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As an ex-president, Trump could disclose the secrets he learned while in office, officials fear
National Security
As an ex-president, Trump could disclose the secrets he learned while in office, current and former officials fear
By Shane Harris
November 10, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. EST
As president, Donald Trump selectively revealed highly classified information to attack his adversaries, gain political advantage and to impress or intimidate foreign governments, in some cases jeopardizing U.S. intelligence capabilities. As an ex-president, theres every reason to worry he will do the same, thus posing a unique national security dilemma for the Biden administration, current and former officials and analysts said.
All presidents exit the office with valuable national secrets in their heads, including the procedures for launching nuclear weapons, intelligence-gathering capabilities including assets deep inside foreign governments and the development of new and advanced weapon systems.
But no new president has ever had to fear that his predecessor might expose the nations secrets as President-elect Joe Biden must with Trump, current and former officials said. Not only does Trump have a history of disclosures, he checks the boxes of a classic counterintelligence risk: He is deeply in debt and angry at the U.S. government, particularly what he describes as the deep state conspiracy that he believes tried to stop him from winning the White House in 2016 and what he falsely claims is an illegal effort to rob him of reelection.
[White House was warned Giuliani was target of Russian intelligence operation to feed misinformation to Trump]
Anyone who is disgruntled, dissatisfied or aggrieved is a risk of disclosing classified information, whether as a current or former officeholder. Trump certainly fits that profile, said David Priess, a former CIA officer and author of The Presidents Book of Secrets, a history of the top-secret intelligence briefings that presidents and their staff receive while in office.
{snip}
The last line of defense, like so many chapters in Trumps presidency, would pose unprecedented considerations: criminal prosecution. The Espionage Act has been successfully used to convict current and former government officials who disclose information that damages U.S. national security. It has never been used against a former president. But as of Jan. 20, 2021, Trump becomes a private citizen, and the immunity he enjoys from criminal prosecution vanishes.
Shane Harris
Shane Harris covers intelligence and national security for The Washington Post. He has been a writer at the Wall Street Journal, the Daily Beast and Foreign Policy, among other publications. He has written two books, "The Watchers" and "@War." Follow https://twitter.com/shaneharris
As an ex-president, Trump could disclose the secrets he learned while in office, current and former officials fear
By Shane Harris
November 10, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. EST
As president, Donald Trump selectively revealed highly classified information to attack his adversaries, gain political advantage and to impress or intimidate foreign governments, in some cases jeopardizing U.S. intelligence capabilities. As an ex-president, theres every reason to worry he will do the same, thus posing a unique national security dilemma for the Biden administration, current and former officials and analysts said.
All presidents exit the office with valuable national secrets in their heads, including the procedures for launching nuclear weapons, intelligence-gathering capabilities including assets deep inside foreign governments and the development of new and advanced weapon systems.
But no new president has ever had to fear that his predecessor might expose the nations secrets as President-elect Joe Biden must with Trump, current and former officials said. Not only does Trump have a history of disclosures, he checks the boxes of a classic counterintelligence risk: He is deeply in debt and angry at the U.S. government, particularly what he describes as the deep state conspiracy that he believes tried to stop him from winning the White House in 2016 and what he falsely claims is an illegal effort to rob him of reelection.
[White House was warned Giuliani was target of Russian intelligence operation to feed misinformation to Trump]
Anyone who is disgruntled, dissatisfied or aggrieved is a risk of disclosing classified information, whether as a current or former officeholder. Trump certainly fits that profile, said David Priess, a former CIA officer and author of The Presidents Book of Secrets, a history of the top-secret intelligence briefings that presidents and their staff receive while in office.
{snip}
The last line of defense, like so many chapters in Trumps presidency, would pose unprecedented considerations: criminal prosecution. The Espionage Act has been successfully used to convict current and former government officials who disclose information that damages U.S. national security. It has never been used against a former president. But as of Jan. 20, 2021, Trump becomes a private citizen, and the immunity he enjoys from criminal prosecution vanishes.
Shane Harris
Shane Harris covers intelligence and national security for The Washington Post. He has been a writer at the Wall Street Journal, the Daily Beast and Foreign Policy, among other publications. He has written two books, "The Watchers" and "@War." Follow https://twitter.com/shaneharris
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As an ex-president, Trump could disclose the secrets he learned while in office, officials fear (Original Post)
mahatmakanejeeves
Nov 2020
OP
And let's remember, drumph didn't understand nor care about intelligence briefings and his brain is
ResistantAmerican17
Nov 2020
#3
Not just Donald Trump. It's the whole gang, especially his spawn and Jared Kushner
dalton99a
Nov 2020
#14
As if he knows anything. Reality check: He doesn't listen, is bored out of his mind,
lettucebe
Nov 2020
#16
C_U_L8R
(44,997 posts)1. Might be difficult from Sing Sing
After New York State is through with this crook.
apcalc
(4,463 posts)2. Did he learn anything?
Hell lie about it all anyway.
ResistantAmerican17
(3,797 posts)3. And let's remember, drumph didn't understand nor care about intelligence briefings and his brain is
Swiss cheese, so he probably wont remember a name, or he will just think that all of the spies are in Nipple.
Dopers_Greed
(2,640 posts)4. Can he even remember what he heard?
He might be too stupid.
woodsprite
(11,909 posts)5. I suspect JarJar and Ivanka are a danger as well. nt
Mc Mike
(9,111 posts)6. Can't if he's in solitary in Leavenworth.
Also, he doesn't know or remember any reality based fact. Useless as an intelligence asset.
Marcuse
(7,472 posts)8. No solitary. General population for him.
Mc Mike
(9,111 posts)9. He won't last 1/2 a day. I'd like to see him do 25 + years.
dawg day
(7,947 posts)7. 68 million Americans voted for a man who night betray US
Really, what are they thinking?
dem4decades
(11,282 posts)10. He probably already has. Of course if he releases secrets after Jan
20th, he's breaking the law.
ebbie15644
(1,214 posts)11. I'd worry more about Jarred and Ivanka
llashram
(6,265 posts)12. putin already has ALL secrets
that the orange menace had access too.
Phoenix61
(16,999 posts)13. He lies all the time. I don't think he's a good source. nt
dalton99a
(81,427 posts)14. Not just Donald Trump. It's the whole gang, especially his spawn and Jared Kushner
BlueWavePsych
(2,635 posts)15. K&R
lettucebe
(2,336 posts)16. As if he knows anything. Reality check: He doesn't listen, is bored out of his mind,
literally could not care less, should I go on? Any "secrets" he tells will be highly suspect by anyone listening.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,863 posts)17. And for the right amount of money he probably will
$400 million in debt.
Where's he going to get the money? His memoirs?
Both he and his followers are semi-literate. They don't read.