No Intelligence Briefing for Trump

[Catseye3]

No, Biden did the right thing. Trump was never competent to receive sensitive material. His being privy to it was one of my biggest worries during his term.

And yes, Jon's recollection is correct. His first week in office he spurned the, what was it called, President's Daily Briefing -- which should have told you volumes about what to expect.

[Horace]

"Jon is correct" is a tautology, and doesn't need saying. The other thing that didn't need saying is that Trump will not be included in ceremonial, courtesy "intelligence briefings", the importance of which I'll just bet are almost nill.

[Axtremus]

@renauda said in No Intelligence Briefing for Trump:

I see it as a security issue,

+1

[Horace]

@axtremus said in No Intelligence Briefing for Trump:

@renauda said in No Intelligence Briefing for Trump:

I see it as a security issue,

+1

I think that anybody who would describe Trump as a mere "security issue" rather than an "existential security issue" might have questionable morals, ethics, and virtue. I feel very sorry for them and I pray for them.

[Renauda]

@horace

Talking to yourself, eh?

[Horace]

@renauda said in No Intelligence Briefing for Trump:

@horace

Talking to yourself, eh?

I'm not going to apologize for considering Trump to be an existential risk.

[Renauda]

I was referring to the prayer part.

[Horace]

@renauda said in No Intelligence Briefing for Trump:

I was referring to the prayer part.

Yes, I pray to myself. I don't seem to answer them very well though.

[Doctor Phibes]

Trump didn't invite Biden to security briefings either, presumably because he didn't think he was actually President elect, but a big old cheater nasty man.

[Aqua Letifer]

@doctor-phibes said in No Intelligence Briefing for Trump:

Trump didn't invite Biden to security briefings either,

I think it's pretty fair to say that Trump's entire rhetoric, everything he said about unifying the country in the past 4 years, has also been a giant crock of shit.

[George K]

A question asked on the REWC, and I think it's valid: Why should any former president receive intelligence briefings? S/he's not in a position of power, but just a (well-perked) private citizen.

Have to agree. Once you're out of government, you're, well, out of government.

[jon-nyc]

By the way, the White House clarified that they have made no such decision, and will leave his briefing up to the intelligence services.

My guess is he'll get one that is somewhat lite. If he even wants it.

[Copper]

@george-k said in No Intelligence Briefing for Trump:

Why should any former president receive intelligence briefings?

Because they feed the former presidents bad information that is then passed on to whichever country is paying the bills.

[Catseye3]

@jon-nyc said in No Intelligence Briefing for Trump:

By the way, the White House clarified that they have made no such decision, and will leave his briefing up to the intelligence services.
My guess is he'll get one that is somewhat lite. If he even wants it.

My own private opinion is that, with the contrivance of Langley and the Joint Chiefs and State and the other alphabets, -- and possibly other heads of state -- that is all he got when he was in office. I think for his four years, decisions affecting our global security rested outside the presidency. I think the spooks in charge just hunkered down for the duration and did what was necessary.

Plus he would have been absurdly easy to fool.

I believe this because I can't imagine them doing anything else. This is my own idea and not gotten from anywhere beyond my fevered brain.

And of course, I could be entirely full of kaka.