“As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety,” Trump wrote Tuesday morning. “Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.”...It looks like they're not merely lying, they're incompetently lying, failing to get their story straight before they start talking. That's the simplest explanation of what we are seeing. Or do you think it's some "genius" move and I'm just failing to see the brilliance?
Trump's tweets undercut his administration's frantic effort Monday night to contain the damaging report. The White House trotted out three senior administration officials — National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson — to attack the reports.
The president's admission also follows a familiar pattern. Last week, after firing FBI director James B. Comey, the White House originally claimed that the president was acting in response to a memo provided by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.
I wonder how McMaster, Powell, and Tillerson feel about the way they were used. Did Trump exploit them and then immediately blindside them? If so, would they resign and talk about it?
ADDED: Ben Sasse explains it: McMaster didn't really say what the media were saying he said:
“When I look at McMaster’s quote, it’s a pretty technical quote,” Mr. Sasse said. “I think it’s actually something quite different from a full rebuttal of the story.”Incredibly, the NYT article where I got the Sasse quote, doesn't have the verbatim "pretty technical quote" from McMaster that Sasse is talking about. It only says: "General McMaster told reporters on Monday that The Post’s account “as reported” was 'false'...". I had to google it! Here:
The story that came out tonight as reported is false. The president and the foreign minister reviewed a range of common threats to our two countries, including threats to civil aviation. At no time, at no time, [were] intelligen[ce] sources or methods discussed. And the president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known. Two other senior officials who were present, including the Secretary of the State, remember the meeting the same way and have said so. [They're] on the record accounts should outweigh anonymous sources. I was in the room. It didn't happen.
Posts
264 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 264 of 264eric said...
Media yesterday: Trump reveals source of highly classified information to Russia!!
Media today: Hey everyone, the source was Israel BTW. Just an FYI.
Hahahhaha. Right? What is going on?
Chuck Channeling Schumer said: "Trumpkins would have loved the Stalinist Soviet Union, or Maoist China, or Castro's Cuba, or Pol Pot's Cambodia. You only need to know what the government tells you is 'appropriate."'
Seriously? Here is the over the top version of "Trump warps Chuck!"
Who do you belong to, asshole? The leftmedia? Soros? Hillary? Colbert? Schumer? There isn't a nickel's worth of difference between you and them.
I'll bet you that (all other) Presidents DON'T just decide on the spur of the moment that it's okay to share classified information from a 3rd party (w/o their permission) with high level diplomats of foreign countries, esp. adversaries like Russia. They get a script, they go over it, and decisions such as that are made ahead of time in consultation with State and appropriate intelligence agencies. At least that's what one former diplomat was saying on CNN today. And that makes a lot more sense than YOUR idiotic idea that a President just goes out and reveals to the Russian diplomats whatever he feels like as if he's shooting the shit in a barbershop - which is what Trump did.
Two things: I never said that. You focused on one piece of the whole comment and proceeded to use it as the entire theme of what I said. Go back and re-read, and explain again how that's what I said. Second - Assume your last sentence is right. You know this, exactly, how? Were you in the room? Were you the leaker? Why should I accept anything you say on it? It's obvious from your bias that it all fits your narrative. If you have something concrete you can show us all, please feel free to share it. I'm not accepting anything just because some smarmy, arrogant lefty on the internet says so.
There's a reason for that, too, and it's not hard to figure out. Because it's fucking dangerous otherwise. Something Trump and his Trumplestiltskeins (you) can't quite grasp.
Assuming anything was shared that WAS dangerous, sure. But not one single piece of evidence has come out that shows that that is the case. So you're back at square one - with a big fucking zero.
khesanh0802, I do not think you are incoherent at all. This entire story so far is complete bullshit.
Unless I am mistaken, the hysteria about McMaster's statement is he said no source or methods were disclosed whereas the WaPo only said sources and methods "might be inferred" from the intel that was disclosed. The Post did not tell us what that intel was or how it was shared, hence it is impossible to know what might be inferred from it. As the saying about a grand jury's indicting powers goes, you can infer a ham sandwich from anything if you have enough imagination. McMaster made the far more important point that might actually be relevant to Americans - that is, that no actual sources or methods were described. Whatever the WaPo thinks might be "inferred," McMaster spoke to the only thing that ought to matter. Trump did not contradict him and he did not contradict Trump, and I defy anyone to explain otherwise.
Well, now the NYT has disclosed the source country.
So that happened.
Blogger Snark said...
"@hombre
"McMasters"..You're really dialed in, uh."
It's about predictive text, rumpswab. It probably doesn't show up on your Commodore 64.
"that a President just goes out and reveals to the Russian diplomats whatever he feels like as if he's shooting the shit in a barbershop - which is what Trump did."
You know this how? Because you read it an already discredited WaPo story?
Critical thinking takes intelligence, experience, and a rational mind. Unsurprisingly, the Left isn't very good at it.
At this point, it's pretty clear that the Trump administration is trolling the Left into slobbering irrelevance. How could they not catch on?
Chuck said...
'The question is: How does a "lifelong Republican" justify supporting left-wing efforts to delegitimize a duly elected POTUS.
What an ignorant charge. I've never written anything to "delegitimize" Trump's presidency. Let's review....'
Bullshit, Chuck: The goal of the leftmedia and the Democrats is to delegitimization Trump and his presidency. To the extent that you write to support them, as today, you support delegitimization. Singling out the few occasions when you have overcome your rabid hatred to praise a Trump appointee, or the like, does not alter your obvious commitment to their goal.
"I'm not accepting anything just because some smarmy, arrogant lefty on the internet says so."
Smarmy?!? I'm hurt.
According to the Post story Trump revealed the codeword information to his Russian friends in the context of bragging about how "great" his intel was (boy, that sure doesn't fit Trump's profile, does it? {sarcasm alert}. Trump is desperate to be liked, nearly everyone agrees with that (if you don't, fine - you're blind imo but so be it), and he wants to see the Russians as his friends rather than his adversaries. In spite of all our last 100 years' experience with Russian/Soviet governments (Putin = former KGB, Gulag guy).
Trump loves him some strongman authoritarian types, like Putin. And that's why he was endangering our security during the ridiculous Oval Office meeting he never should have had with the Russians to begin with.
Yes, his cabinet and spokespeople will continue to makes excuses for his ignorance - what can they do, short of resigning (or wisely keeping quiet on this one, like VP Pence).
Trump blew this. He needs to get some discipline and stay on task and stay on script with these world leaders. He's way way over his head, and I think everyone except the True Believers know it.
Sorry if I'm arrogant for your taste. You should see how you guys look from here.
"At this point, it's pretty clear that the Trump administration is trolling the Left into slobbering irrelevance. How could they not catch on?"
How's that Trump agenda coming, Mister? Yeah, I thought so.
I suppose having 39% approval rating (35% among independents) is all part of his 3-D Chess game.
Israel is the source of the classified intelligence that Trump gave to Russia and they are not happy about it.
"The goal of the leftmedia and the Democrats is to delegitimization Trump and his presidency."
True.
The conflict now is Manichaean. Realities have clarified. There are no multiple sides, practically, it is Leviathan against the revolutionaries.
All for one, or all for the other.
The media has misquoted every single person involved in this episode. At first I thought there was something to this story. The more I read about it the more it becomes clear the media and the leftists are twisting and lying.
These kinds of talks happen. And this is no where near the level of a president lying to Americans about a deal he made with the Iranians. Or telling everyone what unit killed bin Laden. Or telling everyone about the underwear plot. Or telling everyone about the Iranian Nuclear system hack.
Disgusting people.
Blogger Brookzene said...
I suppose having 39% approval rating (35% among independents) is all part of his 3-D Chess game.
That's nothing! He has a 2% chance of beating Hillary in Nov. And that's rounded up!
How does Israel know they are the source, if we don't know what was shared?
Just asking?
"The conflict now is Manichaean. Realities have clarified. There are no multiple sides, practically, it is Leviathan against the revolutionaries."
What a drama queen. Always talking about how the left is all emotional and feeling, and then you get this silliness. Classic.
The media has misquoted every single person involved in this episode. At first I thought there was something to this story. The more I read about it the more it becomes clear the media and the leftists are twisting and lying.
Not only twisting and lying, but conveniently fitting this to a prewritten narrative. Following links in the latest NYT piece I realized that Haaretz was reporting the warnings issued by "current and former US intelligence officials" back when Trump first took office, and this incident is exactly what they predicted.
Prescient, perhaps, or creating the illusion that they were by selectively leaking and spinning the leaks.
"That's nothing! He has a 2% chance of beating Hillary in Nov. And that's rounded up!"
And how we doing on that Health Care bill again? How's that tax reform coming? Making a lot of progress on that Mexican wall, are we? Infrastructure going great, isn't it? These things are all we've been talking about now for I don't know how long. Nothing gets in the way of the Trump agenda.
Gotta figure GOP is gonna get it's ass kicked so bad in 2018, one or two houses gone Democrat, President Loco won't get anything done.
That's how it's looking now anyway.
Chuck wrote: RE: Your 10:48 question...
A non-answer. In fact, Chuck's "reply" was almost entirely questions. Absolutely no defense of the WaPo's "major news story" was offered.
I'll take that as vindication of the President by default.
Never should've trusted him, Israel.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/sheerafrenkel/israeli-official-trump-sharing-intelligence-with-russia-is?utm_term=.mkLjPzY39#.hsGgodL9J
SAN FRANCISCO — Two Israeli intelligence officials confirmed to BuzzFeed News Tuesday that Israel had shared specific intelligence with the US regarding ISIS plots to smuggle explosive laptops onto planes, under the unique intelligence-sharing agreement the two countries maintain.
The revelation that Trump had shared that intelligence with Russian officials was Israel's "worst fears confirmed," said one of the intelligence officers.
"We have an arrangement with America which is unique to the world of intelligence sharing. We do not have this relationship with any other country," said the officer, who spoke to BuzzFeed News on condition of anonymity as he was not granted permission to speak to the press.
"There is a special understanding of security cooperation between our countries," they said. "To know that this intelligence is shared with others, without our prior knowledge? That is, for us, our worst fears confirmed."
A second intelligence officer, who spoke to BuzzFeed News via encrypted app and also spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Israel had shared specific intelligence with the US regarding an active threat to US-bound planes. Speaking to BuzzFeed News via a military base in northern Israel, he said Israeli intelligence officers were "boiling mad and demanding answers" as to whether Israel's military would continue its current intelligence-sharing agreement with the US."
But it isn't confirmed the information Trump told Russia was from Israel.
And it isn't that classified considering someone is talking to Buzzfeed about it. Geesh
Israel to USA to Russia...to Iran. From Israel's lips to Allah's ears, via the United States.
Is it just me, or have new, very active commenters popped up in the last month.
This usually only happens around election time. Interesting.
"What a drama queen. "
Good point. Lets change it about.
To quote Althouse, it is insect politics.
Eat or be eaten, no emotion is in it.
Brookzene: "And how we doing on that Health Care bill again? How's that tax reform coming? Making a lot of progress on that Mexican wall, are we? Infrastructure going great, isn't it? These things are all we've been talking about now for I don't know how long. Nothing gets in the way of the Trump agenda."
Reminds me of the old days when defense attorneys used to keep appeals in capital cases going for ten years and then argue that delaying the execution for ten years violated the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
Not precisely analogous, but similarly disingenuous. Democrats, the mediaswine and unethical judges are impeding Trump at every turn while Brookzene and her ilk gloat that he's not getting things done. Meanwhile, the economic indicators improve, we are deregulating, the market thrives, media approval plunges, Gorsuch and dozens of pending judicial appointments, illegal immigration stutters, Comey's gone and soon, perhaps, we will see Hillary and the leakers indicted. Not bad.
"To quote Althouse, it is insect politics."
Yeah, Althouse doesn't know what she's talking about either.
That's how it's looking now anyway.
So that's the view from Mom's basement.
"So that's the view from Mom's basement."
Sick burn. I better get outta here before tcrosse strikes again.
Blogger Brookzene said...
"Israel to USA to Russia...to Iran. From Israel's lips to Allah's ears, via the United States."
Selective stupidity. Try: From NSA to sixteen other agencies to WaPo or NYT. Or from CIA to contractors to Wikileaks. Or from NSA to hackers to ransomware. The US intelligence community is a sieve and it has nothing to do with Trump except that residual Obot deep staters use him as an excuse to betray the public trust by illegally peddling classified information to the media.
But then what is betraying the public trust to Democrats? They ran Hillary for President.
From today's NY Times:
"Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said in a statement that the president “did not discuss sources, methods or military operations” with the Russians.
But The Post and the other news organizations did not report that he had done so. Instead, they focused on the breach of espionage etiquette, and on the possibility that American allies might be discouraged from sharing intelligence with the United States."
Let's read that again:
"But The Post and the other news organizations did not report that he had done so."
Not exactly an Emily Litella moment, but close.
One of the interesting things I think we'll see as the months go by is the various countries that we deal with getting more comfortable with Trump than they ever were with Obama. They will know - as many already have said - that he actually wants to get things done and that he will work with them toward that end. Though it will not be covered in the press I think we will see it in improved cooperation in the Atlantic and the Pacific. I don't think there was ever much international trust for Obama's administration - other countries knew everything was about him.
What Trump needs is an information control officer through whom all, including Trump's, public statements are cleared. Never mind trying to beat the news clock. Get the party line straight and when it is, publish it. Getting rid of daily press briefings would go a long way toward establishing message control. As chief of staff Preibus should be initiating this, but I think he has a different role. Bannon or Conway should be doing the coordinating.
"My complaints about Trump are always all about his own personal stupidity, verbal recklessness, insane Twitter rants, and his general unreliability and psychopathology."
It's fuuny you should say that, Chuck, because it's exactly what we think of you.
Snowmaggedon, hurricane/tornado/shark attack season "reporting" 24/7/365.
Peeps don't care.
And then there's Britain.
Try and keep up people.
"It's fuuny you should say that, Chuck, because it's exactly what we think of you."
Rusty should never leave his garage.
hombre said...
Blogger Brookzene said...
"Israel to USA to Russia...to Iran. From Israel's lips to Allah's ears, via the United States."
Saudi Arabia is better bet than Israel.
According to the Post story
There's your problem right there. You accept their words as proof, and use that to bolster some other random brainless thought.
The story is wrong. That's more obvious by the minute.
Whenever I read a WaPo story that concerns Trump, I ask myself how the WaPo would have reported it (if they reported it all) if Obama was prez.
Gotta figure GOP is gonna get it's ass kicked so bad in 2018, one or two houses gone Democrat, President Loco won't get anything done.
The GOP doesn't even care about losing in 2018. The GOP is as much a part of the Washington establishment as the Dems and the WaPo are. The only thing they'll be worried about is losing the primo office choices.
That said - it's very possible you are correct. That's thanks to a media complex that lies through its teeth to help make that happen. You'll be happy in the short run, but I don't think you'll feel that way in the long run.
The real damage to our national security does not come from any Trumpian breach of "espionage etiquette," but from our adversaries' knowledge that a segment of the American political class will put partisan advantage over national purpose. The original Russia hysteria already signaled the use of "intelligence" gathering for purely domestic gains, the campaign against Flynn over supposed "blackmail" showed the use of the apparatus to thwart Trump, the leak of the breach served a domestic purpose, damn the international consequences, and of course the repeated betrayal of allied secrets by the O administration (Stuxnet, anyone?) and of major US operations by its MSM lackeys (remember the totally gratuitous NYT betrayal of the Swift antiterror financing program?) already demonstrated that the left cares not a bit about the national interest when it conflicts with its own.
Who put "They're" in brackets in McMaster's quote? The original quote correctly had "Their". The subject of the sentence is "their on the record accounts." I take it that the reader misunderstood what was being asserted and thought the quote should be, "They are on the record." But the rest of the sentence then makes no sense. Grammar Nazis should be a bit more careful readers! If you are going to make a correction, maybe add hyphens to "on-the-record", but I'm not sure even that is necessary.
Rabel: "But The Post and the other news organizations did not report that he had done so."
Well, Tillerson only focused on what mattered. The focus of the WaPo, et al, was to leave themselves plenty of wiggle room for when they got called on their bullshit. It's all calumny by innuendo with the lefty mediaswine, particularly the Wapo and NYT.
Two different conversations.
Well, well, well. I had forgotten about this. Which was, of course, by design...
Obama's CIA Director Leaked Top Secret Bin Laden Info
"Well, well, well. I had forgotten about this."
But...but...but...
You guys are always fighting the last war. And no wonder. You're losing this one so badly.
Nice deflection, brooksie, but the point is that there are two sets of standards - one for this president, and one for the prior. And the prior could do anything he wanted.
You picking up what I'm laying down?
If this is no big deal to Trump supporters perhaps what Israeli intelligence has to say will give them pause about the hasty and careless reader of intelligence reports has undone:
"We have an arrangement with America which is unique to the world of intelligence sharing," one intelligence officer told BuzzFeed. "We do not have this relationship with any other country."
Well, for one thing your link is busted. And The Federalist? Is this something reputable? And please don't tell me as reputable as NYT, WSJ or WaPo, because we know that's not true.
"You guys are always fighting the last war. And no wonder. You're losing this one so badly."
Yeah, it really stung when Hillary beat Trump, and the Democrats took control of the Senate, and when the Democrats took control of the house, and when Hillary appointed Scalia's replacement on the Supreme Court. Not to mention how badly we got beaten in all of those state legislatures and Governor's mansions...
Retard.
Brookzene said...
But...but...but...
You guys are always fighting the last war. And no wonder. You're losing this one so badly.
People are catching on to the lies you are all telling and your blatant hypocrisy. Obama actually did the things you are falsely accusing Trump of doing. It takes twisted quotations and pure conjecture to keep this story going not including the blatantly illegal leak of a confidential discussion between Trump and Lavrov in the first place.
You are truly awful people. Most of you are paid to be here most likely as well. Nobody would be this amoral for free. Your reaction to this story underlines your depravity.
roesch/voltaire said...
If this is no big deal to Trump supporters perhaps what Israeli intelligence has to say will give them pause about the hasty and careless reader of intelligence reports has undone:
Bullshit. You supported Obama when he sent money and people to undermine Netanyahu in a foreign election. Obama outed Stuxnet publicly. Obama outed the underwear bomber investigation publicly.
Some leftist made public a private discussion between Trump and a foreign dignitary. At every step you people are trying to tear this country down.
You are just not good people.
"Most of you are paid to be here most likely as well."
Absolutely. And you're a sucker if you're not. Especially with your smooth, persuasive skills.
Breaking... from the NYTs.
Trump asked Comey in February to shut down the Russia investigation. Amazing. Let's see how the Trumpists spin this one. It just never ends. There is a memo and a paper trail.
Trump is insane.
"Along with the existence of the memo regarding Flynn, sources close to Comey also told the Times of some of the president’s other strange suggestions.
According to the report, Trump reportedly told Comey that the FBI should “should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information”."
Oh dear, the NYT. Even the Left's tame news sources are, in effect, trolling them. If you think your mission is to provide comfort to your consumers then validity is unimportant. Tell them any old thing. They'll thank you for it today and forget about it tomorrow.
Trump is a narcissist who can do no wrong! He was just trolling our allies, the Israelis!
It will be fun watching the right-wing nutcases try to spin this one.
Abby Someone wrote: Rusty should never leave his garage.
Words of wisdom from the original garage-dwelling mouth-breather.
MayBee said...
Well, now the NYT has disclosed the source country.
So that happened.
5/16/17, 1:11 PM
Assuming true. If any slip-up was feared, this could be to cover, and Israel does this dance, and really it was the Turks, or whoever.
@ ANYBODY
Why should I trust anonymous Israeli intelligence officials? If the intelligence did NOT come from Israel, they have a great chance to convince their enemies of their omnipotence regarding this kulturkampf. Is that not a great place to be?
IOW, what state of facts would be needed for any statements besides those we are now seeing from being made? I can think of none.
This is game theory at work, people. Quit thinking from the side with which you identify and think about these things from the position of the actors involved (assuming you trust the MSM to represent anything truthfully, at all).
Post a Comment