FBI: Trump's stupidity is a national security risk

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_Kevin Graham
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FBI: Trump's stupidity is a national security risk

Post by _Kevin Graham »

US officials are reportedly keeping Trump in the dark about a cyber operation against Russia because they're afraid he'll leak it to foreign officials

US intelligence officials are keeping President Donald Trump in the dark about details of a cybersecurity offensive against the Russian power grid because they're worried he might disclose them to foreign officials, The New York Times reported.

The US's intrusions on the Russian electrical grid is a warning to Moscow after Russia launched a series of cyberattacks that allowed hackers remote access to American nuclear power plants, water facilities, and other critical infrastructure.

The hackers installed malware on vital energy networks and conducted spear phishing operations to gain entry into US computer systems operating a wide range of commercial facilities and nuclear plants, according to a joint report released last year by the Department of Homeland Security and FBI.

US officials told The Times there was widespread hesitation within the intelligence and defense community about whether to brief Trump about the plan to deploy American computer code within the Russian grid out of fear that he would reverse it or reveal details about it to foreign officials.

If Trump were to do that, it wouldn't be the first time.
The president alarmed current and former national security officials in 2017 when it emerged that he revealed classified intelligence about the US's operation in Syria to two top Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting.

On Twitter, Trump called the Times story a "virtual act of treason" and also denounced it as "NOT TRUE."

The Trump administration has taken several steps — like leveling sanctions, expelling diplomats, and selling arms to Ukraine — to hold the Russian government accountable for its actions. But Trump himself often shies away from publicly criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin the way he does other world leaders and US allies.

For a long time, he refused to accept the US intelligence community's assessment that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election to help him win the presidency. He also sided with Putin over the FBI following a bilateral summit last year, when he said he didn't see any reason why Russia would interfere in the election. But Trump later backtracked and said he misspoke after his comments provoked a backlash.

And after then-FBI Director James Comey announced in March 2017 that the FBI was investigating Russia's election meddling, Trump publicly attacked Comey and suggested the FBI was working with Democrats to undermine him. When Trump fired Comey that May, the move had FBI officials so concerned that they began investigating whether the US president was working as a witting or unwitting Russian asset.

The former special counsel Robert Mueller, who was tapped to oversee the Russia probe after Comey's firing, did not find sufficient evidence to bring a criminal conspiracy charge against Trump or anyone associated with his campaign.

But prosecutors found "that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and ... the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts."
_EAllusion
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Re: FBI: Trump's stupidity is a national security risk

Post by _EAllusion »

Oh, I don't think stupidity is the fear with this one.
_MeDotOrg
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Re: FBI: Trump's stupidity is a national security risk

Post by _MeDotOrg »

Well relax, because if Trump somehow leaves office, we have Mike Pence.

The Washington Post is reporting that State Department official Andrea Thompson, who is in charge of arms control negotiations with Russia, failed to disclose her connections to the former boyfriend of convicted Russian agent Maria Butina. Thompson and her husband had ties to Paul Erickson, a GOP operative and Butina's former boyfriend, that she did not disclose to her superiors or to Congress during her confirmation process.

Erickson officiated at the wedding of Thompson and her husband, David Gillian, a former senior Australian army officer, three administration officials and Erickson's lawyer confirmed to the Post.

At the time of the wedding, in June 2017, Thompson was serving as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, the Post reports.

♫ It's a small world after all! ♬ Maria Butina, working for a Russian Oligarch, has a boyfriend who officiated the wedding of Mike Pence's National Security Advisor. Paul Erickson has since been charged with mail and wire fraud.

Butina was also the first person to ask Trump a public question about his foreign policy towards Russia. Wow! Some coincidence, huh?
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