Raging against the supposed “deep state” in Washington has long been one of President Donald Trump’s favorite pastimes. Borrowed from Turkey, that loaded term has become a catch-phrase among the MAGA faithful for the idea that the intelligence community is subverting Trump.

Some of Trump’s loathing for the deep state is certainly well-earned. Senior IC holdovers from former President Barack Obama’s eight years in the White House made little effort to hide their loathing for the commander in chief. This culminated in the dishonest framing by former IC officials of Hunter Biden’s notorious “laptop from hell” as Russian disinformation.