Former Obama Official: Intelligence Community Raced To Pump Out Classified Info About Trump Team
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
MARCH 30, 2017
While the media fulminates over supposed connections between the Trump
Team and the Russian government, the only scandal of which we have
real evidence – members of the Obama intelligence community leaking
classified information about American citizens – continues apace.
Team and the Russian government, the only scandal of which we have
real evidence – members of the Obama intelligence community leaking
classified information about American citizens – continues apace.
And the media don’t seem to care.
Evelyn Farkas, deputy assistant secretary of defense under President
Obama said on March 2 on MSNBC that she was telling members of
the intelligence community as well as Democrats in Congress to gather
as much information as possible on the Trump transition team.
Obama said on March 2 on MSNBC that she was telling members of
the intelligence community as well as Democrats in Congress to gather
as much information as possible on the Trump transition team.
She explained:
I was urging my former colleagues and, frankly speaking, the
people on the Hill, it was more actually aimed at telling the Hill
people, get as much information as you can, get as much
intelligence as you can, before President Obama leaves the administration. Because I had a fear that somehow that
information would disappear with the senior [Obama] people
who left, so it would be hidden away in the bureaucracy ...
that the Trump folks – if they found out how we knew what
we knew about their ... the Trump staff dealing with Russians –
that they would try to compromise those sources and methods,
meaning we no longer have access to that intelligence….So
I became very worried because not enough was coming out
into the open and I knew that there was more. We have
very good intelligence on Russia. So then I had talked to
some of my former colleagues and I knew that they were trying
to also help get information to the Hill.
In other words, there’s a hint here that Team Trump may have been targeted
by Obama intelligence officials specifically; there’s definitive testimony here
that the Obama team tried to distribute material on Team Trump as widely
as possible, likely leading to the outing of National Security Advisor Mike Flynn's
conversations with the Russian Ambassador and then his firing.
by Obama intelligence officials specifically; there’s definitive testimony here
that the Obama team tried to distribute material on Team Trump as widely
as possible, likely leading to the outing of National Security Advisor Mike Flynn's
conversations with the Russian Ambassador and then his firing.
This squares with reporting from The New York Times the day before
Farkas’ appearance that, “In the Obama administration’s last days,
some White House officials scrambled to spread information about
Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about
possible contacts between associates of President-elect
Donald J. Trump and Russians — across the government.
Former American officials say they had two aims: to ensure that
such meddling isn’t duplicated in future American or European elections,
and to leave a clear trail of intelligence for government investigators.”
Farkas’ appearance that, “In the Obama administration’s last days,
some White House officials scrambled to spread information about
Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about
possible contacts between associates of President-elect
Donald J. Trump and Russians — across the government.
Former American officials say they had two aims: to ensure that
such meddling isn’t duplicated in future American or European elections,
and to leave a clear trail of intelligence for government investigators.”
It’s not illegal for intelligence officials to do that. It is illegal for intelligence
officials to unmask American citizens needlessly, or to disseminate such
information to the press. Yet somehow The Washington Post’s David
Ignatius ended up with such information in January prior to Trump’s
inauguration, quoting a “senior US government official” who said “Flynn
phoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak several times on
December 29…” How did he get that information?
officials to unmask American citizens needlessly, or to disseminate such
information to the press. Yet somehow The Washington Post’s David
Ignatius ended up with such information in January prior to Trump’s
inauguration, quoting a “senior US government official” who said “Flynn
phoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak several times on
December 29…” How did he get that information?
Trump has always been right about the danger of intelligence community
leaks. He’s slathered that real scandal in the evidence-less stupidity that
he was personally wiretapped at Barack Obama’s behest. But just
because Trump’s twitter feed is filled with gossipy silliness doesn’t mean
that the media have a right to ignore the burning scandal of intelligence
coordination to damage the Trump White House.
leaks. He’s slathered that real scandal in the evidence-less stupidity that
he was personally wiretapped at Barack Obama’s behest. But just
because Trump’s twitter feed is filled with gossipy silliness doesn’t mean
that the media have a right to ignore the burning scandal of intelligence
coordination to damage the Trump White House.
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