Hills "accepts responsibility" for loss

[Dill]

(05-04-2017, 02:34 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Quote:There is a chance that the CIA, FBI and other government agencies are addressing the cyber attacks while the Commander-in-chief withholds support and undermines their credibility. Some might conclude "Hey, no problem then. Doesn't matter if the head of the executive branch is on board or not."  I don't.

So you're saying Trump not publicly supporting them is hindering their efforts in this regard?  That seems like a tenuous assertion.

I guess I could spell this out.

1. The intel services must often present conclusions without explaining how the conclusions were reached and who their sources were. Their effectiveness, therefore, depends in great part upon their credibility. Trump isn't just "not publicly supporting them." Trump has publicly accused the CIA of Nazi style tactics and publicly refused to accept the conclusions of the intel services collectively--hence, as I said, undermining their credibility for a portion of the electorate and, sadly, of Congress.

2. Trump is also actively resisting the investigation, e.g., by refusing to turn over requested documents to the House Oversight Committee.  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-russia-investigation-michael-flynn-documents-white-house-a7701921.html

3. The US intel community reports directly to the Director of National Security, who reports directly to Trump. This places him at the top of the intel chain (though some oversight of some agencies is shared by Congress).  The intel services and the exec work better when they are on the same page working toward unified goals.  The current division between the CiC and the intel services would be considered an unbelievable coup by the Russian intel services, exactly what they would like to see (and probably more than they had hoped for)--as opposed to a CiC and Intel services and Congress all united to address a security threat.  This would be disconcerting to US allies as well, given the potential to mismatch intel and policy.

An additional concern: If the Commander in chief does not agree that Russian hacking occurred, He will be unlikely to call for and lead any retaliation--a national security problem.

In effect, the president's contestation of current intel introduces a degree of paralysis into government, making it difficult for first the executive, then the executive and congress, to work together to manage potential threats. d

So there is far more at stake than simply "hindering efforts."