Multiple reports are emerging that the national security apparatus has decided it is vital to withhold the most sensitive intelligence reports from president Trump because they fear that Russia may have completely compromised several people in the White House.
National Security Agency
A former NSA employee was on CNN yesterday saying that he has information from former colleagues that for multiple reasons the national security apparatus is withholding the very most sensitive information from President Trump.
Wolf Blitzer listened to reports that President Trump is refusing to read the entire Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) and is instead asking his staff to read it for him and produce a single page with a few top bullet points.
Top officials at the CIA, NSA, and other agencies appear to be leery of sending some extremely sensitive information to the White House because of the close Russian ties of many staff such as former National Security Advisor Flynn’s and others in the Administration who have regularly done business in Russia. The Russian security apparatus is widely known for keeping close tabs on any foreigners visiting the country and that they pay special attention to gathering any potentially embarrassing information about top businessmen, compiling detailed dossiers with an eye to using them for leverage when the opportunity arises.
Concerned about Putin ties
Security officials are also concerned about the way President Trump bends over backwards to support Russia’s Putin, praising him as a strong leader Trump admires.
The President does so even at the expense of US standing in the world and has compared Putin's actions to those of former US presidents. Intelligence officials are concerned that this strange attitude toward a nearly century-old enemy of the US lends credence to the rumours and even a partially-confirmed printed report that President Trump is subject to blackmail by Russia.
Although it may just be sincere admiration for the way Putin's opponents including reporters seen to end up dead a lot, or how he decided he wanted The Crimea and just took it, the way Trump acts toward Putin is also exactly how he would act if he were being blackmailed.
Even the New York Observer, which was owned by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner until weeks ago, is reporting that the US intelligence community is withholding the most sensitive information from the PDB because of concerns that Russia has ears inside the White House Situation Room.
Trump was already off to a terrible start with the intelligence agencies because he denigrated the quality of their reports; disrespected the CIA dead at a speech which was mostly a rant about the media being against him and how great his election win was; and accused them of being politically motivated when every single US Intelligence Agency reported that Russia had been involved in an orchestrated cyber attack on his opponent, Secretary Clinton.
Given all those concerns about both the security of the Trump White House and the fact that Trump himself doesn’t even look at the details of briefings, the NSA seems to feel it is reckless to send the most sensitive information to the President.
