More on Trump's clusterfuck NatSec transition

[octoberlib]

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
1. Last week strong indicator of how Trump Natsec Team may function: Crazy NSC, feckless State, independent DOD, Leaky Intel Community


Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
2. Clear from confirmation that views of nominees all over the map and not consistent with Trump

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
3. Trump won’t bother with detail of breaking ties leading to dysfunction and lack of coherence

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
4. Far behind on hiring Deputies and Undersecretaries, where most action happens on NatSec foreign policy, also indicates no coordination

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
5. And NSC appointees indicating there won’t be a traditional Deputies process to come to decisions and tee up things for POTUS

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
6. Instead NSC will just pursue own whacky rogue operations like Flynn-Kislyak 5 calls to coordinate Putin’s response to Obama sanctions

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
7. For State this means no power. Diplomats have no real assets or authorities outside of their word.

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
8. If everyone knows Tillerson isn’t speaking for POTUS, State is powerless

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
9. DOD different. Mattis has plenty of authority to spend big money and move military assets without POTUS approval.

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
10. So we may be putting more assets into Europe and strengthening NATO alliance even as Flynn/Bannon/Trump cuddling up to Putin

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
11. Trump is the only one with the authority to steer Mattis in a different direction and avoid this incoherence. Doubt he will do it.

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
12. At the same time, CIA will leak like a sieve to undercut wacky NSC. The dossier may or may not have been the IC. Many had access.

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
13. But leaks on the 5 Flynn-Kislyak calls were almost certainly IC. And meant to undercut wacky NSC policy move

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
14. And telling our British and Israeli intel partners to protect their intel from Trump is another indicator.

Ilan Goldenberg ?@ilangoldenberg 9h9 hours ago
15. Bottom line: this is going to be an incoherent mess.

https://twitter.com/ilangoldenberg

[MissB]

1. At least they aren't coordinated

They could do far worse damage if they were truly coordinated.

[octoberlib]

2. True. It's the wacky , rogue NSC that worries me the most.

[dalton99a]

3. Chaos and paralysis is what Putin has in mind for his administration in Wash.