“U.S. intelligence officials have withheld sensitive intelligence from President Donald Trump because they are concerned it could be leaked or compromised,” roared the Wall Street Journal. The source for this explosive lede? “Current and former officials familiar with the matter.”
Keeping with the growing trend of leaks, those officials were unnamed. The White House denied the report, as did the Office of Director of National Intelligence.
True or false, this story doesn’t have a good ending. If true, the Wall Street Journal has exposed an orchestrated scheme by the intelligence community to cripple Trump. If false, the story shows the national media and agents within the federal government are working to break a president they don’t like. The answer, just like the devil, is in the details.
According to the Wall Street Journal, “officials have decided not to show Mr. Trump the sources and methods that the intelligence agencies use to collect information.” By denying the president the “how” of the who, what, when, and where, the intelligence community would be denying him the ability to weigh the credibility of the information obtained.
If the president is unable to determine the credibility of the information, how could he make an informed decision? Wouldn’t the president be flying partially blind? Is this not a recipe for a national blunder?
Some would argue that a national blunder is exactly what the intelligence community wants. These “former officials” are from previous administrations hostile to Trump’s views. What better way to muzzle Trump than to deny him the information he needs to do his job?
But as the Wall Street Journal story broke about the rift between the White House and the intelligence community, it made sure not to take a bridge too far. In reporting that intelligence agencies are not showing Trump “the sources and methods that the intelligence agencies use to collect information,” the story appeared to limit such methods to “the means that an agency uses to spy on a foreign government.”
By limiting the denial of information to just incidents with foreign governments, the story was trying to reinforce the talking point that Trump has a Russia problem. In fact, when the story explained that the intelligence community has a history of keeping the president and lawmakers in the dark, it emphasized that Trump was different.
“In these previous cases in which information was withheld, the decision wasn’t motivated by a concern about a president’s trustworthiness or discretion,” the story attributed to its “former and current officials.” Despite being built on a cloak and dagger foundation, the point the story and the unnamed officials made was clear: Trump cannot be trusted to keep the nation safe.
This story was never about breaking news; it was about breaking a president. The message emanating from the story is not that intelligence agencies have a history of withholding source information, it is that the intelligence community does not trust Trump. If the intelligence community doesn’t trust Trump, why should the American people?
Even before Trump raised his hand to take the oath of office, talks of impeachment filled parlors inside the Beltway. While Russia has offered fanciful paths to impeachment, especially after the Mike Flynn resignation, it is not the end game. It’s a safe bet that nobody expects to find Putin in the Lincoln bedroom.
Those who know the game know the best way to break a president is to break the trust he holds with the American people. President Lyndon Johnson didn’t run for a second full term because Vietnam broke the trust he had with the American people. Watergate broke the trust Nixon held, and the Iran-Contra affair almost broke Reagan’s trust. It appears those inside the Beltway want to use the innuendo of Russia to break Trump.
Make no mistake: Americans don’t believe there is a Russian under every bed. Though Democrats are trying to reboot McCarthyism, shades of Russian red in the U.S. government is a means to an end.
If the silent majority that elected him starts to believe that Trump cannot perform his duties because he is not trusted by key figures in government, will the seeds of doubt be planted or will the American people see this unprecedented assault on Trump as reassurance they made the right choice? Only time will tell.
Joseph Murray (@realJoeMurray) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. Previously, he was a campaign official for Pat Buchanan. He is the author of “Odd Man Out” and is administrator of the LGBTrump Facebook page.
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