Speaking of Leaks

[ballsofsteel]

The POTUS is always complaining about all the leaks that are happening. The Wash Post and NY Times are always reporting information that their "sources" have given them concerning conversations and what not going on in the white House, information that the White house no doubt would rather keep hushed up. Isn't it obvious that the leaks are coming from someone in the WH who is somewhat privy to alot of info and I don't mean a butler standing around. These "sources" are either someone being paid off by these papers and are doing it for money or Trump got some traitors mixed in with his admirers there that want to see him fail. Maybe the traitors work for some of those Repubs that trump humiliated and made fun of in the Primary.

[Belsnickel]

(06-08-2017, 07:30 AM)ballsofsteel Wrote: The POTUS is always complaining about all the leaks that are happening. The Wash Post and NY Times are always reporting information that their "sources" have given them concerning conversations and what not going on in the white House, information that the White house no doubt would rather keep hushed up. Isn't it obvious that the leaks are coming from someone in the WH who is somewhat privy to alot of info and I don't mean a butler standing around. These "sources" are either someone being paid off by these papers and are doing it for money or Trump got some traitors mixed in with his admirers there that want to see him fail. Maybe the traitors work for some of those Repubs that trump humiliated and made fun of in the Primary.

The problem is that the motivation for leaks can be quite a few things. Money, power, braggadocio, disloyalty, and in some cases the WH itself will give the go ahead for leaks. It can be hard to determine what the situation really is. Given what has been said about the atmosphere in the WH, I suspect that a lot of the leaks aren't monetarily motivated. I think a lot of it is position jockeying and faction based within the administration itself. Some of it, I think, is put out by the WH itself in an effort to lower expectations and/or to create a foil out of the media.

[Vlad]

(06-08-2017, 07:30 AM)ballsofsteel Wrote: The POTUS is always complaining about all the leaks that are happening. The Wash Post and NY Times are always reporting information that their "sources" have given them concerning conversations and what not going on in the white House, information that the White house no doubt would rather keep hushed up. Isn't it obvious that the leaks are coming from someone in the WH who is somewhat privy to alot of info and I don't mean a butler standing around. These "sources" are either someone being paid off by these papers and are doing it for money or Trump got some traitors mixed in with his admirers there that want to see him fail. Maybe the traitors work for some of those Repubs that trump humiliated and made fun of in the Primary.  

Yes there are many players that want Trump to fail, including members of the Rep establishment.

So are you complaining?

[Rotobeast]

Obama is creeping below the floor boards.

Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk

[BmorePat87]

I thought this thread was about Trump getting peed on.

[JustWinBaby]

(06-08-2017, 09:45 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Some of it, I think, is put out by the WH itself in an effort to lower expectations and/or to create a foil out of the media.

That's an interesting theory.  Makes sense, and probably to some degree true.  Although hard to imagine how many times the media would fall for this, especially from new "sources".

But if you want to undermine the media, you intentionally leak something that isn't true...or, more often, include pieces that aren't true or omit key pieces.  I think all that has happened, especially the latter part.

Although I stand by the theory there are just so many people with access and who see and hear things....I'm talking career staffers and Obama admin holdovers, more than a few of whom probably believe Trump's election was a call to arms.  Not the best example, but people like Reality Winner who probably genuinely feel they are doing a public service to stop Trump.

[*michaelsean*]

(06-08-2017, 01:46 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: I thought this thread was about Trump getting peed on.

Damn gingers and their fetishes.

[ballsofsteel]

(06-08-2017, 10:07 AM)Vlad Wrote: Yes there are many players that want Trump to fail, including members of the Rep establishment.

So are you complaining?

Nope.

[BmorePat87]

(06-08-2017, 05:02 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Damn gingers and their fetishes.

Gingers have orange hair, not orange skin.

[SunsetBengal]

Is it really a leak when the actual source of the information is the origin?

[GMDino]

(06-09-2017, 08:58 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Is it really a leak when the actual source of the information is the origin?

That's an excellent question.  I'd have to say yes if it is classified info.

On another subject I wonder what makes someone "leak info"?  Like the other thread about Reality Winner.  She apparently got all the clearances and got the jib...did she mean to do this from the start or did something happen to make her decide the information needed out there.  Legally or illegally.

[SunsetBengal]

(06-09-2017, 10:16 AM)GMDino Wrote: That's an excellent question.  I'd have to say yes if it is classified info.

On another subject I wonder what makes someone "leak info"?  Like the other thread about Reality Winner.  She apparently got all the clearances and got the jib...did she mean to do this from the start or did something happen to make her decide the information needed out there.  Legally or illegally.

In Comey's case, I thought that I heard him testify that he purposely wrote those memos in a way that made them not classified.

I've yet to form a full opinion of the Reality Winner situation.  However, the more I learn about the evidence that was seized from her home, and about her background in general, I'm currently leaning toward possibly radicalized, and looking to cause chaos, at the very minimum.

[GMDino]

(06-09-2017, 10:28 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: In Comey's case, I thought that I heard him testify that he purposely wrote those memos in a way that made them not classified.

I've yet to form a full opinion of the Reality Winner situation.  However, the more I learn about the evidence that was seized from her home, and about her background in general, I'm currently leaning toward possibly radicalized, and looking to cause chaos, at the very minimum.

Comey is a career guy.  Maybe it's just his demeanor but I *think* he would know enough to do his leak in a legal manner.

I haven't read what they found at her home.  I'll have to check that out.

[*michaelsean*]

(06-09-2017, 10:28 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: In Comey's case, I thought that I heard him testify that he purposely wrote those memos in a way that made them not classified.

I've yet to form a full opinion of the Reality Winner situation.  However, the more I learn about the evidence that was seized from her home, and about her background in general, I'm currently leaning toward possibly radicalized, and looking to cause chaos, at the very minimum.

I doubt it's classified, but I would think it would be considered privileged.  (Only took me like 50 tries to spell that word.)

[SunsetBengal]

(06-09-2017, 10:39 AM)michaelsean Wrote: I doubt it's classified, but I would think it would be considered privileged.  (Only took me like 50 tries to spell that word.)

If the "leak" occurred after Comey was relieved of duty, wouldn't that make those memos Government property?  Seems to me that he would have been required to surrender anything he was holding to the Bureau upon his exit.

[*michaelsean*]

(06-09-2017, 10:43 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: If the "leak" occurred after Comey was relieved of duty, wouldn't that make those memos Government property?  Seems to me that he would have been required to surrender anything he was holding to the Bureau upon his exit.

Seems reasonable, but I don't know.

[SunsetBengal]

(06-09-2017, 10:31 AM)GMDino Wrote: Comey is a career guy.  Maybe it's just his demeanor but I *think* he would know enough to do his leak in a legal manner.

I haven't read what they found at her home.  I'll have to check that out.

This is from today.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-08/accused-leaker-is-indicted-for-disclosing-classified-report

[JustWinBaby]

(06-09-2017, 10:43 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: If the "leak" occurred after Comey was relieved of duty, wouldn't that make those memos Government property?  Seems to me that he would have been required to surrender anything he was holding to the Bureau upon his exit.

There's been some sloppy reporting.  Comey's actual testimony was that he asked his friend to "share the CONTENT of the memos".   I don't think an actual memo, digital or otherwise, was distributed (at least not by Comey).

Not sure of the legality of sharing the content of an unclassified document.  Now I don't know if there's a case the classification was improper....but I just can't imagine Comey getting himself into trouble for leaking.

[SunsetBengal]

(06-09-2017, 02:31 PM)JustWinBaby Wrote: There's been some sloppy reporting.  Comey's actual testimony was that he asked his friend to "share the CONTENT of the memos".   I don't think an actual memo, digital or otherwise, was distributed (at least not by Comey).

Not sure of the legality of sharing the content of an unclassified document.  Now I don't know if there's a case the classification was improper....but I just can't imagine Comey getting himself into trouble for leaking.

So, what is it that makes a document classified?  Maybe the CONTENT of the document..

[JustWinBaby]

(06-09-2017, 02:36 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: So, what is it that makes a document classified?  Maybe the CONTENT of the document..

Comey himself made it unclassified.  Now we learned during the Clinton investigation some documents are born classified, and people in a position like Comey or Clinton are supposed to know regardless.

Maybe there's a argument that document is privileged or unclassified by Comey driven by improper self-interest.  But I doubt it.  Can't see how every conversation with the POTUS is automatically privileged, or why what was disclosed should be classified because there's clearly no national security risk.

Also, Comey was allowed to testify, even after the memo was distributed the day before.  Trump declined to envoke privilege, so I don't see how it could be done ex-post.  Also, the other IC chiefs who testified the day before said they were under no order of exec privilege.