Don Lemon's CNN panel: What is Trump's end game?

[Satch59]

I can't find an article or video yet but he had 4 CIA analysts on (Bob Baer was one) and the discussion was frightening...

They all agreed that Trump's increasing mocking of Intel agencies is alarming. They all wonder about his end game, all suggested too close ties to Putin and all talked of scary consequences when in office if he doesn't accept their Intel. One said insiders are talking about him making the U.S. less safe and Bob Baer said agencies will make Trump's presidency awful: saying watergate was an FBI job to take down Nixon.

The talk on MSM is getting very serious today and honestly is frightening...congress needs a tight leash on him.

[JI7]

1. on msnbc some mentioned that Trump's comments on this issue isn't just about ignorance

in the way he speaks about many other things he doens't understand. he may be ignorant but there is something intentional here in the way he is so defensive about russia/putin.

[kentuck]

2. He is planning it out very carefully, imo.

He is discrediting them for a very specific reason. We don't know what it is yet? But we had better find out soon.

[BadgerMom]

7. It's scripted, IMO

He's more disciplined in his approach to the Russian hacking information. Honestly, it feels like he's getting a script from Putin.

[Maru Kitteh]

12. Welcome to DU BadgerMom

[Raster]

17. I believe HE IS GETTING HIS SCRIPT FROM PUTIN....

...I believe Trump is a managed Russian asset, plain-and-simple.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

9. So hope the intel community has the goods on the Nazi pig tRump!

[Satch59]

3. Agree...and if CIA has Intel on him, isn't it their duty to expose?

Can't imagine the congress would let Trump really do our country harm? There are sane republicans in there??

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

10. But then why not regular the hounds BEFORE the inauguration.

[gordianot]

4. I want to know where the hell the much vaunted Military Industrial Complex has gone?

Here is your chance boys save all of us from the real bogeyman, come out into the light

[TubbersUK]

5. I can't work out where his exit is on this one either

If it's simply hubris on his part, is he prepared to be at loggerheads with the US security services for four years ? If not, how does he back down without being humiliated?

Alternatively, is he spending political capital because there's something real (but yet to become apparent)at stake and he's looking to soften them up in advance?

[Hekate]

6. Just watched the Frontline bio of him the other night. Something in his brain is broken...

...and has been since childhood. He is seriously not normal.

But he got this reality tv con going and convinced all the idiots who want an authoritarian strongman to tell them what to think and do that he'd be just the guy to be POTUS, democracy for all be damned.

He's always played with fire and gotten away with it. The question is, how long can he get away with it when the stakes for all of us are so high and he's pissing off the Intelligence community?

[TubbersUK]

8. This report suggests that Flynn is at the root of it

Among those helping lead Mr. Trump’s plan to revamp the intelligence agencies is his national security adviser, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who had served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency until he was pushed out by Mr. Clapper and others in 2014. Also involved in the planning is Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), whom Mr. Trump selected as CIA director.

Gen. Flynn and Mr. Pompeo share Mr. Trump’s view that the intelligence community’s position—that Russia tried to help his campaign—is an attempt to undermine his victory or say he didn’t win, the official close to the transition said.

Gen. Flynn will lead the White House’s National Security Council, giving him broad influence in military and intelligence decisions throughout the government. He is also a believer in rotating senior intelligence agencies into the field and reducing headquarters staff.

Paul Pillar, a 28-year veteran of the CIA who retired in 2005, said he was disturbed by Mr. Trump’s tweets and feared much of the intelligence community’s assessments could be filtered through Gen. Flynn.

“I’m rather pessimistic,” he said. “This is indeed disturbing that the president should come in with this negative view of the agencies, coupled with his habits on how he absorbs information and so on that don’t provide a lot of hope for change.”

http://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-officials-frown-on-donald-trumps-dismissal-of-u-s-intelligence-1483554450

[oasis]

14. Interesting. A must read. Thanks

[Raster]

11. IMHO, Trump is a Russian "agent," for lack of better word...

I believe that Trump has taken money from banks and Oligarchs in Russia that are beholden to Putin. Any Oligarch still standing in Russia with any semblance of wealth and power, does so through the graces of Vladimir Putin. IMO, Trump's "vast business empire" hemorrhages cash, and needs ready resources of cash to maintain his illusion of affluence, to which Putin and his Oligarchs have provided access.

We've heard that approximately five years ago, a covert operative reported that there was a full-court press by Putin to "entrall" Trump. I believe this effort by Putin and the KGB has been widely successful. I also believe that in addition to infusions of cash to Trump, Putin and the KGB have blackmail-able, incriminating evidence on Trump, probably of a deviant sexual nature. Think classic, underage honeypot. In short: I believe Trump is owned by Putin and the KGB lock, stock, and barrel.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

15. This is my fear as well... cannot wait til that racist pig tRump is frog-marched out of the White House!

[Moliere]

13. They needed a panel for this?

It's actually very simple, he wants wealth and power. That's it. He doesn't care about policy as long as it doesn't negatively impact his ability to gain wealth and power. He's going to pretty much let his cabinet do whatever they want so that he can continue to accumulate wealth and power.

I read a really great essay by Masha Gessen in which she describes authoritarians and kleptocrats governing and concentric rings. He will be at the innermost ring, the next rain or his family and cronies ensuring is gain wealth and power, and the outer ring is where he will delegate all policy because he doesn't really care about it

[JHB]

16. Pretty simple: Money and revenge, when it's not...

...revenge and money.


He likes to 1) rake in bucks, and 2) show anyone who crosses him who's boss.

Likes it better when he can do both at the same time, but for him one always reinforces the other, so it's all good to him.

[spinbaby]

18. What is the CIA's end game?

That's what I want to know. What do they have on Trump and how will they use it?