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'Willful Ignorance.' Inside President Trump's Troubled Intelligence Briefings
Donald Trump Rejects Intelligence Briefing Facts | Time
Dereliction of duty is not illegal, but, depending on the gravity of it and reasonably assessed serious consequences, it could be one of the items on a Senate or Congress's ( not sure who would initially write it up) articles of impeachment.
Willful ignorance might seem innocuous if we are talking about policies on whether or not the gov should keep track of the profits of horse breeders) but it could altogether something far more serious if we are talking about ignorance of intelligence briefs if they were about a foreign country developing a super weapon for which we cannot fight back on any viable level unless we act now as the window of safety is closing rapidly.
This article in Time Magazine goes into great detail about how Trump's willful ignorance of intelligence briefs are a serious threat to America's national security.
The sad thing is, there are so many 5 alarms sounding currently, people are getting used to them and are now not thinking that much about it.
And this one is most alarming.
What is happening that those intel officers who contradict the Prez after something he said on TV, he cuts off access. This happened to Kelly, McMaster, and no doubt many others who are no longer there. They lose access, they feel they are not valued and there work has no value to the president, and they leave.
I don't think republicans understand how serious this is to our national security, in an ever shrinking intel officer pool
I understand that the knee jerk reaction by right wingers will be, well, not even to read it or gloss over it, and say, "TDS, jobs are up, this is not important".
That, too, is alarming. It would be like you are standing on the Titanic, and someone from the boiler room comes up and shouts "Hull has been breached, waters coming ini", and you brush your lapel with your fingers, and think, please don't bore me with this, the food is delicious, and the music is lovely."
Well, history's record of such consequences is more than well known.
It's like he doesn't care, he's got his way of thinking and that is that. He doesn't grasp the danger he is to the national security of the United States, for only "he can fix it", and "he knows more than the generals" , and " intel told Bush there were weapons of mass destruction and bush should go to war (therefore they are wrong all the time)
Well, I hate to tell you, Mr. Trump, that line about WND and the intel report that supposedly led to Bush's decision to go to war didn't actually say that, not by any stretch of the imagination. No matter, you wouldn't read it, anyway.
,
Donald Trump Rejects Intelligence Briefing Facts | Time
Dereliction of duty is not illegal, but, depending on the gravity of it and reasonably assessed serious consequences, it could be one of the items on a Senate or Congress's ( not sure who would initially write it up) articles of impeachment.
Willful ignorance might seem innocuous if we are talking about policies on whether or not the gov should keep track of the profits of horse breeders) but it could altogether something far more serious if we are talking about ignorance of intelligence briefs if they were about a foreign country developing a super weapon for which we cannot fight back on any viable level unless we act now as the window of safety is closing rapidly.
This article in Time Magazine goes into great detail about how Trump's willful ignorance of intelligence briefs are a serious threat to America's national security.
The sad thing is, there are so many 5 alarms sounding currently, people are getting used to them and are now not thinking that much about it.
Donald Trump Rejects Intelligence Briefing Facts | Time
Citing multiple in-person episodes, these intelligence officials say Trump displays what one called “willful ignorance” when presented with analyses generated by America’s $81 billion-a-year intelligence services. The officials, who include analysts who prepare Trump’s briefs and the briefers themselves, describe futile attempts to keep his attention by using visual aids, confining some briefing points to two or three sentences, and repeating his name and title as frequently as possible.
And this one is most alarming.
What is most troubling, say these officials and others in government and on Capitol Hill who have been briefed on the episodes, are Trump’s angry reactions when he is given information that contradicts positions he has taken or beliefs he holds. Two intelligence officers even reported that they have been warned to avoid giving the President intelligence assessments that contradict stances he has taken in public.
What is happening that those intel officers who contradict the Prez after something he said on TV, he cuts off access. This happened to Kelly, McMaster, and no doubt many others who are no longer there. They lose access, they feel they are not valued and there work has no value to the president, and they leave.
I don't think republicans understand how serious this is to our national security, in an ever shrinking intel officer pool
The problem has existed since the beginning of Trump’s presidency, the intelligence officials say, and for a time they tried to respond to the President’s behavior in briefings with dark humor. After a briefing in preparation for a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, for example, the subject turned to the British Indian Ocean Territory of Diego Garcia. The island is home to an important airbase and a U.S. Naval Support Facility that are central to America’s ability to project power in the region, including in the war in Afghanistan.
The President, officials familiar with the briefing said, asked two questions: Are the people nice, and are the beaches good? “Some of us wondered if he was thinking about our alliance with the Brits and the security issues in an important area where the Chinese have been increasingly active, or whether he was thinking like a real estate developer,” one of the officials said wryly.
I understand that the knee jerk reaction by right wingers will be, well, not even to read it or gloss over it, and say, "TDS, jobs are up, this is not important".
That, too, is alarming. It would be like you are standing on the Titanic, and someone from the boiler room comes up and shouts "Hull has been breached, waters coming ini", and you brush your lapel with your fingers, and think, please don't bore me with this, the food is delicious, and the music is lovely."
Well, history's record of such consequences is more than well known.
It's like he doesn't care, he's got his way of thinking and that is that. He doesn't grasp the danger he is to the national security of the United States, for only "he can fix it", and "he knows more than the generals" , and " intel told Bush there were weapons of mass destruction and bush should go to war (therefore they are wrong all the time)
Well, I hate to tell you, Mr. Trump, that line about WND and the intel report that supposedly led to Bush's decision to go to war didn't actually say that, not by any stretch of the imagination. No matter, you wouldn't read it, anyway.
,
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