hard if they release his tax returns. Let’s see if they have more of a backbone and patriotism than the GOP.
3
Yes, agreed. Not having Campaign finance laws destroyed America.
2
“… Mr. Trump has made clear that he will not tolerate any discussion of Russia’s meddling in American politics, no matter how compelling the evidence.”
Why? One of the reasons could be that Trump is very much aware that the world hasn't yet learned the full extent of the Russian meddling that helped him win in 2016. Even the little bit the world knew has helped it question the legitimacy of his victory. He is afraid that once the whole story is out, he would go down in history as one who remained president of the country for four years, knowing full well that he became one with help from a foreign power, meaning in violation of the Constitution. He knows that he can be held to account for such a violation even after he leaves office.
I can hazard one more guess why Trump “will not tolerate any discussion of Russia’s meddling”: Russia, especially its president, Putin, knows something about Trump, which the American intelligence community hasn’t learned so far. It could be related to him as a private citizen, as a businessman or to his presidency itself. The more the intelligence community is permitted to probe, the more the likelihood of that hitherto unknown being exposed. Trump, I guess, is mortally scared of that possibility.
This, of course, is a guess. Trump alone can stop people like me from guessing. The only way he can do it is by challenging American intelligence to go ahead with its probe and Putin to reveal everything he knows. Will he dare do it?
20
Russia, if you're listening, Trump has signaled that's it's OK to meddle in his reelection. He likes you and he knows how much you like him. The Senate Republicans also send regards and wish you good luck in all your future endeavors.
84
Imagine what would have happened if Trump had run his businesses like he is running the country. If, when the plumbing went out, he had hired a piano tuner to fix it. If, when the electricity went out, he had hired a gardener to fix it. If, when one of his kitchens needed a chef, he had hired a caddy who didn't know a cheese souffle from a stack of dishes. On the other hand, he did file a lot of bankruptcies while in business. Maybe this was the reason why.
51
@Jackie Or, if one of his monstrosities was on fire and full of people and he fired the entire fire department for telling him it was on fire and trying to put it out when he actually wanted it on fire for the insurance. Everything with Trump leads back to some personal need of Trump's, never the country's.
55
@Jackie
I think you are giving him too much credit. I don't think he would hire anyone to fix anything. I think he would call the problem "fake news" and blame Obama for it.
2
@Jackie
Yes, he would hire them and then fail to pay them. Word would get out that working for Trump is tantamount to working for free, thus assuring that no competent person would ever work at casa de Trump.
2
And this whole development doesn't seem to worry or concern Senate Republicans? Where will this be in 4 years from now if Trump is re-elected?
43
Trump has spent most of his administrative time dissolving the regulatory functions of this government. It should be no surprise that he would do the same to every agency, at every level. He and his corporate friends want total control, ala Mr. Putin in Russian, and they are close to getting it. Our laws and regulations no longer matter. Congress and the courts have no say. What matters to Mr. Trump and his corporate controllers is that he continue in office so that they can continue to make their money. He has gutted the attorney general's office; he will do the same to our intelligence agencies. His election is guaranteed.
17
It's said that "Democracy Dies in Darkness" yet this and other blatant, authoritarian acts are happening in broad daylight and most of the country seems to be ignoring what's going on.
In another lifetime, the people would rise up and fill the streets in protest but we have been exposed to so many outrages that we have become numb. His behavior has become normalized.
I pray that there are still brave souls in public service willing to do the right thing and expose this man. If not, I fear for my grandchildren.
38
@Alan Gamble
You're listening to the wrong people; to the babies and the sissies.
Those who know, who have lived it, those like Hannah Arendt and, now, a growing cadre of others, can tell you totalitarianism thrives in the light of day.
Tyrants love that theory, love to see us scurry into the darkest places looking for motives and machinations.
Like Trump the most dangerous, the most hideous, the ultimately most lethal and crazed tyrants stand proudly showing themselves in sunlight, to the undying adoration of the weakest, most desperate minds willing to do, to abide any heinous act to get what they know they otherwise cannot have.
We call them Republicans around here, and they demonstrate already the greedy souls, the grasping mouths of people who will do anything, even attack their own, to get what they believe some sick God has ordained for them.
We call them Evangelicals and Uber-Conservative Catholics around here, too. People who have no patience with humanity, no truck with tolerance, no ability to imagine anyone but themselves living on into the future.
And here we sit, debating if that's the future we desire or not.
As for your "brave souls in public service", brave they may be, but they are stunned, without resolve, they believe old rules still apply and must be observed even as their institutions crumble about them.
We're beyond rescue by DC aparatchiks.
All this, of course, is a signal to Russian intelligence that they can continue their efforts to assist the Trump campaign with impunity. Once again, as in 2016, the coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence is done publicly and out in the open rather than in secret rooms. No doubt, Russian intelligence is assisting Bernie Sanders only because the Trump campaign has told them to do so publicly.
Since we can no longer count on the FBI or the CIA to disclose the coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence in the 2020 election, can we count on the press to investigate?
21
This is all well and good. By "this," I mean two things: the widespread dissemination of the article about Trump's crippling of intelligence agencies AND the wisdom in these comments by readers.
But what will we do about Trump's actions and inaction? We have the election to look forward to, of course, but news about Russia's intervention puts the purity of that election in great doubt. Nevertheless, I am doing what I can by joining a group in my state that works to educate and register voters. I also hope to join any protests that are organized--or even to organize one myself if need be. We should be in the streets day and night. Why aren't we? Has the need to demonstrate ever been more urgent?
What I am not doing is to contact my Republican representative or Senator and to ask for them to intervene on behalf of our democracy--since my previous, numerous requests to them have only resulted in namby-pamby letters from them thanking me for my correspondence and promising me that they will take my ideas into consideration. I will no longer waste my time or theirs by contacting Martha Roby or Richard Shelby.
I say that if you are an American, and you are not worried about our nation--then you are not paying attention.
67
@TinyBlueDot
You are not alone, I have been writing to them too and all I get is their namby-pamby replies. They are so scared of Trump and losing their re-election. We appeal to their patriotism but obviously Romney is the only patriot Republican in the Senate. McConnell is a traitor.
3
At this point my only hope is that the real patriots working in our government step forward to report the rampant criminality in this republican administration between now and the election. It's the only way we'll really know what's going on behind the scenes. It will also provide the next AG with a roadmap for criminal prosecutions.
25
@Markymark Some real patriots stepped forward during the Impeachment Hearings and we saw where that got us, and them. They were fired and removed from the Whitehouse. I believe that most of the Republican Congressman and Senators could be shown videos of Trump committing crimes and they would still defend him.
64
“I believe most of the Republican congressmen and Senators could be shown video of trump committing crimes and they would still defend him”
They were and they did.
“Russia if you’re listening...”
“I think Ukraine should investigate...I think China should investigate the Bidens”
2
Is it possible that Trump is systematically replacing all individuals and agencies that might back a coup against his regime, should he either 1) be defeated in the next election, or
2) refuse to leave his office after a (god forbid) second term?
At this rate, he'll do away with the Dept. of Defense and put the armed forces under the executive branch. As commander in chief, he can do anything--or so he believes. How can we swiftly show him he can't? It's hard to rely on voting in 2020 when we already hear that the election is being tampered with, in Trump's favor, of course.
31
Watching Trump's decent into autocracy, is it just his egotism fuels paranoia, or is there a more practical fear? It's convenient to say Trump hates to hear Russia helps him get elected, because it undermines his legitimacy. Does he really care about legitimacy? Or does he expect Russian help, perhaps even discussed it in Helsinki, and is genuinely scared it'll be outed.
I imagine that's the concern in US security agencies, FBI to CIA to the Pentagon. Rank and file soldiers and agents are right-wing. But in upper ranks, where there's more education and, in the military, higher test scores, politics is muted. They like Republican open checkbooks, not their global strategy. But Trump pushes them to the edge with his embrace of Putin, and Putin's embrace of him.
The intel community was aghast when Trump gave away secrets, squandered assets, sacrificed allies. Putin getting him reelected is worse.
The real risk is that some in intelligence will counter Putin's influence with their own. They'll find ways to undermine Trump. This is a dangerous path, because done once, it will be hard to resist doing it again. Only next time it could be someone they don't agree with, not someone getting Russian help.
But it's impossible for Trump to get Russian help and not have a response from the US security system.
7
They could become so alarmed by this they decide the only way to save the country is to remove the problem, setting yet another terrible precedent.
2
Trump the self proclaimed King is using the tactics of the Communist Parties in China and N Korea, the repressive policies of Russia, S and Central America, and the Philippines. Sadly the Republican Congress cheers him on. The media has written the moderates out of the debate. A Telemundo reporter planted a divisive question to hamstring the moderates. Pete should have refused a reply. We don’t need the Russians help - the media and social media are succeeding without their guidance.
5
Anyone who has had to bail out a boat to keep it from sinking can probably relate to millions of people in this country who are so consumed with their daily struggles that they have no energy to respond to abstract threats posed by governing bodies they have never heard of or could understand if they did. There is no rising tide to lift all boats, quite the opposite, as is intended by the thieves who rob them blind while assuring them that safe harbor is just ahead. The daily flood of reporting on yet another leak in the boat serves to keep the exhausted and afraid occupied and helpless. There comes a time when this strategy fails and a mutiny occurs, usually when the crew realizes the boat is going down and there aren’t enough lifeboats. With any luck the boat will be run aground before that happens. The shore on which we find ourselves then could be quite alien to the one we’ve known. I’m thinking “Lord of the Flies”.
33
And this explains much of Sander’s appeal. Socialism starts looking good to people who know they are being royally screwed.
1
That Russia will try to meddle in foreign elections including ours is no surprise given its lack of inhibition and low opportunity costs to doing so. With social media it doesn't have to buy time in expensive media markets and it can obscure the origins of its messaging fairly easily. It can conduct experiments, collect data, learn lessons, refine its approach and try again many times over. Given that many of our elections are close a well-timed social media outrage epidemic can conceivably flip results, so you know that low-cost endeavors have the potential to reap big gains. You'd therefore have to be surprised if Russia were not engaged in this, and just as surprised if other countries were not doing the same.
The intelligence agencies are to be commended for identifying this threat. Where I believe they fall short is identifying particular candidates that Russia supposedly is supporting. Doing so could give Russia "kiss of death" empowerment in our elections which is just another form of influence that they can engineer to their advantage. If there is evidence that a candidate is intending to benefit Russia that is a different matter, and we don't need a bot telling us that Russia likes them to make that case.
7
@Bob K.
Actually according to news reports, trump and Sanders are the ones who the russians are trying to help.
For Sanders the reason why is because he wants to withdraw american troops from around the world.
For trump, it's because he loves Putin.
8
@Skip Moreland they don't want Sanders. They do that because if Trump loses,he wil declaire his loss rigged and if he winns he can say it was ok, then the Russians also helped BS. The Russians want Trump. He has been so good for them, USA looks so weak, its unbelievable. What a mess your country has become.
1
I think they think Sanders would be a weaker opponent for Trump. They are most likely wrong, and I hope it bites them directly in the buttocks for this little stunt.
2
Grenell will probably serve in this job for a very short time. I imagine that, at this level, he is privy to every top secret that exists. He sounds like he shouldn't even be on the list of those who have access to more limited information.
But now he will know secrets that Ivanka, Jared, Eric, and Don Jr. probably already have access to. I wonder if they are peeved.
21
Against the backdrop of earlier Russian incidents of interference in US, France, and several European countries, the US intelligence warning about the Russian meddling in elections again is no longer a wolf-crying, but a real existential threat to the US democracy and the liberal order in the world. When Trump gets unnerved and castigates the intelligence officials for such warnings he is really shooting down the messenger and thereby undermining the US national security simply to get re-elected at any cost.
55
The most important thing to Trump is feeding his own massive ego. He simply cannot handle the fact that the Russians helped him get elected. It conflicts with his high opinion of himself.
4
@Prof. Jai Prakash Sharma Treason.
@Prof. Jai Prakash Sharma
I live in the Netherlands, close to Germany. I am not a Jew, but my father was. He was born in Germany When mr Hitler got elected, his voters believed that he would make Germany great again. These same voters, in the end, if not dead, found themselves in a complete destroyed world. My father was lucky to survive. My grandfather and my uncle did not, they were murdered.
My whole life I was worried that such a situation could happen again. Then came Trump. You vote for those people and then if not dead, your world will be destroyed. Trump will go to war and we all will suffer. He will not only abuse his power, he will also abuse us. He surrounds himself with crimminals and as you already concluded, will do anything to keep his power. We ain't see nothing yet. The worst is still to come. Was it not mister Pompeo who tortuered people in his CIA time?
1
These purges began early in the administration at less glamorous and newsworthy departments like Interior and Energy, etc.
This was a creeping authoritarian takeover but now has gained speed and momentum like a melting glacier. We will all soon be inundated.
29
@trblmkr:
The holy grail of trumpian authoritarianism is capture of our DNI and the NSA. The DNI has nearly fallen, wait just a few weeks. The NSA is not too far away, perhaps another year (after trump gets re-elected, with of course putin's deft hidden hand piloting his "win").
At that point our government will have its own planet -- and 7.5 billion people -- to drain.
1
For those claiming the system (the Constitutional government) has failed, I would point out that only two parts of that government have failed. Obviously, the chief executive is failing. What is most critical is that the Republican controlled senate failed when it did not act to convict and remove Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors. It is still failing in that it facilitates Trump's evisceration of our democratic Republic. Only American citizens can now save the country if the vote is allowed in November. Vote in November to save our democratic Republic and vote Democratic from top to bottom.
90
Somehow I doubt we will be allowed a fair vote.
3
I’m just astounded by how far the United States has fallen. This isn’t an aberration, but a now permanent feature of this country. The system has allowed an obviously corrupt and inept individual to run the show, unimpeded. He has the support of the populace and large swathes of the government - and intelligence community. There was opportunity after opportunity to deal with this deviant, and no one did anything. Even elite Democrats would rather see Trump reelected to protect their interests if their surrogate isn’t the Democratic presidential nominee. The tripod of curiosity, rationality and justice that made the US the preeminent world power has been severely eroded over the past two decades. I doubt it shall ever be reconstituted. Farewell, America. You shall be missed, and I will always remember you at your best.
167
Unfortunately, the Trump Clone, Boris Johnson, is now the Prime Minister of our country, the UK, and we can already observe Trumpist themes being applied. Unlike the Republicans, some in the Tory party are starting to moan, but Boris Johnson's henchmen/women will soon find ways to shut them up. And Murdoch (and Johnson) has the BBC firmly in its sights.
36
@G Rayns Honestly, “V for Vendetta” seems to be playing out scene by scene in our country now.
5
@A S
England certainly has experience with declining power and prestige.
Are you guys EVER going to repay us for Lend-Lease?
1
... and yet on the same day, Trump fills a stadium with diehard supporters, and he lies to them that the Democrats are sounding a false alarm rather than acknowledging that this truth comes from his own administration officials.
Now, former administration officials. Problem solved?
I feel lost in my own country. I truly wish I could understand the root cause of all the jubilance at Trump's rallies.
I fear that he is going to win re-election, and the America that was born in the 1700s will suffer for it. I just hope it isn't Stage Four Trumpoma, and that we will be able to recover some day.
66
@GMOinSLO...the jubilance at those rallies is of a professional wrestling brand; a blowhard mouths mindless nothings, while the ego-stoked crowd feels like they belong— in the small arena, in their small minds, in a "movement" to nowhere. The story's fake, the actors are fake, and so is the outcome. The cult, like any, gives voice to the talentless, most intellectually lazy, and incoherent among us, who either were never taught, or just don't care, about simple reason and civility. Critical thinking is an elitist abstraction, but it's a whole lot easier just to believe what one wants to believe.
In a nutshell, forums for American stupidity of those not left behind, but choose to stay there anyway.
1
The Russians have succeeded in stupefying us, sowing chaos, mistrust and hate well beyond our own tendencies in those directions.
That’s the point. That’s their method. It’s based on doubt and confusion. We are now unable to discern between native disagreements and ones magnified by these Russian chess masters. They’re playing us like a fiddle. One they hope will play on while America burns.
31
I had been convinced for a long while now that we have a clown for a president, and I have so stated many times. I don't believe any more that that simple moniker, accurately describes the malevolence inherit to the fundamental nature of the man. His behavior is more like that of the Joker from recent cinema. He's devilishly diabolical in virtually everything he does. The man has no honor, and doesn't understand anyone that is imbued with it. This is an unspeakable tragedy, and it's becoming more threatening to the wellbeing of our Republic, each and every day; if we were to compare it to, say volume level, we are now well past the threshold of pain and permanent hearing loss. As a nation I believe we are now facing an existential crisis, created from within, not from russia, though they have had a hand in shaping it. It's one thing to be a pathological liar that has no concept of what truth means, it's all together another, to also be the president with the powers of the office. To my mind he seems closer to Benedict Arnold and the threat he represented to our fledgling Republic, than to any president that has preceded him in office. I pray that we continue to have the strength to withstand this test. The institutions that have protected us for generations are under assault by the lunatic in the WH, as well as the syncopates that are following his commands rather than their oath to the Constitution. These are troubling days indeed that try men's souls. This too shall pass.
71
Why, in this huge country, has one person, the president, so much power? Shouldn’t the constitution be amended to change this? I never read anything about this. And shouldn’t the the way presidents are chosen, and members of the parliament, be changed so that more party’s come to life, instead of just two? When a country is ran by a coalition of several party’s, compromise is baked into the system. And compromise is seriously lacking in the current political landscape.
43
In a winner takes all election system, more parties just means rule by even smaller majority.
3
@Gertjan Lind It wasn't designed to be this way, and it didn't used to be this way. It used to be that the Legislative branch, the Executive branch and the Judicial branch all acted like the legs of a sublimely-balanced three-legged stool. It also used to be that no one political party had a complete monopoly on power, so compromise was, in fact, baked into the system.
Then we got hit with a double-whammy: McConnell and Trump. The Autocrat Minor and the Autocrat Major who have worked together to consolidate power and in the process have unbalanced the stool. The United States of America, once a beacon of hope, cannot stand on an unbalanced stool.
16
In effect, Trump is abetting Russian interference by attempting to silence intelligence professionals whose reports interfere with his delusions about his election. This on the heels of his interference with the Department of Justice and pardons of criminals.
I would like to ask Senators Alexander and Collins if they still think he "learned his lesson" by going through the impeachment process.
57
The only lesson these Republicans cannot avoid but face themselves would be bankruptcy of USA. As of this moment, they still think the Trump presidency and way of life is sustainable and gives the GOP all the grand glory. They forgot all his track records. They forgot about the Roman Empire and its Senate. History repeats.
42
Putting someone in a position of responsibility for a task they have no experience or background in, is a recipe for failure. I’ve experienced it, both as a new hire and as a manager. And in both cases, it was a struggle to survive. It’s frustrating for everyone involved. But, who said experience is necessary to be successful in running a government? Look at our democratic system. Each four year, or six, in the senate’s case, there’s elections, and a crop of new hires, and some of those new hires get a say in the choices for leadership positions in government agencies.
Right now, some of Russia’s experienced junior intelligence officers may have more experience than some of our senior intelligence managers. And they will take advantage of the playing field as best they can. It makes sense to exploit weakness in your opponent, and I’m afraid given the current leadership, and most republicans abdication of their Constitutional Responsibility, it could be a difficult game. Poor management seems to be the hallmark of our times, when risk management gives way to ideology, and loyalty, failure is imminent.
30
An acting capacity "avoids the inconvenience of Senate confirmation hearings."
Inconvenience? I examined Article 2 word for word. Our constitution does not allow "acting" anything. The president appoints WITH the advice and consent of the senate; full stop. If we had a real senate, rather than the current fake senate, these constant end runs around the senate should have been another article of impeachment.
67
@ghsalb -
It is there in Article II, Section 2, in the second and third paragraphs. They read (in part):
“[the President...] shall appoint Ambassadors, other public ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointment are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
The President shall have the Power to fill all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which expire at the End of their next session.”
Congress gave the President power to appoint a Director of National Security, but required Senate confirmation.
The Senate was in officially meeting in session on 2/14, 2/18, and 2/21 according to the Senate’s calendar. Trump appointed Grenell on 2/19, when the Senate was recessed that day. That means that Trump could constitutionally appoint Grenell and he can remain in the post until early January, 2021, when the current Session of Congress ends.
This is something that many presidents have used to get around the authority of the Senate to consent to an appointment.
1
the "intelligence" agencies are being refashioned in the image of the people, for the vast majority of whom the word "intelligence" simply does not apply.
39
This unfortunately may be the roots of all current negative tides. The ultra smart founding fathers still overlooked one basic human nature — human selfishness.
Seems like that impeachment thing didn't have the effect that Susan Collins said it would. (Although now she says her statement was "aspirational". "Delusional" might be a better term.)
127
@Mike
It was aspirational all right.
It aspired to cover up everything we ALL honestly know.
5
Deja Vu?
When knowledge of Russian interference in the 2016 election was brought to a select group of legislators by our intellegence services, did not Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell demand that this information not be released to the public?
Because it would tarnish the Trump campaign?
In 2020, has no one learned a lesson?
79
The biggest reason the Soviet Union failed, and the hardline communist regime in China failed and continues to fail (you care to argue their handling of the coronavirus outbreak has been a success?), is because of government systems that prioritize party loyalty above reality.
In the former Soviet Union, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor explosion was a direct result of party loyalty endangering not only the country, but they world.
In China, the state’s desire to try to suppress the truth about a virus has led to its global spread, and the overnight shutdown of the world’s second largest economy.
In Saudi Arabia, instead of ending a reliance on fossil fuels, they’re attempting to air condition the outdoors because due to climate change it is literally becoming too hot to live there.
Trump’s installation of party loyalists will result in disaster for the United States. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not a month from now, but it will happen. As sure as the force of gravity attracts an apple from the branch of a tree to the ground, it will happen. The only thing that can prevent disaster, is by appointing experts who have a duty to facts, reality, and the Constitution first.
Not a single person alive is capable of predicting what disaster awaits us, but I know it’s around the corner. I know it is because it’s happened to every other country that went down the same dark path.
145
“ Mr. Trump has made clear that he will not tolerate any discussion of Russia’s meddling“
The above excerpt from the editorial should terrify any reader that isn’t on Russia’s side.
Vote the Republicans out in a landslide that even Trumputin can’t stop.
99
It doesn't take much to figure out how this story goes. Especially when the ouster of the acting director of national intelligence results in the appointment of one of this president's most faithful supporters who has zero background and experience for the job.
And the timing couldn't be more circumspect.
This is no mere coincidence.
38
@N. Smith I don't understand how anyone could think that this was a coincidence when those who are telling us that is is, are proven liars.
These words ‘ He is sending a very public message: In this White House, protecting Donald Trump’s interests is what matters.’ Makes my spine shiver. It will be hard for me to forgive Republicans what they did to US.
121
@Krystof Fascism is here. Now.
1
Mr. Grenell will fulfill the same function as D.N.I. as VP Cheney did under Bush II: he will ensure that intelligence reports reflect not the facts but the preferences of the top administration, starting with the president.
42
The Intelligence Community is supposed to be a ministry of INFORMATION.
Trump has turned that community into an instrument of PROPAGANDA.
Fascism did it; Communism did it; and now the new American Nationalism of the GOP is doing it.
We alrighty know how this story ends. After all, the 20th century is behind us, a sure reminder. The only only question is whether American democracy will survive Trumpism.
But Trumpism will fail. Let us hope our country survives him.
106
Are we not past this yet?
This watching in stunned fascination as every aspect of our politics, our society, our legal and political tradition is crushed, burned and tossed aside?
This is remarkable, the way we narrate in such grace and complexity the demise of the nation we all once claimed to hold dear.
Yet here we are. We know what's coming. We know how its being done, and why. We know the outcome. We see the end and debate and discuss it ceaselessly.
Yet not one finger has been lifted to save ourselves.
Yes, there have been more than a few whinny, panicked, sternly worded warnings, efforts within the bounds of good old school form, but we all knew before they were begun they would amount to nothing.
So here we sit, with our brie and Bordeaux, watching America sink into the third world, into oblivion, enjoying the spectacle.
32
It’s more like Cheetos and Miller, I say.
1
@John You may have brie and Bordeaux, but there are thousands of citizens working hard to bring a new administration to Washington, struggling against the Russian propagandists and the Republican stonewalling and the "base" who love the Kool-Aid. I was encouraged last week when, at a memorial service that brought family members together in South Carolina, I had a chat with a Republican cousin who told me that he's going to vote for any Democrat who runs in November because Trump has got to go. The tide may finally be turning.
3
What are you suggesting that we, or the New York Times, should be doing other than making sure the nefarious actions of the Trump administration and Trumpist Republican Party are documented and publicized?
2
Of course the Senate will approve Mr. Grenell as DNI. The GOP loyalty is unswerving. This is not just because it is Trump, but because their plans to create a Christian Theocracy aligns with Putin’s Christian Traditionalist International. Mr. Grenell has qualifications that include a degree from a Christian College and experience working for an Eastern European Oligarch banned from the United States for corruption. This fits Mr. Trump’s formula.
Rarely does the media observe or criticize the clear intention of the Republican Party to align our government with the tenets of Christian theocracy despite the Constitutional prohibition. Even more rarely is there mention of the GOP ties to a Moscow religious organization or the celebration of Trump as “The Chosen One.” Our government is under attack from the inside and outside. It is time that the full story be offered in editorials: Oligarchs associated with Putin, Christian Theocrats, and singular loyalty to Trump over the Constitution.
45
Is it possible that Kremlin created and planted the evidence that Saddam Hussein had the WMD to lure the Bush Administration into the Iraqi War and never-ending quagmire in order to take revenge for the American aiding of the Taliban and mujahedeen during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan?
That option sounds more probable than Putin trying to aid the presidential candidacies of Trump and Sanders.
2
@Kenan Porobic There were no WMDs just prior to the invasion. Earlier, Saddam had poison gas which he used up on the Kurds. At least on this occasion the UN inspectors did an excellent job. Hans Blix was ridiculed by US, but was ultimately proved right after we invaded and found nothing.
I could rehash the whole mess, but it is out there if you look. Cheney simply manufactured the case. All the Russians needed to do was sit back and laugh.
Of course, the Iranians were the ultimate victors.
33
@Harvey Bernstein
The essence of comment was simple and universal: Did any foreign power try to influence our government into believing that the Muslim world is our enemy?
@Kenan Porobic No, that deceptive lunacy did not need much outside help. I am sure Putin saw the delusional aspect of our conservative politics and thought he would play the game as well.
I mean the real question is where do we go from here? Russian interfering is no surprise. Saying they are helping Bernie a little but I guess that really depends on the details. I have a feeling its mostly for show and for Trump to have a talking point.
If there is a credible threat of say them hacking voting machines the states should know. With him no information is going to be shared. Is there anyway congress can force declassification? Is there anyway to leak out specifics even if illegal so that the public knows? I guess the fact that we know this already means that is happening on some level.
How do we work around an executive branch that has gone rogue?
32
Sure somebody could leak it. But they risk their job and their freedom if they do so.
1
It must be remembered that decades ago, the Republican Party abandoned any protective regard for democratic norms.
We complain about President Trump's authoritarianism, but he is the product of a GOP that has been trending toward fascism long before Trump appeared on the political scene. But here he is, the realization of the Party's sweetest dreams.
The GOP is not about to turn on a dime and hold Trump to account for doing what the Party has long wanted. The behavior of the US Republican senators is all the evidence we need. We are letting US civil society evaporate before our eyes, first by drips but soon by deluge.
183
Well, the election of 2016 was illegitimate, and everyone knows that. Including Donald Trump, who has acknowledged that by his actions since then. Now we come to 2020, with Russia also interfering in the Democratic primary process.
40
Mr. Trump thought the Democrats would weaponize the information from the intelligence briefing. Apparently, Mr. Grenell has already requested the background information from the Congressional intelligence briefing. I am fully expecting Mr. Trump and his enablers to weaponize any information that they can from those reports.
Contact your members of Congress.
Donate to candidates running against the enablers - Amy McGrath, Jaime Harrison, Phil Arballo, Mark Kelly, etc.
Volunteer to contact voters. Everyone needs to get out and vote this year.
158
@JCAZ I contacted Braun and Young. They won’t care. They are just as treasonous as their leadership.
As Sally Yates said, this is a screaming siren that we have a national security emergency. The idea that intelligence officials worry that they have to approach informing the chief executive that the country is under attack “delicately” for fear of triggering his insecurity and anger is beyond belief. The failure to protect the country from foreign attack on our electoral system is a dereliction of duty and betrayal of his oath of office.
579
@Michele Exactly. It screams 25th amendment, doesn't it?
19
@Michele
We need to hear more from Sally Yates and all of those deposed from the administration because they speak the truth.
8
And it's a betrayal of all the wusses who are too scared to approach the president. He's a foreign agent.
America, home of the sheep and knaves!
1
One thing the CIA is probably good at is analyzing leaders with extreme loyalty demands driven by paranoia and placing them somewhere on the spectrum. The Russian FSB and Putin are also experts at this. But while it looks like Trump is in charge, actually he is so easily manipulated he may manipulate himself into the 25th Amendment.
39
@Mark - One can only hope.
5
@Mark 25th amendment won't happen for 2 reasons:
1) the people holding positions that can enact the 25th are boot-lickers who would never go against "dear leader".
2) with so many "acting" cabinet members, I'm doubtful they could legally enact the 25th (not that they would -- see point #1)
So demoralizing!
4
Sadly, there is little news to comment on here. Those who were interested enough to look broadly and dig deeply, not only into the details of the issues but into the candidates' backgrounds, became sufficiently informed of what to expect from their vote.
The 2016 results speak poorly to the caliber of that year's electorate. Those of us who are scions of the Greatest generation remember well the stories told by our parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts of the global social, economic, and political upheavals that directly led to the Greta Depression and WWII. We see this two-decade cycle being repeated since the turn of the century.
We are well along the road to reliving our 2016 diorama unless this time America's voters take their civic responsibilities to defend and uphold our democracy seriously and educate themselves about what they are voting for and whom they are about to put in office. We've already seen where relying on what a self-serving huckster and carnival barker tells us gets us.
70
@Peter G Brabeck
Peter, I see little evidence of interest in our history by the voting public whether they are D or R. and
there is little money to be made in teaching history.
3
Blaming the intelligence agencies for doing their jobs is the result of a president who can't be elected without Russia's help. That is the truth and the president can't stand it.
I'd like to make it clear that temper tantrums, denials, and dismissals of intelligence officials don't make the truth go away simply by replacing them with unqualified appointees.
In the psychology of human behavior, denialism is a person's choice to deny reality as a way to avoid a psychologically uncomfortable truth. Denialism is an essentially irrational action that withholds the validation of a historical experience or event when a person refuses to accept an empirically verifiable reality. Clearly, the president is suffering from a psychosis of the mind from facing rational thinking by rejecting overwhelming evidence and the generation of political controversy with attempts to deny the existence of facts and truth.
230
@Dennis
Yes, but I also think there's something else going on here.
Trump knows Russia helped him win in 2016, and he knows they are planning to help him again this year. He just doesn't want Americans and Congress to know that.
I don't think he's trying to deny the truth so much as cover it up.
294
@avrds
I agree with that assessment as well.
8
@Dennis
It seems to me that we all know this is what he's doing and knew it in 2016. The question is, what do we do about it, and so far the answer has been that there's nothing we can do about it. It seems like this war is over before it begins. The courts are locked up, the electoral college is locked up, state legislatures are locked up, the senate is laughing at us, those on the bubble are bought off with K-street jobs, and the Democratic Party is in chaos (who knows, maybe Bloomberg joined the race only to keep the chaos fires burning until November. The rot is so deep that there's no bottom to it. That anyone would cast a vote for any Republican is deeply upsetting now. I wouldn't have said that even 10 years ago, before I woke to the GOPs true agenda. Welcome to colonial South Africa everyone. It's arrived.
7
He's doing more than look out for his own paranoidi interests. He's putting the safety and security of all Americans at risk.
If the Intelligence Agencies can't keep Congress up to date on what threats are facing this country, how can they let their constituents what to look out for?
And when there's something specific that affects the integrity of very American vote, does this new "hear no evil, see no evil, share no evil" approach mean the agencies can't, on their own, use all the cyber defense tools at their disposal to stop the Russian meddling in their tracks?
The president has degraded just about everything in Washington, but he's really going too far if something bad happens to ordinary citizens because he won't allow the IC to share information with the American people via Congress.
He's really gone way too far with this one.
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If?
You’re late to the wake, friend.
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@ChristineMcM
Too far is just a smidgeon for Donald Trump. He’s a loose cannon.
He’s blowing us up one smidgeon at a time....
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"Mr. Trump doesn’t like to hear about election interference, much less about interference by Russia. He sees the entire topic as an effort to devalue his 2016 victory. Members of his administration, as well as congressional Republicans, know that this is a matter to be broached delicately, if at all."
This is the mark of a madman. Worse is the response of congressional Republicans and members of his administration. They are going with the madness--and running from their responsibilities to their oaths of office, their country, their families, and their planet.
When our President is unwilling to submit his candidates for office to even the kid-glove treatment and rubber stamp approval McConnell will give them, preferring to use temporary appointments to avoid any Congressional formalities, the game is clearly over.
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He’s not mad, he’s trying to make himself a monarch through a logical, aggressive take over. Listening to Putin is his best bet for this goal in mind. The Republican are riding him until they stab him in the back in the end proclaiming themselves saviors of our democracy while they themselves aggressively seek out another Trump for 2024
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Apparently the United States needs to define a prime minister position for someone who advances the interests of the nation, and to redefine the president as a purely ceremonial role, with no power or privileges.
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@polymath It depends upon who that prime minister might be, but at least we wouldn't need to be stuck in this muck for a full four years.
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@polymath
Silly. What if Trump ended up as the prime minister ?
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Oh yeah! Then they get a Boris. Not really a solution is it?
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There is a certain irony, not to mention hypocrisy, in the fact that until Trump, the Right vociferously defended everything our intelligence agencies did, while the Left equally vociferously objected. Since Trump, it has been reversed.
Let us adhere to some perspective and remember that the vast majority of agency employees are the same and that except for the top, management has largely stayed the same.
Now that everyone has felt burned, perhaps after Trump we can all get around to an honest and dispassionate discussion of the proper role and operation of our intelligence agencies.
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There is not one piece of information that Donald Trump has offered as evidence that the Russians did not tamper in the 2016 election. Not one! Every US agency agrees with former Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller as he testified under oath, "The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion." He then expanded on that statement by testifying, "they (the Russians) are plotting as we sit here." Everything contrary to Trump's views is termed as "fake"or "a hoax" or an attack on the person(s) delivering irrefutable documentation or evidence contrary to Trump's endless attempts at disinformation. Actually, using Trump's term, "fake" describes everything you need to know about who and what he is on every level. This country is in serious trouble and Americans must wake up to Trump's tactics to move this country in a direction that completely undermines our Constitution.
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@kkm
The House has to start hearings on these unpatriotic firings of truth-telling career officials.
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"Members of his administration, as well as congressional Republicans, know that this is a matter to be broached delicately, if at all."
Isn't it past time for Mitch MCconnell for have the Senate take up election security?
The House passed HR 1, For the People Act of 2019, a bill addressing voter access, election integrity, election security, political spending, and ethics for the three branches of government on March 8, 2019.
What's the Senate waiting for?
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@Sharon Stout Simply, it appears that the Senate republicans like election interference.
PSST: "It's the only way they can win seats in Congress--it's a well-kept secret."
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@Sharon Stout:
"Isn't it past time for Mitch MCconnell for have the Senate take up [...]?"
If Mitch McConnell had the nation's interest at heart, he'd have wrangled twenty of his fellow Republican Senators up Pennsylvania Avenue to have a little chat with Trump.
He'd have done what Barry Goldwater, et al., told Nixon back in 1974. The House has the votes to impeach, and the Senate has the votes to convict. Trump would have been gone the next day.
That's the sort of thing a majority leader has the power to do — put the _national_ interest above the party interest.
McConnell won't move on small potatoes like election integrity & security, not when the Republican Party and his personal ambition to keep power are on the line.
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@Joe From Boston
Yes. I share your hope that Mitch McConnell will not be re-elected. I am donating to his Democratic opponent, Amy McGrath. VoteVets.org
But we also need election security to get through the 2020 elections. Perhaps his fellow Senators could talk with him? I plan to ask Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin to take up election security.
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Even after all this time, it's still hard to believe that we have a president who has shown through both his words and actions that he is not interested in our national security. Rather his only concern is his personal security -- and the security of Vladimir Putin.
He said in Las Vegas that it is a Democratic hoax that Russia is interfering in our election. The only hoax I can see right now is Trump's presidency, as he continues to lie and undermine every near-sacred value we hold in the Constitution and democratic values.
I rarely agree with Nancy Pelosi, but in this I believe she is right: all roads lead to Putin. It appears in all of this Trump is following Putin's lead.
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@Richard S
As I recall, reporters found out because Trump blew up in the Oval Office and fired Maguire after the president found out about the briefing including Schiff and other Democrats. The story appears to have come out of the White House, as does much of what we learn about this administration.
Who is running the intelligence agencies? It appears that it is the president and his supporters on the committees are trying to, hoping that briefers will not upset Trump with any messy facts about what is going on with him and Russia. As a good conservative I would think you would find that much more questionable than Adam Schiff.
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@Richard S we know about this the way we should have known about Russian interference before the 2016 election, a nameless sane patriot has alerted us. Wish somebody would’ve done it before the orange menace was elected.
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@avrds
What percentage of Trump's actions directly benefit Putin?
What percentage weaken or divide America, also benefitting Putin?
I think the total of the two is pretty close to 100%.
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