General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUS. ALLIES CONDUCT INTELLIGENCE OPERATION AGAINST TRUMP STAFF AND ASSOCIATES, INTERCEPTED COMMUNICAT
Kurt Eichenwald at Newsweek
"SNIP.........
As part of intelligence operations being conducted against the United States for the last seven months, at least one Western European ally intercepted a series of communications before the inauguration between advisers associated with President Donald Trump and Russian government officials, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation.
.......SNIP"
(Can't get link to work as this was an email on my cellphone).
herding cats
(19,564 posts)As part of intelligence operations being conducted against the United States for the last seven months, at least one Western European ally intercepted a series of communications before the inauguration between advisers associated with President Donald Trump and Russian government officials, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation.
The sources said the interceptions include at least one contact between former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and a Russian official based in the United States. It could not be confirmed whether this involved the telephone call with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak that has led to Flynns resignation, or additional communications. The sources said the intercepted communications are not just limited to telephone calls: The foreign agency is also gathering electronic and human source information on Trumps overseas business partners, at least some of whom the intelligence services now consider to be agents of their respective governments. These operations are being conducted out of concerns that Russia is seeking to manipulate its relationships with Trump administration officials as part of a long-term plan to destabilize the NATO alliance.
Moreover, a Baltic nation is gathering intelligence on officials in the Trump White House and executives with the presidents company, the Trump Organization, out of concern that an American policy shift toward Russia could endanger its sovereignty, according to a third person with direct ties to that nations government.
These sources spoke on condition that they not be identified because they were not formally authorized to disclose the information. While Newsweek was told which allied nations intercepted the communications and are gathering intelligence on Trump associates, the sources did so on condition that the countries not be identified out of concern those governments would incur the presidents wrath.
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These operations reflect a serious breakdown in the longstanding faith in the direction of American policy by some of the countrys most important allies. Worse, the United States is now in a situation that may be unprecedentedwhere European governments know more about what is going on in the Executive Branch than any elected American official. To date, the Republican-controlled Congress has declined to conduct hearings to investigate the links between Trumps overseas business partners and foreign governments, or the activities between Russia and officials in the Trump campaign and administrationthe very areas being examined by the intelligence services of at least two American allies.
http://www.newsweek.com/allies-intercept-russia-trump-adviser-communications-557283
applegrove
(118,656 posts)herding cats
(19,564 posts)It's a really important report and everyone should see it.
AJT
(5,240 posts)the results of their investigations to the public.
herding cats
(19,564 posts)I suspect we can expect more of this in the future.
applegrove
(118,656 posts)MyMission
(1,850 posts)I had the same thought. Our allies and others know how dangerous and unstable the so-called prez is. Like Napoleon, Hitler,other mad men who contrived to gain absolute ultimate power. We are on the road to stopping this, but can use all the help we can get.
applegrove
(118,656 posts)wide trade wars. By ww3 I meant mayhem in general.
triron
(22,003 posts)ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)1. How did they know they needed to listen in on tRump's conversations as long as 7 months ago? Does that not seem like they were already aware of collusion with Russia and the eventual tRump win?
2. What is the relationship between these countries and our own intelligence agencies? To put it another way, if they have the goods on everyone in the administration, are the willing to release it to us?
3. This goes with #2. How much faith does our intelligence have in these other countries' intelligence? Because maybe these other countries picked up on something prior to when our own intelligence began listening in on the administration. They could have the vital key.
radical noodle
(8,000 posts)That's been floating under the radar for a long time. Even to my totally untrained eye, I thought the trump/Russia thing was suspicious. Too many surrounding trump with Russian connections. That's not normal.
murielm99
(30,741 posts)but never fully explored by our dumbass media. Hillary mentioned the questions raised by our intelligence services during one of the debates.
I have a feeling that these countries have informed our intelligences agencies already. That does not mean that our agencies are willing to go public with all of it, especially during a Presidential campaign season. Just because Comey is a shit does not mean that all of them are like that.
zentrum
(9,865 posts)But never forget that this Russian conspiring, terrifying as it is, is not the main thing about Trumpism---which is an assault on our economy, our health, our education, our courts, our diversity, our environment, immigrants, women, press.
These assaults will outlive his tenure.
The Bannon-Pence-Putin-Tillerson-Trump-oil cabal is plenty lethal but don't let it make us drop the ball on the more invisible systemic changes he's orchestrating. They scare me much more than this Russian thing which I think can be named, exposed and contained.