What Really Happened at Donald Trump's Intelligence Briefing?

Donald Trump has made statements about his intelligence briefing that have raised eyebrows in the intelligence community, saying that he read, in the "body language" of the briefing officers, disapproval of the policy direction of the Obama administration. Ex intelligence officials have stated that this is highly unlikely to have occurred in a briefing given by senior professionals trained to suppress personal feelings when interacting with the President.

Another snippet of gossip regarding this briefing troubles me more, though, and that is the alleged "pointed" (hostile?) questioning of the briefing officers by General Michael Flynn, who accompanied Mr. Trump to the briefing, along with Governor Chris Christie and others.

www.nbcnews.com...

Meanwhile, four people with knowledge of the matter told NBC News that one of the advisers Trump brought to the briefing, retired general Mike Flynn, repeatedly interrupted the briefing with pointed questions.

Two sources said Christie, the New Jersey governor and Trump adviser, verbally restrained Flynn -- one saying Christie told Flynn to shut up, the other reporting he said, "Calm down." Two other sources said Christie touched Flynn's arm in an effort get him to calm down and let the officials continue.

Christie denied that he had silenced or restrained Flynn. "The comments and actions attributed to me in this story about General Flynn are categorically untrue. I did not make the statements alleged nor did I touch General Flynn's arm for any reason during the briefing. The report is a complete work of fiction."

Flynn told NBC News the report was "total b__s___" and added, "These are anonymous sources. They're lying."

This, to me, if it happened as described, is reminiscent of the Bush administration's attitude to intelligence reports which did not fit the political agenda of the moment, i.e., war with Iraq. They repeatedly sent reports back with instructions to find reasons to invade Iraq. They wanted intelligence massaged to fit their needs.

Are we going to see a Trump administration pulling the same kind of stunts?

LOL

Meanwhile, four people with knowledge of the matter told NBC News

Two sources said

So it's an intel briefing and yet we have all these "Leaks".

a reply to: xuenchen

Donald leaked first. I think these were retaliatory leaks.

Nothing of the nature of classified material was leaked. Mr. Trump has asserted that he believes that the intelligence officers briefing him disapprove of President Obama. That is a substantial leak, if true.

It might be just wishful thinking on Trump's part.

This is part of Trump's habit of making reflexive accusations against his opponents, accusing them of what he has been accused of. It is known that a group of intelligence professionals or retired intelligence professionals have written an open letter expressing doubt as to Mr. Trump's capacity to fill the office of President. It is completely within his pattern of neurosis that he would make a mirrored accusation, against the President, at the earliest opportunity, being the self admitted obsessive compulsive that he is.

IMO, if Trump started barking out briefing secrets, he could do so non-stop for a year before approaching what Hillary has leaked, both voluntarily (willful disregard) and involuntarily (dumbness & mental lapses).

a reply to: ipsedixit

So Trump "gets a feeling" and all of a sudden it's a major international security breach.

a reply to: xuenchen

You bring up a good point. Trump doesn't believe that what he had was just a feeling. He has said that he is "pretty good" at reading "body language". I think you might have put your finger on something. Maybe a guy who puts too much emphasis on reading body language, as you point out, more of a feeling than a science, ought not to be basing a fairly substantial conclusion, that intelligence officers disapprove of the President, on something so insubstantial.

Maybe that kind of person ought not to be President, and that's not even considering the counterproductive effect of broadcasting to the world that in your opinion, senior intelligence officers disapprove of the President.

a reply to: ipsedixit

Maybe his type of attitude should be President.

I say let the other world governments sweat it out a little.

Many seem to be squirming since Trump came on the scene.

a reply to: xuenchen

Not the Russians. They love Donald Trump. It's America's allies that are squirming.

One Chinese official, to be fair, called him an "irrational type". Not all of America's challengers love him. Just the Russians.

Is he even supposed to talk about these briefings?

The news is all over it.

a reply to: xuenchen

I'm not buying that either.
More leaks than a sieve.

a reply to: Sillyolme

I don't believe these briefings are supposed to be the subject of any public discussion. What Trump has said about them is a major breach of the established protocol on such meetings.

www.nbcnews.com...

Michael Morell, a former acting CIA director who was President George W. Bush's briefer and is now a Hillary Clinton supporter, said Trump's comments about his briefing were extraordinary.

"This is the first time that I can remember a candidate for president doing a readout from an intelligence briefing, and it's the first time a candidate has politicized their intelligence briefing. Both of those are highly inappropriate and crossed a long standing red line respected by both parties," he said.

a reply to: carewemust

Never mind.
Waste of time.

originally posted by: ipsedixit
a reply to: xuenchen

You bring up a good point. Trump doesn't believe that what he had was just a feeling. He has said that he is "pretty good" at reading "body language". I think you might have put your finger on something. Maybe a guy who puts too much emphasis on reading body language, as you point out, more of a feeling than a science, ought not to be basing a fairly substantial conclusion, that intelligence officers disapprove of the President, on something so insubstantial.

Maybe that kind of person ought not to be President, and that's not even considering the counterproductive effect of broadcasting to the world that in your opinion, senior intelligence officers disapprove of the President.

Science takes too long if it's even possible.

Then again, obama goes to what, 40% of his briefings?

originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: ipsedixit

Maybe his type of attitude should be President.

I say let the other world governments sweat it out a little.

Many seem to be squirming since Trump came on the scene.

Yeah, obama says all the other guys don't like him.


lol.

a reply to: burgerbuddy

Not to mention the fact that "body language" experts, like people who perform pantomimes, routinely send messages with their bodies that have nothing to do with who they really are or what they really think.

Trump should have taken his briefing, told Flynn to shut up, walked out and shut up himself, using the briefing as food for thought, not fodder for sound bites.

Trump is a showbiz guy. His "Vietnam" was dodging venereal disease at Studio 54, as he himself, astonishingly, said. As a politician he is not a bad hustler. As a statesman, or leader, or commander-in-chief, he has the intelligence, attention span and focus of a hamster.

Note: I have to say that I am very surprised that military people would support someone who has told us that "his Vietnam" was dodging venereal disease at Studio 54. Getting caught with your pants down during the Tet Offensive or at the Siege of Hue or down in the Mekong Delta would have been just a little more hazardous. Same for Iraq and Afghanistan. I hate to say it but Trump supporters in the military remind me of Henry Kissinger's opinion of the military. Look it up. I would never repeat it.

a reply to: ipsedixit

That's my thinking too. And knowing how trump lies to support himself and pump himself up.
This man has some serious mental issues. Serious.
I mean lie on tv about secret briefings and then taking down the secret service agents too. According to trump they trust him to know their secret. They really want him to be their leader.
Like the NFL letter. When he didn't like the debate schedule, and before he made his list of demands, he claimed the NFL wrote to him to get the debate rescheduled as it was up against an NFL game.
This to him tells the world, the NFL wrote him because he could get it changed. Only. Him.
They didn't write to the presidential debate committee.who of course could get it changed because it needed to look like even the NFL knows Trump's in charge. He's the one.
But the NFL came out immediately and said nope, never happened. No letter.

It's pathetic and very troubling. It screams of a troubled psyche.

a reply to: xuenchen

No him claiming the secret service subliminally told him they are not happy with the current administration.
He's using the briefings as a political tool. But more than that he's intimating the agents are not taking their job seriously.

a reply to: ipsedixit

Trump doesn't care about crossing lines.

Aren't the terms "intelligence" and "Trump" diametrically opposed?

a reply to: Sillyolme

Awwww that's just heartbreaking isn't it.