Trump Dumps All Over U.S. Intel Community: 'I Won't Use Them'

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Donald Trump said Wednesday he was wary of relying on the U.S. intelligence community because he does not trust them and believes they've made "bad decisions." During an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked about his upcoming intelligence briefing and whether he does "trust intelligence."

"Not so much from the people that have been doing it for our country. Look what's happened over the last ten years. Look what's happened over the years. It's been catastrophic," he said in response. "And in fact, I won't use some of the people that are sort of your standards, you know, just use them, use them, use them. Very easy to use them, but I won't use them because they've made such bad decisions."

Trump did not make clear --and was not asked -- whom he would rely on outside of official channels. He then appeared to allude to the George W. Bush administration's claims that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

"I mean, you look at Iraq, you look at the Middle East, it’s a total powder keg. If we would have never touched it it would have been a lot better, I mean, we would have been much better off. On top of which we spent probably $4 trillion. Nobody even knows what we've spent," Trump said.

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/donald-trump-intelligence-officials

[milestogo]

1. He'll use Alex Jones and Ivanka instead.

[Ilsa]

40. "Ivanka just got back from Croatia and ...

... she said everything is great over there! She's thinking of opening an accessories shop with her new BFF, who is Putin's bedmate now."

[Helen Borg]

48. Yup

Trump's Intel expert.

[lapfog_1]

51. Why oh Why did you post that

I have to put my eyes out now.

[RKP5637]

56. Ohhhhh, this picture needed a warning, pix of obscene naked fool! n/t

[alphafemale]

2. He'll do whatever Putin tells him to do.

That's what he'll do.

[avebury]

3. Exactly! nt

[liberalmuse]

12. I'm getting more and more horrified.

This man is dangerous and so obviously Putin's puppet.

[RKP5637]

55. I still think many Americans just don't get how dangerous he is. Some treated Hitler as a curiosity

in Germany, that he would not win, he would just go away, for example, and look where that got them.

[GusBob]

4. They dont make the decisions you stupid fuck loser, you stupid fuck loser, you stupid fuck loser

Jesus Lord save us from this asshole

[sarae]

15. lol

you took the words right out of my mouth...

I'm constantly amazed at my inability to express just how much hatred I have for this man. Words strong enough to properly convey my feelings just don't exist.

[kimbutgar]

44. Hatred will eat you up

I think we are all throughly disgusted and repulsed by him.

When I see him on tv I feel ill.

[mahina]

35. You and me.

[adigal]

58. And someone on his campaign didn't know the difference between

The defense department and intelligence. He said trumps generals would decide how yo set up intelligence and the newscaster on CNN said, "They're different organizations." Duh.

[Mme. Defarge]

5. I think it's the word "intelligence"

that had him flummoxed.

[Stonepounder]

6. Well, naturally he will rely on the FSB and the SVR.

They have made really, really great decisions. They recruited Trump didn't they?

[Roy Rolling]

7. Outsource

He will outsource the CIA to a cheaper company in Russia.

[uppityperson]

8. I am amazed at how he takes 1 little bit of truth then runs with it

Yes, there are problems. But to throw it all out? Incredible.

[shraby]

9. That worked so great for cheney etal.

[liberalmuse]

10. Um, you don't want to piss off the CIA or FBI...

Maybe I'm overreacting, but it sounds like Trump is attempting a coup. What else won't he use? The Constitution? Congress? The Rule of Law? Jesus H. Christ!

[lark]

34. The judiciary and the press.

He won't have any use for them either and will throw them out if they aren't blonde Aryans and total sycophants.

[RKP5637]

57. Those voting for Trump are voting for a dictator and the collapse of the US democracy. The guy

seriously needs to be seen as a significant threat to democracy.

[muntrv]

11. Intelligence officials will have no use for Drumpf either.

[bananakabob]

13. But the intel community was right about Iraq.

It was Bush and the Republicans doctoring and manipulating information to fit their agenda that caused us to go into Iraq.

[spud_demon]

53. Yep. It was Feith's "alternative assessment" that led us to war

so Trump is right that bad intel analysis led to a bad decision but wrong about who was responsible.

[Jim__]

14. Intelligence? I don't need no stinkin' intelligence!

I'll use my own very good brain. Just like I've always done.

[jtuck004]

16. Well, even an evil, narcissistic watch can be right twice a day.

Big warehouse full of American's information,people who were committing no crime, monitored, cataloged, labeled and preserved. And their recordings too. Pres says he doesn't want them.

What happens to it?

[Mendocino]

17. Trump says know two intellygints.

[truthisfreedom]

18. That's okay, Donald. They won't trust you with any intel anyway.

You fuckstick clownturd.

[TeamPooka]

19. He'll bring in Putin's people to do the job. nt

[FighttheFuture]

20. Of course not, he has the FSB and SVR at his command via his buddy, Putin.

These are also also known as Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB - Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Federatsii), and the espionage agency Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR - Sluzhba vneshney razvedki).

[Kathy M]

21. The above statements from Don are they his words or is he being a puppet for Michael Flynn

"One former official told The Washington Post that Flynn attempted to push DIA analyses and operators into the field and other high-intensity operations. This ran counter to how the DIA saw itself, leading many to believe that Flynn's vision for the agency was disruptive.

Flynn's critics also maintained that his management style was chaotic and that his aggressive push for changes often did not include an adequate follow-through.

During his tenure, Flynn routinely pushed for greater intelligence sharing. He has also been a leading figure in coalition and special operations intelligence activities.

Flynn previously served as a senior intelligence officer for the Joint Special Operations Command. During this time he was credited with creating innovative interrogation techniques leading to significant breakthroughs in counterterrorism operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "

http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-t-flynn-fired-from-dia-2014-4

Wonder if Flynn has a chip on his shoulder since he was pushed out of his position not to long ago ( scores to settle etc )

I May refer to Don in the future as Don the puppet .......

[bulloney]

22. Sy Hersh reported shortly after we began invading Iraq

that it wasn't bad intelligence that got us into Iraq as much as it was Dick Cheney "stove-piping" raw, unvetted intelligence to make his case to invade Iraq.

[angrychair]

23. Great idea!

Given his current staffing the alternative is obvious:

Alex Jones' Info Wars (replacing FBI) and Breitbart media (CIA) will give tRump all the intelligence he needs.
Conspiracy theories, false flags and insider info are all tRump needs to run the country.

Plus tRump has a good brain with the best thoughts.

[Ilsa]

41. He can ask Melania to read

some tea leaves or ask Barron what he thinks. I wonder if Ivanka has an astrologer?

[Dems to Win]

24. Intelligence community was shocked by the collapse of the Soviet Union

Stunned by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

Bamboozled by Syrian groups into supplying arms that were immediately turned over to ISIS.

Took over a decade to find Bin Laden.

Once upon a time, liberals were highly critical of the CIA and MIC. Now, Democrats trumpet the endorsement of their candidate by a former acting head of the agency.

Today, it seems that a lot of liberals are reflexively opposed to everything Trump says, no matter what.

If Trump says 'Make America Great Again', Obama says America is greater than its ever been. Felt like quite a stick in the eye to people who lost their homes to mortgage fraud or who are drowning in student loan debt.

Personally, I don't feel it's wise for Democrats to forget their own principles in opposing Trump at every turn.

[Ilsa]

47. Duly noted! Not everything is great

for everyone. People are still hurting and trying to get ahead or recover. It'll be awhile before Reaganomics damage, among other things, is overcome. People are still discriminated against. And the CIA's crystal ball isn't 100%.
Good post, thanks.

[Zorro]

49. Democrats aren't reflexively against the intelligence community

Being anti-IC is not a guiding party principle.

Clinton should use Trump's insult of the IC to drive his numbers even lower in Virginia.

[uncle ray]

52. Democrats in general have never called for dismantling or ignoring the intelligence community.

griping about failures and flaws is a lot different than what Don the Con is saying he will do.

[Grammy23]

25. Just another manifestation of his narcissism on display.

He knows more about it than anyone else so I guess he will be consulting with himself on "intelligence". Uhmmm, yep. We are well and truly screwed in that case.

The sheer gall of this man-child is nothing short of stunning. Not often we get the chance to see this much narcissism on display. Watch and learn. Then vote like your life depends on it because it very well may.

[Gothmog]

26. Trump is an idiot and so he does not trust intelligence

[winetourdriver]

27. Wow

This may not end well, our intelligence services don't like being dissed. I remember what happened when a past president dumped on the intelligence services, quick and brutal.

[bucolic_frolic]

28. Well, THIS is a display of confidence and bravado!

He has carrier pigeons and spies on the ground?

[rurallib]

29. not sure whether to laugh or cry

until Nov. 9th I think crying is the best choice.
Actually GOTV is the best choice

[Bradical79]

30. Might as well

He wouldn't know what to do with the information anyway.

[MrScorpio]

31. At some point, people need to wonder out loud if Trump is trying at all to get elected

Or, if he's simply not used at all, of doing anything that resembles real work or even thinking.

Perhaps he's never been capable of either.

[Aviation Pro]

32. Ah, no...

...Putin's Lapdog. The U.S. intelligence network works for the executive branch and does not make decisions, but executes the decisions of the President. You might want to bone up on how our national systems work, you fucking small-dicked motherfucker.

[Roland99]

33. He ignores the fact that intelligence community WARNED Bush/Cheney it was bad info!

It's the neocons and political wonks that were places in certain positions that overrode what the intel community was saying!

Wolfowitz, Feith, Hadley, et al

[leftyladyfrommo]

36. He isn't going to use the entire USgovt.

Does he ever say anything? About anything?

[jmowreader]

37. He will try to use private-sector intelligence services

What he does not realize is, the private-sector services work with the government's own forces.

[Fritz Walter]

38. Like Breitfart?

Read today's headlines (reading the full story will give you apoplexy): his new campaign leadership is the former head -- and I used that term in Navy parlance -- of Breitfart Noise.

He's mocking us. Our government, our constitution, our military, veterans and their families/survivors, our entire nation. For what? His damaged and very fragile ego.

[jmowreader]

61. I was more thinking DynCorp, Booz Allen or Lockheed Martin

Real civilian intel agencies came into existence for a very good reason: in addition to being limited in the amount of money they can spend to do the work - yes, the limits are fantastically high; they still exist - Congress also limits the number of employees you can have. But you can hire nongovernmental agencies without hitting those stops.

[NurseJackie]

39. A Ouija board, telekenisis and remote viewing?

[sakabatou]

42. One wonders if he'll leak the intelligence

[lanlady]

43. who needs the CIA

when you can get your marching orders directly from the KGB?

[7962]

46. AHHHHH hahahahaha!!!

[7962]

45. He's got lots of good people. Really great people. Lots of 'em GREAT people.

I feel so safe now

[GreydeeThos]

50. I have heard of science denial, but Trump has intelligence denial

[kimbutgar]

54. He really wants to piss off the intelligence community

Who in turn might want to look closely at his relations with Putin. I hope Cheeto gets exposed and it blows up in his face as the October surprise.

[jaysunb]

59. You're kicking a wasps nest, Don. n/t

[democrattotheend]

60. I don't completely disagree with him on this

I think it's true that certain people in the intelligence community have done bad things, including providing faulty intel for the Iraq War (although to be fair, it always felt like the Bush Administration was twisting the intelligence community's arms to find justification for going to war). I don't think a shakeup of some of the people who work for the intelligence community would be a bad thing. That said, I certainly don't think Trump, who knows nothing about intelligence or foreign policy, is the right person to do that.

[Third Doctor]

62. He's the gift that keeps on giving.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

63. I have no doubt that Trump would "shoot from the hip"...

... when making war decisions, and he'd always be wrong.

[King_Klonopin]

64. I am waiting for the day when someone, on camera, asks him, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

He is a babbling idiot who believes the reality he creates in his pea brain and spews out of his
rectum-shaped mouth.

BTW -- the intel about Iraq was CORRECT. Cheney decided to ignore it and lie to the country.

BTW 2 -- CIA and NSA don't make policy decisions; they provide the data as best as they can. Moron !

I would rather they provide a 3-year-old with national security briefings than this asshole.

[Skittles]

65. he is embarrassing himself

daily he is showing me that -I- am more qualified to be prez than Donald fucking Trump

[riversedge]

66. He is almost incoherant when he rambles on and on..

......."Not so much from the people that have been doing it for our country. Look what's happened over the last ten years. Look what's happened over the years. It's been catastrophic," he said in response. "And in fact, I won't use some of the people that are sort of your standards, you know, just use them, use them, use them. Very easy to use them, but I won't use them because they've made such bad decisions."

[Skittles]

67. he sounds like the guy on the street corner

rambling on about the end of the world