TRUMP AT WAR WITH GOP NAT SEC “ELITES”: Donald Trump’s national security qualifications came under attack from 50 prominent Republican foreign policy veterans, who in a letter accused Trump of lacking “the character, values and experience” to be commander in chief and asserting he would “put at risk our country’s national security and well-being.” Gabby Morrongiello reports the 50 vow to never vote for Trump, writing, “He continues to display an alarming ignorance of basic facts of contemporary international politics, at the same time, he persistently compliments our adversaries and threatens our allies and friends.”
The signatories were a who’s who of national security officials: former CIA director Michael Hayden, former Department of Homeland Security Secretaries Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge; former Deputy National Security Adviser Gary Edson and former Deputy Attorney General Donald Ayer. The letter was also signed by Robert Blackwell and James Jeffrey, both of whom served on President George W. Bush’s National Security Council, and John Negroponte, former director of national intelligence.
It didn’t take Trump long to fire back, countering with the argument that the signatories are among the officials were behind the failed invasion of Iraq and allowed “Americans to die in Benghazi,” Anna Giaritelli writes. “They are nothing more than the failed Washington elite looking to hold onto their power, and it’s time they are held accountable for their actions.”
As if to underscore GOP concerns, Trump, in an appearance Friday in Wisconsin, threatened to abrogate the U.S. defense pact with Japan, if Japan doesn’t pick up 100 percent of the cost. “You know, we have a treaty with Japan. And if the United States is attacked, they don’t have to do anything. But if Japan is attacked, we have to go in there with our full force and might, and who the hell knows what’s going to happen, right?” Trump told the crowd. It’s another example of Trump’s standard “you have to be ready to walk away” negotiating strategy. “So, there’s a chance we’ll have to leave,” Trump said. “And there’s a chance that, you know, Japan will have to take over this monster and figure it out. We’re very far away. It’s very expensive.”
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WHO KILLED THE IRANIAN SCIENTIST? The fallout continues from Hillary Clinton’s use of a private, unsecure email server. In a tweet yesterday, Trump said “many people” are saying that the Iranians killed the scientist who helped the U.S. because of Hillary Clinton’s hacked emails.” Experts told us Clinton’s mention of the scientist, although not by name, could make it harder for the intelligence community to cultivate sources for human intelligence. Shahram Amiri allegedly was providing the U.S. information on Iran’s nuclear program and was recently executed back in Iran.
It didn’t take long for Trump’s “many people” qualifier to turn into a trending hashtag on Twitter. Anna Giaritelli gathered some of the best here.
Asked specifically about the link between Clinton’s emails and Amiri’s death, the State Department dodged the question on Monday, Sarah Westwood writes. Meanwhile Josh Rogin writing in the Washington Post argues “The scientist outed himself; it wasn’t Clinton’s fault.” He points out there’s no evidence Iran hacked Clinton’s emails. In fact, the emails were released by the State Department, because Amiri’s case was very public, and the alleged relationship with the United States was no secret.
TRUMP IS ‘INHUMAN’: Brand-new third-party candidate Evan McMullin, hours after announcing his bid for the presidency, was interviewed by ABC News Monday afternoon, Anna Giaritelli reports. And it didn’t take long for the former CIA officer to unload on Trump. “I think he’s a political opportunist. I think he’s always been an opportunist. I think he’s in it for himself. He’s always been in it for himself,” McMullin said. “That’s his legacy. That’s his track record. That’s his brand.”
Unknown to all but his closest friends until yesterday, the 40-year-old former CIA counterterrorism operative and Capitol Hill staffer faces a daunting challenge to even get on the ballot as a conservative alternative to Trump. A former senior intelligence official, who admitted unhappiness with the other choices in the presidential race, joked to us: “Never heard of him. Know nothing about him. He has my vote.”
“DIRTY ROTTEN TRAITOR”: Also last week, Trump repeated a discredited allegation that the search for Bowe Bergdahl resulted in the deaths of U.S. troops who spent months looking for him when he walked away from his post in 2009 and was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Said Trump: “So, we trade a dirty, rotten traitor where five or maybe even six people were killed when he deserted, and we knew that they were killed and we knew that he was a traitor. We trade for five of the greatest killers, the greatest killers in the Middle East.” The Pentagon has said there is no evidence any U.S. forces died in the search for Bergdahl, although some troops were wounded in operations, where secrecy makes it hard to determine if they were part of the months-long search.
NO HALT IN CHINA’S ISLAND BUILDING: The Center for Strategic and International Studies has analyzed recent satellite photographs showing no let-up in China’s militarization of islands in the South China Sea. In particular, it has spotted what appear to be reinforced aircraft hangars at Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief Reefs, all part of the disputed territories. CSIS has an ”island tracker” where you can see the infrastructure improvements. Meanwhile, Reuters reports Japan has warned China that ties were “deteriorating markedly” over disputed East China Sea islets.
BENGHAZI SUIT: Parents of two Americans who were killed in the 2012 terror attack in Benghazi filed a lawsuit against Clinton Monday, alleging her leadership of the State Department at the time of the attack led to their wrongful deaths and subsequent emotional distress for the families, Sarah Westwood reports.
HATIN’ ON THE HORNET: With all the headlines during Trump’s no good, very bad week last week, you might have missed his takedown of Boeing’s F/A-18 Hornet during last week’s interview with the Washington Post. “Oh, did they have another one of these things go down? It’s terrible that crash. Never liked that plane, structurally. I never thought that plane could —,” Trump said after being distracted by Fox News on the TV, before the reporter redirected him to the question on sexual harassment in the workplace.
What was Trump about to say? Fill in the blank: “I never thought that plane could —,” what? Send your best guess or wittiest quip to [email protected] and we’ll publish our favorites. For the record, multiple experts told us the F/A-18 is one of the safest airplanes, and while it isn’t above criticism, there are been no problems with the plane’s structure.
FOR THAT CERTAIN SPECIAL SOMEONE IN YOUR LIFE: A remote control enthusiast has outfitted a toy A-10 with a Nerf blaster. The result? Backyard awesomeness. Check out the video here, and remember, BRRRRT responsibly.
THE RUNDOWN
Business Insider: The US Air Force has an absurd plan for replacing the A-10 Warthog
Breaking Defense: Artificial Intelligence Drone Defeats Fighter Pilot: The Future?
Navy Times: Osprey continues to prove itself in Navy carrier tests
Defense News: Pentagon Eyes US Iron Dome To Defend Forward-Based Forces
UPI: Boeing gets $60 million for P-8A aircraft work
Wall Street Journal: Jihadists Kill Dozens in Pakistan Hospital Attack
CNN: When terror isn’t terrorism
Military Times: 5 years on, military spending caps haven’t brought the total disaster so many predicted
Navy Times: Sailors, Marines will be able to declare transgender status this fall
USNI News: First U.S. Destroyer Visits China Since South China Sea Ruling
Military.com: US-backed Fighters Savor Victory over ISIS in Manbij
Washington Post: U.S. military equipment captured by the Islamic State might have come from Special Operations forces
Task and Purpose: Watch F-22 Raptors Conduct Aerial Refuel During Anti-ISIS Mission
Air Force Times: U.S. Air Force refueling missions over Yemen grow by 60 percent
Reuters: U.S. urges Russia to halt Syria sieges; Russia slams aid politicization
Calendar
TUESDAY | AUGUST 9
9 a.m. Georgetown University Center for Security Studies. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks at the Training and Doctrine Command Mad Scientist initiative on the future strategic security environment in 2050. Streamed live.
9 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Hudson Institute hosts a panel of experts to discuss how the U.S. should defend Taiwan. hudson.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS hosts Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the Marine Corps, to discuss maritime security. csis.org
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 10
12 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Atlantic Council hosts a panel to bridge the gap between the Las Vegas “Hacker Summer Camp” and cybersecurity policy. atlanticcouncil.org
