This is a plea to GOP friends who voted for Donald Trump. Get on the phone now with members of Congress. Ask them to deliver this message to President-elect Trump: we will not support your agenda until you get your act together.
Republicans opposed Barack Obama at every single point of contact. On the issue of national security briefings, they excoriated the president, and now it is time -- if the GOP Congress is honest -- to hold the president-elect to the same burning flame.
This is not a matter of political affiliation: it's a matter of national security. Donald Trump says he doesn't have time for national security briefings -- significantly detailing subversive actions involving Russia, our principal adversary -- , and he does not trust the nation's intelligence gathering agency -- the CIA -- or its conclusions about Russia's intentions. So where is he getting his information on Russia?
From websites like Breitbart or Drudge Report? From trolls. Tweets. Or from Putin himself, through intermediaries like Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon Mobil?
It is not right. It is so far off the chart of normal, Donald Trump has taken the nation into uncharted waters.
Quote of the Day: Trump Is Blowing Off Intel Briefings Because "I'm, Like, a Smart Person"
KEVIN DRUM, Mother Jones
DEC. 11, 2016 2:34 PM
Donald Trump doesn't believe all this nonsense about Russia interfering with the election to help him out. I guess we all expected that. But then there's this:
He also indicated that as president, he would not take the daily intelligence briefing that President Obama and his predecessors have received. Mr. Trump, who has received the briefing sparingly as president-elect, said that it was often repetitive and that he would take it “when I need it.” He said his vice president, Mike Pence, would receive the daily briefing.
“You know, I’m, like, a smart person,” he said. “I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years.”
Hoo boy. A few years ago we learned that President Obama only attended 44 percent of his daily briefings. (He read the material on his own the rest of the time.) Conservatives were up in arms. Marc Thiessen complained that Obama was "consciously placing other priorities ahead of national security." John Sununu called the daily brief "the most important half-hour of the day for a president who has to protect the security of the United States." The Daily Caller snarked that Obama "has spent more time golfing than he has spent listening to daily intelligence briefings." Breitbart called the news "alarming." Dick Cheney was insulted: "If President Obama were participating in his intelligence briefings on a regular basis then perhaps he would understand why people are so offended at his efforts to take sole credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden."
Now Trump is saying he's never going to take the briefing because "I'm, like, a smart person." I await the conservative response with bated breath.
POSTSCRIPT: This is hardly the most important part of this story, but I'm curious. If Trump has only received two or three intelligence briefs so far, how does he know that they're "often repetitive"?
Republicans opposed Barack Obama at every single point of contact. On the issue of national security briefings, they excoriated the president, and now it is time -- if the GOP Congress is honest -- to hold the president-elect to the same burning flame.
This is not a matter of political affiliation: it's a matter of national security. Donald Trump says he doesn't have time for national security briefings -- significantly detailing subversive actions involving Russia, our principal adversary -- , and he does not trust the nation's intelligence gathering agency -- the CIA -- or its conclusions about Russia's intentions. So where is he getting his information on Russia?
From websites like Breitbart or Drudge Report? From trolls. Tweets. Or from Putin himself, through intermediaries like Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon Mobil?
It is not right. It is so far off the chart of normal, Donald Trump has taken the nation into uncharted waters.
Quote of the Day: Trump Is Blowing Off Intel Briefings Because "I'm, Like, a Smart Person"
KEVIN DRUM, Mother Jones
DEC. 11, 2016 2:34 PM
Donald Trump doesn't believe all this nonsense about Russia interfering with the election to help him out. I guess we all expected that. But then there's this:
He also indicated that as president, he would not take the daily intelligence briefing that President Obama and his predecessors have received. Mr. Trump, who has received the briefing sparingly as president-elect, said that it was often repetitive and that he would take it “when I need it.” He said his vice president, Mike Pence, would receive the daily briefing.
“You know, I’m, like, a smart person,” he said. “I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years.”
Hoo boy. A few years ago we learned that President Obama only attended 44 percent of his daily briefings. (He read the material on his own the rest of the time.) Conservatives were up in arms. Marc Thiessen complained that Obama was "consciously placing other priorities ahead of national security." John Sununu called the daily brief "the most important half-hour of the day for a president who has to protect the security of the United States." The Daily Caller snarked that Obama "has spent more time golfing than he has spent listening to daily intelligence briefings." Breitbart called the news "alarming." Dick Cheney was insulted: "If President Obama were participating in his intelligence briefings on a regular basis then perhaps he would understand why people are so offended at his efforts to take sole credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden."
Now Trump is saying he's never going to take the briefing because "I'm, like, a smart person." I await the conservative response with bated breath.
POSTSCRIPT: This is hardly the most important part of this story, but I'm curious. If Trump has only received two or three intelligence briefs so far, how does he know that they're "often repetitive"?
4 comments:
I have read that our current president does not attend every briefing either. What does your research show?
The FBI and CIA are presenting conflicting info on Russia and the DNC hack. Wikileaks said it was a democrat insider as does the UK Foreign Secretary.
Unnamed CIA sources allegedly "leaked" "top secret" info it was the Russians "hacking the election".
How does one get from DNC and Podesta to election via anonymous sources from the CIA going to the press hours after Obama says it was Russia.
FBI said there was no evidence Russia hacked DNC, CIA has lied before, Iraq, Syria, Iran for some examples, if they even leaked the alleged Obama theory.
Need a complete overhaul, we know CentCom doctored ISIS reports for Obama to seize upon.
Maybe this is why Generals are being put in charge as opposed to political stooges?
"Russia is our principal adversary" ???????
Is that why we topple regimes all over the world?
Is that why we interfered in the BREXIT referendum under Obama?
The blame Russia marching orders from the Elites have been sent out, it's all to give the media pundits a way out of being so wrong on everything in 2016.
Try the new news hashtag, old news is over.
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