'Willful Ignorance.' Inside President Trump's Troubled Intelligence Briefings

[j-mac]

Continued....

Combating Opioids
Chaired meeting the 73rd General Session of the United Nations discussing the worldwide drug problem with international leaders.
Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand, introducing new measures to keep dangerous drugs out of our communities.
$6 billion in new funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
DEA conducted a surge in April 2018 that arrested 28 medical professions and revoked 147 registrations for prescribing too many opioids.
Brought the “Prescribed to Death” memorial to President’s Park near the White House, helping raise awareness about the human toll of the opioid crisis.
Helped reduce high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16 percent in 2017.
Opioid Summit on the administration-wide efforts to combat the opioid crisis.
Launched a national public awareness campaign about the dangers of opioid addiction.
Created a Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis which recommended a number of pathways to tackle the opioid crisis.
Led two National Prescription Drug Take Back Days in 2017 and 2018, collecting a record number of expired and unneeded prescription drugs each time.
$485 million targeted grants in FY 2017 to help areas hit hardest by the opioid crisis.
Signed INTERDICT Act, strengthening efforts to detect and intercept synthetic opioids before they reach our communities.
DOJ secured its first-ever indictments against Chinese fentanyl manufacturers.
Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) team, aimed at disrupting online illicit opioid sales.
Declared the opioid crisis a Nationwide Public Health Emergency in October 2017.


Law and Order
More U.S. Circuit Court judges confirmed in the first year in office than ever.
Confirmed more than two dozen U. S. Circuit Court judges.
Followed through on the promise to nominate judges to the Supreme Court who will adhere to the Constitution
Nominated and confirmed Justice Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Signed an executive order directing the Attorney General to develop a strategy to more effectively prosecute people who commit crimes against law enforcement officers.
Launched an evaluation of grant programs to make sure they prioritize the protection and safety of law enforcement officers.
Established a task force to reduce crime and restore public safety in communities across Signed an executive order to focus more federal resources on dismantling transnational criminal organizations such as drug cartels.
Signed an executive order to focus more federal resources on dismantling transnational criminal organizations such as drug cartels.
Violent crime decreased in 2017 according to FBI statistics.
$137 million in grants through the COPS Hiring Program to preserve jobs, increase community policing capacities, and support crime prevention efforts.
Enhanced and updated the Project Safe Neighborhoods to help reduce violent crime.
Signed legislation making it easier to target websites that enable sex trafficking and strengthened penalties for people who promote or facilitate prostitution.
Created an interagency task force working around the clock to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and prevent human trafficking.
Conducted Operation Cross Country XI to combat human trafficking, rescuing 84 children and arresting 120 human traffickers.
Encouraged federal prosecutors to use the death penalty when possible in the fight against the trafficking of deadly drugs.
New rule effectively banning bump stock sales in the United States.

 

[j-mac]

Continued....

Border Security and ImmigrationSecured $1.6 billion for border wall construction in the March 2018 omnibus bill.
Construction of a 14-mile section of border wall began near San Diego.
Worked to protect American communities from the threat posed by the vile MS-13 gang.
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations division arrested 796 MS-13 members and associates in FY 2017, an 83 percent increase from the prior year.
Justice worked with partners in Central America to secure criminal charges against more than 4,000 MS-13 members.
Border Patrol agents arrested 228 illegal aliens affiliated with MS-13 in FY 2017.
Fighting to stop the scourge of illegal drugs at our border.
ICE HSI seized more than 980,000 pounds of narcotics in FY 2017, including 2,370 pounds of fentanyl and 6,967 pounds of heroin.
ICE HSI dedicated nearly 630,000 investigative hours towards halting the illegal import of fentanyl.
ICE HSI made 11,691 narcotics-related arrests in FY 2017.
Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand introduced new measures to keep dangerous drugs out the United States.
Signed the INTERDICT Act into law, enhancing efforts to detect and intercept synthetic opioids.
DOJ secured its first-ever indictments against Chinese fentanyl manufacturers.
DOJ launched their Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) team, aimed at disrupting online illicit opioid sales.
Released an immigration framework that includes the resources required to secure our borders and close legal loopholes, and repeatedly called on Congress to fix our broken immigration laws.
Authorized the deployment of the National Guard to help secure the border.
Enhanced vetting of individuals entering the U.S. from countries that don’t meet security standards, helping to ensure individuals who pose a threat to our country are identified before they enter.
These procedures were upheld in a June 2018 Supreme Court hearing.
ICE removed over 226,000 illegal aliens from the United States in 2017.
ICE rescued or identified over 500 human trafficking victims and over 900 child exploitation victims in 2017 alone.
In 2017, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested more than 127,000 aliens with criminal convictions or charges, responsible for
Over 76,000 with dangerous drug offenses.
More than 48,000 with assault offenses.
More than 11,000 with weapons offenses.
More than 5,000 with sexual assault offenses.
More than 2,000 with kidnapping offenses.
Over 1,800 with homicide offenses.
Created the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office in order to support the victims and families affected by illegal alien crime.
More than doubled the number of counties participating in the 287(g) program, which allows jails to detain criminal aliens until they are transferred to ICE custody.

 

[prometeus]

Oh, who's that?

Ask the poster who poster the term.

 

[roughdraft274]

How he is doing an awful job?

Here is a list of his accomplishments....



Continued

I said "doing an awful job running the government".

I'm assuming if you think damn near the entirety of the federal government, up to and including his own appointees, are initiating a coup against him, that he's doing a bad job running the government. If this were a business, as republicans often seem to want the government run as, and everyone that he appointed in the business thought he's incompetent and want him out, that he's at the very least, done a piss poor job of staffing and running the company.

 

[j-mac]

Trade
Negotiating and renegotiating better trade deals, achieving free, fair, and reciprocal trade for the United States.
Agreed to work with the European Union towards zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsides.
Deal with the European Union to increase U.S. energy exports to Europe.
Litigated multiple WTO disputes targeting unfair trade practices and upholding our right to enact fair trade laws.
Finalized a revised trade agreement with South Korea, which includes provisions to increase American automobile exports.
Negotiated an historic U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement to replace NAFTA.
Agreement to begin trade negotiations for a U.S.-Japan trade agreement.
Secured $250 billion in new trade and investment deals in China and $12 billion in Vietnam.
Established a Trade and Investment Working Group with the United Kingdom, laying the groundwork for post-Brexit trade.
Enacted steel and aluminum tariffs to protect our vital steel and aluminum producers and strengthen our national security.
Conducted 82 anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations in 2017 alone.
Confronting China’s unfair trade practices after years of Washington looking the other way.
25 percent tariff on $50 billion of goods imported from China and later imposed an additional 10% tariff on $200 billion of Chinese goods.
Conducted an investigation into Chinese forced technology transfers, unfair licensing practices, and intellectual property theft.
Imposed safeguard tariffs to protect domestic washing machines and solar products manufacturers hurt by China’s trade policies
Withdrew from the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Secured access to new markets for America’s farmers.
Recent deal with Mexico included new improvements enabling food and agriculture to trade more fairly.
Recent agreement with the E.U. will reduce barriers and increase trade of American soybeans to Europe.
Won a WTO dispute regarding Indonesia’s unfair restriction of U.S. agricultural exports.
Defended American Tuna fisherman and packagers before the WTO
Opened up Argentina to American pork experts for the first time in a quarter-century
American beef exports have returned to china for the first time in more than a decade
OK’d up to $12 billion in aid for farmers affected by unfair trade retaliation.

Still more....

 

[Idiometer]

Oh, You don't remember Reagan?

Proving your own post to another, you are not as clever as you think you are. Actually, that's true of everyone.

What was meant here is that the current Republican POTUS and the previous one were lacking in the right amount of erudition for the job. Reagan was not included in that assessment because the user does not consider him to have been dumb. Heck, Nixon was an evil SOB who tried to get away with illegal and unconstitutional actions, but even he was a genius compared to Trump and The C Student.

Personally, I have two qualities that I expect of any U.S. Pesident: intelligence and honor. Since I started voting in 1972, only two presidents have posessed both of those qualities. I'll let you guess which two.

 

[j-mac]

Continued....

Energy
Presidential Memorandum to clear roadblocks to construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Presidential Memorandum declaring that the Dakota Access Pipeline serves the national interest and initiating the process to complete construction.
Opened up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to energy exploration.
Coal exports up over 60 percent in 2017.
Rolled back the “stream protection rule” to prevent it from harming America’s coal industry.
Cancelled Obama’s anti-coal Clean Power Plan and proposed the Affordable Clean Energy Rule as a replacement.
Withdrew from the job-killing Paris climate agreement, which would have cost the U.S. nearly $3 trillion and led to 6.5 million fewer industrial sector jobs by 2040.
U.S. oil production has achieved its highest level in American history
United States is now the largest crude oil producer in the world.
U.S. has become a net natural gas exporter for the first time in six decades.
Action to expedite the identification and extraction of critical minerals that are vital to the nation’s security and economic prosperity.
Took action to reform National Ambient Air Quality Standards, benefitting American manufacturers.
Rescinded Obama’s hydraulic fracturing rule, which was expected to cost the industry $32 million per year.
Proposed an expansion of offshore drilling as part of an all-of-the above energy strategy
Held a lease sale for offshore oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico in August 2018.
Got EU to increase its imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States.
Issued permits for the New Burgos Pipeline that will cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

Foreign Policy
Moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Withdrew from Iran deal and immediately began the process of re-imposing sanctions that had been lifted or waived.
Treasury has issued sanctions targeting Iranian activities and entities, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force
Since enacting sanctions, Iran’s crude exports have fallen off, the value of Iran’s currency has plummeted, and international companies have pulled out of the country.
All nuclear-related sanctions will be back in full force by early November 2018.
Historic summit with North Korean President Kim Jong-Un, bringing beginnings of peace and denuclearization to the Korean Peninsula.
The two leaders have exchanged letters and high-level officials from both sides have met resulting in tremendous progress.
North Korea has halted nuclear and missile tests.
Negotiated the return of the remains of missing-in-action soldiers from the Korean War.
Imposed strong sanctions on Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro and his inner circle.
Executive order preventing those in the U.S. from carrying out certain transactions with the Venezuelan regime, including prohibiting the purchase of the regime’s debt.
Responded to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime.
Rolled out sanctions targeting individuals and entities tied to Syria’s chemical weapons program.
Directed strikes in April 2017 against a Syrian airfield used in a chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians.
Joined allies in launching airstrikes in April 2018 against targets associated with Syria’s chemical weapons use.
New Cuba policy that enhanced compliance with U.S. law and held the Cuban regime accountable for political oppression and human rights abuses.
Treasury and State are working to channel economic activity away from the Cuban regime, particularly the military.
Changed the rules of engagement, empowering commanders to take the fight to ISIS.
ISIS has lost virtually all of its territory, more than half of which has been lost under Trump.
ISIS’ self-proclaimed capital city, Raqqah, was liberated in October 2017.
All Iraqi territory had been liberated from ISIS.
More than a dozen American hostages have been freed from captivity all of the world.
Action to combat Russia’s malign activities, including their efforts to undermine the sanctity of United States elections.
Expelled dozens of Russian intelligence officers from the United States and ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle, WA.
Banned the use of Kaspersky Labs software on government computers, due to the company’s ties to Russian intelligence.
Imposed sanctions against five Russian entities and three individuals for enabling Russia’s military and intelligence units to increase Russia’s offensive cyber capabilities.
Sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs, and 12 companies they own or control, who profit from Russia’s destabilizing activities.
Sanctioned 100 targets in response to Russia’s occupation of Crimea and aggression in Eastern Ukraine.
Enhanced support for Ukraine’s Armed Forces to help Ukraine better defend itself.
Helped win U.S. bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Helped win U.S.-Mexico-Canada’s united bid for 2026 World Cup.

 

[noonereal]

Proving your own post to another, you are not as clever as you think you are. Actually, that's true of everyone.

What was meant here is that the current Republican POTUS and the previous one were lacking in the right amount of erudition for the job. Reagan was not included in that assessment because the user does not consider him to have been dumb. Heck, Nixon was an evil SOB who tried to get away with illegal and unconstitutional actions, but even he was a genius compared to Trump and The C Student.

Personally, I have two qualities that I expect of any U.S. Pesident: intelligence and honor. Since I started voting in 1972, only two presidents have posessed both of those qualities. I'll let you guess which two.

Bush Sr and Obie

 

[prometeus]

Since I started voting in 1972, only two presidents have posessed both of those qualities. I'll let you guess which two.

Yet one turned out to be almost a mediocre President.

 

[j-mac]

Still more....

Defense

• Executive order keeping the detention facilities at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay open.
• $700 billion in military funding for FY 2018 and $716 billion for FY 2019.
• Largest military pay raise in nearly a decade.
• Ordered a Nuclear Posture Review to ensure America’s nuclear forces are up to date and serve as a credible deterrent.
• Released America’s first fully articulated cyber strategy in 15 years.
• New strategy on national biodefense, which better prepares the nation to defend against biological threats.
• Administration has announced that it will use whatever means necessary to protect American citizens and servicemen from unjust prosecution by the International Criminal Court.
• Released an America first National Security Strategy.
• Put in motion the launch of a Space Force as a new branch of the military and relaunched the National Space Council.
• Encouraged North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to increase defense spending to their agree-upon levels.
  • In 2017 alone, there was an increase of more than 4.8 percent in defense spending amongst NATO allies.
  • Every member state has increased defense spending.
  • Eight NATO allies will reach the 2 percent benchmark by the end of 2018 and 15 allies are on trade to do so by 2024.
  • NATO allies spent over $42 billion dollars more on defense since 2016.
• Executive order to help military spouses find employment as their families deploy domestically and abroad.

Veterans affairs

• Signed the VA Accountability Act and expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics, and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
• Delivered more appeals decisions – 81,000 – to veterans in a single year than ever before.
• Strengthened protections for individuals who come forward and identify programs occurring within the VA.
• Signed legislation that provided $86.5 billion in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the largest dollar amount in history for the VA.
• VA MISSION Act, enacting sweeping reform to the VA system that:
  • Consolidated and strengthened VA community care programs.
  • Funding for the Veterans Choice program.
  • Expanded eligibility for the Family Caregivers Program.
  • Gave veterans more access to walk-in care.
  • Strengthened the VA’s ability to recruit and retain quality healthcare professionals.
  • Enabled the VA to modernize its assets and infrastructure.
• Signed the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act in 2017, which authorized $2.1 billion in addition funds for the Veterans Choice Program.
• Worked to shift veterans’ electronic medical records to the same system used by the Department of Defense, a decades old priority.
• Issued an executive order requiring the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs to submit a joint plan to provide veterans access to access to mental health treatment as they transition to civilian life.
• Increased transparency and accountability at the VA by launching an online “Access and Quality Tool,” providing veterans with access to wait time and quality of care data.
• Signed legislation to modernize the claims and appeal process at the VA.
• Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, providing enhanced educational benefits to veterans, service members, and their family members.
  • Lifted a 15-year limit on veterans’ access to their educational benefits.
• Created a White House VA Hotline to help veterans and principally staffed it with veterans and direct family members of veterans.
• VA employees are being held accountable for poor performance, with more than 4,000 VA employees removed, demoted, and suspended so far.
• Signed the Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act, increasing the number of VA employees that can assist justice-involved veterans.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...-in-just-20-months-relentless-promise-keeping

Whew....That's a long list...

 

[Amelia]

That intelligence officials have to dumb things down so far for Trump and butter Trump up so much to even have a chance of getting through to him doesn't concern the OP at all.

*Yawn*....That is what you leftists say about any Republican elected....That they are "dumb".... Get a new bag.

Not any. Just the last two.

Actually I don't think George W. Bush was dumb either. I respected him. I voted for him. I didn't stop voting GOP until the party sold their soul to Trump. But I skipped over the OP's careless accusation about my habits in order to focus on the point which the leakers were making.

If I had been accusing Trump of being dumb, I would have said Trump was dumb, or some actual synonym for being unintelligent. Trump is worse than dumb. He has had more opportunities than 99% of the rest of the world to gain the knowledge which could prepare him for high office and he CHOSE to stay ignorant. He has indulged in hedonism to such an extent that he can't break free from it long enough to focus on what he needs to do for this job which he stumbled into. That's why intelligence officials have to try to flatter him to try to keep his attention long enough to process even their ultra-lite reports.

 

[j-mac]

Reagan was not dumb neither was Bush # 1

Not what liberals said during their terms....

 

[noonereal]

Well, isn't this a bit of snotty reporting from Mr. Walcott from Time....It isn't that these things are out there by yet more anonymous sourcing within the Obama politicized Intel services, but that the fact that some within those ranks are more than willing to talk to MSM media sources whom they know viscerally hate this President....

Here's how Sharyl Attkinsson lays it out in the Hill....



Ms. Attkinsson doesn't use the term, but I will...What we have seen for the past two years, and continuing is America's first Coup d'etat...And if not actually full blown, and complete with Troops marching into the White House to arrest, and remove President Trump, that is the dream...The next type would be a political coup....And that is what we are seeing...This is Obama's true legacy.

Thanks for the nut job news slant.

 

[Rogue Valley]

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 briefer's 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.

Look at the above. He's a moron with the attention span of a toddler. Maybe they should try using a highchair and a bib. Geezus.

I wouldn't let Trump run a hot dog stand on the Boardwalk.

 

[Tanngrisnir]

Well, isn't this a bit of snotty reporting from Mr. Walcott from Time....It isn't that these things are out there by yet more anonymous sourcing within the Obama politicized Intel services, but that the fact that some within those ranks are more than willing to talk to MSM media sources whom they know viscerally hate this President....

Here's how Sharyl Attkinsson lays it out in the Hill....



Ms. Attkinsson doesn't use the term, but I will...What we have seen for the past two years, and continuing is America's first Coup d'etat...And if not actually full blown, and complete with Troops marching into the White House to arrest, and remove President Trump, that is the dream...The next type would be a political coup....And that is what we are seeing...This is Obama's true legacy.

A. Yawn.
B. There is no credible evidence that any coup is going on, nor can you provide any.
C. This has absolutely nothing to do with Obama, nor can you demonstrate otherwise.
D. Yawn.

 

[j-mac]

Well to be fair J, you didn't think it was funny when were laughing at you for thinking President Obama was born in Kenya, his BC a forgery, he wants to kill old people and the stimulus will hyperinflation, dollar collapse, market to zero.

Please, please show me proof of that.....How freakin dare you....

and the one I'll be sure to tell my grandchildren is that you thought republicans really really really want to balance the budget.

I have no doubt that you will lie frequently to your grandchildren....Poor kids.

Until you admit you have a problem, we cant help you.

If we were face to face I think you know what I'd say to you after this disgusting post of yours here....Keep your lies to yourself.

 

[Idiometer]

Nonsense...You should turn off Maddow once in a while....

And you should turn off Hannity.

See how that works?

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

So let me see if I got this right. Trump being lazy, ignorant, and utterly stupid when it comes to military intelligence and the military is all because of Obama's 'Legacy' ?

LOL. For eight years the far-right blamed Obama for everything. But this one's a stretch, even for the far right Trumpsters .

 

[Ikari]

Nonsense...Nothing this President has done has endangered anyone....In fact, he has strengthened America.

Apparently not according to the intelligence community.

That would be a well worn tactic of those supporting a coup...Make light of anyone exposing it, smear them, say "nothing to see here".... Until it's too late...Your propaganda, including your lean fails.



Don't know what a "Trumpeteer" is supposed to be, other than a personal attack..

lol, the "coup" is anything but. There's nothing here to show any sort of actual coup. That's just dishonest drama and hysterics.

 

[<alt>doxygen]

I said it...He represents a threat....

But you don't know what about Trump is threatening or who he's threatening to?

This deep state nonsense seems like an ever-morphing enemy Trump supporters blame Trump's inability to get things done on. No one knows what/what it is, or why Trump has failed for 2 years to fix it.

He hired "the best people" and fired most of them. What's wrong with that guy?

Edit : This thread started borderline CT but it's over the edge now. Sorry - what you think is reality is laughable. Whatever the "deep state" is - every president has had to deal with. Put on your big boy pants, and tell Trump to do the same.

 

[JasperL]

Oh Bologna.....You weren't saying he was dumb, just that he was dumb....I don't have time for passive aggressive BS....

There's a difference, and it's significant, between being "dumb" and being willfully ignorant, and unconcerned about the assessments of experts and not wanting to use their expertise to assist in decision making.

In the best case we pay CEOs $millions for doing that well. If their staff could predict sales trends, etc. accurately and the decision was to go along with the best projections, why pay a CEO to sign off on those things. They get paid for making big decisions often contrary to what we might call conventional wisdom, they're visionaries, etc. OK, that's fine. What they shouldn't do is hear sales records and disregard them because they've said sales are GREAT! That's the equivalent being alleged here with Trump.

 

[<alt>doxygen]

No one, or no one who's good at anything, wants to work in such a volitile place as Trump's White House. Also, anyone taking a job there must first have the means to lawyer up.

The lunatics are now subletting the asylum.

:afraid:

Well, it was really a rhetorical question that's begged by the whole "deep state" concept. There a only a few outside of family that have stayed with Trump from the beginning. Miller and Conway are the only ones I can think of.

 

[JasperL]

Wait, wait, wait....Now you guy's love the IC community? When did that happen? During Bush 43 you people had nothing but disdain for them....Hell, outlets like the NYTimes outed covert operations, and applauded the deaths of IC operatives in Afghanistan....NOW, all of the sudden, they are the adults just trying to lead the child President to the right path? Give me a break....They are politicized, and that was the outgoing plan from the a-hole in chief Obama....

I never said that and if you read that and that's the message you thought I was trying to make, you're just engaging in the same willful, pig headed ignorance being alleged here about Trump.

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

In the weeks leading up to election day in 2016 Fox News, the conservative media, and Trump were constantly talking about illegal votes and fraud in the election system. It was their way of laying the groundwork just in case he lost the election they were going to blame it all on dirty tricks and illegal voting by the Democrats.

This deep State stuff is no different. It's their way of excusing all the crimes that Mueller might find in this Trump investigation.

 

[Vern]

Please, please show me proof of that.....How freakin dare you....
I have no doubt that you will lie frequently to your grandchildren....Poor kids.
If we were face to face I think you know what I'd say to you after this disgusting post of yours here....Keep your lies to yourself.

careful J, you don't want to clutch your pearls too hard. It might break the necklace (or possibly string in your case). But if you can keep from fainting long enough, let me point out that my mistake was not posting "you and yours". I can post "you and yours" because those are official conservative narratives believed by a large percentage if not majority of conservatives. Look how you are no longer angry about deficits. You used to rant about them (and dishonestly at that) now you praise trump's deficit ballooning tax cuts. Why should I give you the benefit of the doubt on other official conservative narratives.