Donald Trump Plans to Pare Back Top U.S. Spy Agency

[many a good man]

Source: NYMag

Donald Trump has spent much of the past month assailing America’s intelligence agencies over Twitter. But now, he’s plotting to hit them where it hurts – right in their budgets.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the president-elect is working with his top advisors on a plan to “restructure and pare back” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which they believe has become “bloated and politicized.”

Trump’s team is also, reportedly, drafting a similar plan for the CIA – one that would cut staffing at the agency’s Virginia headquarters and send more agents out into the field.

“The view from the Trump team is the intelligence world [is] becoming completely politicized,” an individual close to Trump’s transition operation told the Journal. “They all need to be slimmed down. The focus will be on restructuring the agencies and how they interact.”

Read more: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/01/donald-trump-plans-to-slim-down-top-u-s-spy-agency.html

---

Please, Donald. They didn't mean any harm!

[Xipe Totec]

1. Foggy Bottom is going to flog his bottom. nt

[DonCoquixote]

2. as much as I am no fan of the CIA

it seem that every recent GOP president has made it a mission to make them look bad, either by ignoring the reports, outing agents (like valerie plame) or this. Trump had better hope his buddy Vlad did nto set aside a lot of cash for just this instance, after all, a lot of ex government types have a way of going to russia today.

[Hortensis]

48. An expert was pointing out that power-grabbers always

move to weaken both the press and the intelligence services. He said what Trump's revealed over the past day or two make him more afraid of what could be happening than he has been all along.

[riversedge]

3. REC. I feel like I have entered an alternative universe these last few days.

[wordpix]

14. where have you been since Don announced his candidacy?

It's been an alt universe the whole time

[Fast Walker 52]

4. so, let me guess... they'll have less people figuring out what Russia is up to?

[The Wielding Truth]

27. He'll just install Russians. No Problem. Love YOU, Putie Pie! There is no honor in Trump-land!

[Fast Walker 52]

34. of course-- even better!

[CentralMass]

5. Unbelievable. This guy is dangerous.

[JDC]

6. But the Pentagon is just fine...

[bluedigger]

7. They never show them the other JFK film until after the Inauguration.

[mtngirl47]

13. This

He will be schooled

[brush]

19. What's the other one? Not the Zapruder film?

[Merlot]

23. It's a Bill Hicks routine

After the president is elected, the PTB show him a film of JFK assination, but from a different camera angle.

"Any questions, Mr. President?"

[Hestia]

25. It's a joke by Bill Hicks

I have this feeling man, 'cause you know, it's just a handful of people who run everything, you know … that's true, it's provable. It's not … I'm not a fucking conspiracy nut, it's provable. A handful, a very small elite, run and own these corporations, which include the mainstream media. I have this feeling that whoever is elected president, like Clinton was, no matter what you promise on the campaign trail – blah, blah, blah – when you win, you go into this smoke-filled room with the twelve industrialist capitalist scum-fucks who got you in there. And you're in this smoky room, and this little film screen comes down … and a big guy with a cigar goes, "Roll the film." And it's a shot of the Kennedy assassination from an angle you've never seen before … that looks suspiciously like it's from the grassy knoll. And then the screen goes up and the lights come up, and they go to the new president, "Any questions?" "Er, just what my agenda is." "First we bomb Baghdad." "You got it …"

[brush]

43. Gotcha. That's scarey, and something like that probably happens early on in new administrations, ...

with periodic reminders if policies skew too far to the left.

This might be heresy but I wonder if that's why we didn't find out about the briefing on the Putin/Russian election hacking until after the fucking election?

I mean all the big wigs where there — McConnell, Comey, Ryan, intelligence chiefs, Pelosi, Reid, and I have to say, Obama.

Were treats communicated? I mean why brief all these people but not let the public know?

Why that sounds like some kind of fix was in.

[forgotmylogin]

8. Can't have too much intelligence...

Although Trump complained at one point of communicating our moves to terrorists.

If this is disinformation, that would be kind of cool.

[every.savvy.gal]

53. This is like the swirling mass that follows pigpen in Charlie Brown ...

This is like the swirling mass that follows pigpen in Charlie Brown ... it is not disinformation. The TWIT's nose is out of joint because he thinks the CIA is trying to prove that he never would have won without the Russian hacks. The TWIT only has a brain the size of a pea, so he doesn't understand that the reason this Unit was pulled together was because none of our other security agencies communicated with each other in anything other than a hit and miss type fashion prior to 911. Now all communication is pulled together to stop the 'chaos' that the TWIT wants to unleash again, but destroying this unit and then gutting the rest.

He is basically having a tantrum, and who knows how much intel will slip out of him for our enemies to hear. The TWIT has no filter! Just the fact that he has made sure the world knows that the US is in a constant state of upheaval due to his antics, has left us vulnerable.

The TWIT has tantrums daily, and we are all the pieces on the US/World chess board that he doesn't care about. He only cares about himself. He is upending the board in an effort to paralyze us all in fear of evoking more bad behavior on his part. This is how the TWIT bully thinks. If I'm scary enough they'll stop poking the bear. hmmmm... bear/russia ... I digress.

It's emotional blackmail, but I don't think he is smart enough to know that phrase or understand it. He just has learned that his bad behavior can manipulate people. The problem now is that his arena is no longer the business world. Now it's the 'world', and we're all in his handbasket to hell.

[AgadorSparticus]

9. No!!!! This is treason!!! We won't be able to defend ourselves!

We'll be the United States of sitting ducks.

[Phoenix61]

11. Belize is looking better every day.

[bdamomma]

41. that's what chump wants

I hope someone or a lot of somebodies step up and stop this idiot.

He is a threat to us and the world.

[every.savvy.gal]

52. The "Twit" has landed ... sitting ducks is RIGHT!

OMG! I'm with you. The security detail and CIA ops should give him the call sign 'Twit'. Only a complete TWIT, (addle brained, twitter 'Twit' ignoramus, could be so ego maniacal that he'd throw out all the security measures (basically opening all the doors and windows) and get us all blown to hell and back; because he doesn't want anyone to think the Russian hack is the only way he ever could have won. Blow us all up? That's ok, as long as no one has any thoughts against him before we all ignite.

OMG!!!!!! I thought I lived in a country where the majority were smart, savvy, tolerant people! I'm disgusted to find out how wrong I've been. All the Republicans I know were apparently only giving lip service to progress. Now each of them is a testament to the picture of Dorian Grey. It is like the picture has come out of the attic and now I can see all the corrupt, selfish, every person for themselves, scratching and clawing to the top, over the bodies as they go. It's horrifying!

I still can't believe there are people who didn't see this coming way back from the beginning.
President Elect 'Twitter Pop', call sign the great giant 'TWIT', is building a house of cards and he wants to take us all down with him.
TWIT!!!!!!!

[Ghost OF Trotsky]

10. At least they didn't put "Trump".

And "Intelligence" in the same headline.

Seriously, why the heck do we need so many intelligence agencies? Internal and external I can see, but what-14? Why should the NSA and CIA and the ones ran by the services be so redundant?

[Hekate]

12. 17, Trotsky, and they all have a job to do.

[Phoenix61]

15. I'm not saying you are wrong

But do you really think Trump has a plan that is better than what is currently in place? Although, since he and Putin are such good friends I guess we don't need to worry about what Putin is up to. I'm happy with the fact that no foreign terrorist acts have happened in the US recently to go with the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality.

[Ghost OF Trotsky]

18. I'm not saying I am right

But it just seems like there should be ONE chain of command and one information stream with everybody knowing everything that isn't strictly classified. Why should the NSA be separate front he CIA from the DIA? shouldn't the resources put into the redundancy be instead invested in better resources?

I don't know, and certainly don't trust Cheeto Benito, but it is a valid question that no one has given (me) a satisfactory answer to.

[Phoenix61]

22. That makes sense

Until the stream is compromised. Spies, spies spying on spies, spies spying on spies spying on spies. There is something to be said for redundancy in critical systems.

[Fast Walker 52]

35. yeah, it's better to have intel from different sources... also, just for their own sake, each agency

needs their own intelligence because they have different things they are looking for

[Merlot]

24. If that ONE chain of command goes rogue or

is corrupted, then what?

[wordpix]

17. DHS is supposed to coordinate the whole crew

I've taken a lot of college courses recently re: homeland security and the major problem I see is communications. Intel and security are each a huge bureaucracy, for one. For another, the chain of command in an incident may not be clear. Also, there are different hardware and software platforms for internet and other technology among agencies, some of which don't mesh. And then you have the problem that some communications are classified, so they might not get passed along to where they're needed.

Fixing these problems isn't easy, either. Strategic plans are helpful but also very time consuming to develop and implement.

[Hekate]

30. Just coming back to add that the typical "strongman" publicly denigrates & then consolidates .....

....the nation's independent/nonpartisan intelligence services in order to make them his own. They bring in their own security service that is loyal to them personally, instead of being loyal to the institution and its norms and laws. They endeavor to do the same to the nonpartisan military services, which in a democracy take an oath of loyalty not to the president but to the Constitution.

So, Trotsky, whatever proclivities you have or are trying to convey by your screen name, I would urge you to always ask yourself what it is Trump and his enablers are actually trying to accomplish -- rather than you trying to normalize his actions by looking for a rational explanation consistent with small-d democratic traditions. Trump is a strongman, an authoritarian.

[Fast Walker 52]

36. FWIW, I thin both Bush and Obama had public disagreements with CIA early on... but I don't remember

them being so insanely dismissive of the CIA/intel agencies. THAT is sick.

[Ghost OF Trotsky]

46. Please do not conflate asking a question

with trying to normalize Cheeto Benito.

I don't think any rational person is in doubt as to the sheer egoism and narcissistic personality disorder that drives the PE

ALL questions are good, always. Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while

Some interesting answers, which is why I asked it.

[Hekate]

54. I don't generally conflate...but sometimes the question begs the answer, and sometimes..

....patterns pop out. Not that you should infer anything personal from that; just saying in general.

[Ghost OF Trotsky]

57. I don't see how asking why we need 17 different intelligence agencies

has anything to do with not being properly horrified by what the US is about to endure.

Some interesting answers and good points.

Some redundancy is good, too much just wastes resources; what is the right amount and who is most qualified to make that judgment? It is sort of baffling that a deep thinking and highly rational (and admired) poster such as yourself thinks asking questions such as those in ANY context indicates someone being a Drumpf supporter.

I don't trust anything coming from the "intelligence community". I didn't when Johnson was president, I haven't at any time since, and I don't now. If the Russians hacked anything it's to late now to do anything about it except figure out how and prevent it in the future; anyone expecting this Republican congress to investigate or do anything about it will be disappointed.

[jmowreader]

32. The US and the rest of the world approach intelligence differently

Most countries just have a couple of agencies. Germany has three - a foreign intelligence agency, a domestic intelligence agency and a military counterintelligence agency. Great Britain has a military intelligence service and three civil agencies - foreign intelligence, counterintelligence and signals intelligence. The Russians have a civilian agency and a military agency. There are advantages and drawbacks to this structure.

The biggest advantage is the ease of making multidisciplinary attacks on a target. Let's say we were trying to break a meth cartel through SIGINT. We've broken into their communications. We know where the labs are and when is the best time to send commandos to wipe them out. However, we also want to clean up their raw materials supply chains, their drug transport operations, the flow of money and so on, and we also want to kill the leadership group because if we just blow all the meth labs off the face of the earth today, there'll be new ones by next Friday. To do that we're going to need several other kinds of collection - we'll need an international banking analyst (yes, they exist) to track cash flow, someone who can speak Spanish AND drive a truck so he can infiltrate truck stops, and so on and so forth. It is a LOT easier to set up those kinds of ops if everyone's under one roof.

The drawbacks? Imagine giving J. Edgar Hoover full control of the National Security Agency.

To keep disasters like that from happening, we broke up the intelligence community into little bitsy pieces and made them suspicious of one another. It's more expensive BUT it's safer that way. Plus, you don't lose effectiveness because we built the system around a middleman - the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Intelligence, which receives reporting from the other agencies and creates the full picture of the environment from that work.

[Hekate]

38. TY for that interesting analysis, jmow

Yes, just imagine good old J. Edgar in charge of all of it.

[brush]

44. Makes sense. Thanks for a good breakdown of the rationale behind mutliple intel agencies

Just the thought of a Hoover-type figure in charge of all intelligence is beyond scary.

[jmowreader]

55. It's happened before, but not here

L. Beria (I tried typing his name twice but autocorrect distorted it out of recognition) was head of the Soviet secret police under Stalin. He is a villain worthy of the Brothers Grimm, and so treacherous even Stalin was scared of him. (As well he should have been - it's very possible Beria had Stalin whacked by putting warfarin in his food.) After Stalin was buried Beria attempted to take over the government, and was shot after a very minimal trial.

Considering some of the people in the GOP, that could happen here.

[brush]

56. Yeah, Beria was one scary MF.

[Ghost OF Trotsky]

45. Thanks

Excellent perspective and context.

[CousinIT]

16. Well if he fires Comey (but we know he won't because Comey destroyed Clinton for him) n/t

[progressoid]

21. Comey is going to get a raise.

[briv1016]

26. Donald is getting real close to riding in a convertible.

And he hasn't even been sworn in yet.

[2naSalit]

28. Unless he

pisses off putie, he has a knack for such things as biting the hand that feeds him, and maybe a spot of pulonium tea...

[truthisfreedom]

29. Obviously this is in direct response to the CIA identifying russia as interfering with the election.

The manchurian candidate MUST destroy any agency that identifies mother russia as the enemy.

[Kablooie]

31. Trump is setting the stage ON PURPOSE for a large terrorist attack on the US.

He WANTS a 9-11 kind of disaster so he can play the hero and be given free reign to curtail all American freedoms and wield the military without oversight.

It would be the beginning of him consolidating his power over the country just as his idol Putin did in Russia.

Sure he would be blamed by a segment of society but in the middle of a crisis no one could do anything about it.
By the time the crisis simmers down he will have the ability to shut down any of his enemies.

He has to be put down soon or we will find ourselves trapped in a real Orwellian 1984 world.
We are headed that way right now anyway with the GOP propaganda machine controlling so much of our media.

Trump just needs one good, terrifying catastrophe to implement a total coup.

[SammyWinstonJack]

47. MIHOP.

[Kablooie]

51. Yeah! Model International House Of Pancakes!

http://www.angelfire.com/ego/apothem217/dailynews13003.html

I'll Have The Pancakes!

[ace2pace]

33. Controversial Trump

Hope he is making the right decision if he gets to their budget

[Pacrin]

37. Seems like a good idea...

until something happens and we have to double the existing budget.

[uppityperson]

50. Why bother to prevent things from happening when you can simply deal with it afterwards? Seriously?

How well did that work Sept 2001? Though to be fair that was more of ignoring the intelligence

[tavernier]

39. The new KGOP

Run by professionals.

[bdamomma]

40. MAKING AMERICA

LESS SAFE

this man needs to go, he can't get near the WH.

we need WHISTLE BLOWERS TO COME OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SayItLoud]

42. Bust-Out Needed NOW

Security and Intel agencies and every employee being humiliated by the "commander in chief". Orangeman claims he knows more than the "Generals" and has "better intel" than you at the CIA, NSA, FBI !

Well, are you going to sit back and take that? He's planning on cutting your budgets which will put you out of work or reduce your resources to do a proper job defending America; and it will put some of your lives in danger.

YOU and America should not allow this to happen. Some of us will protest YOU must do what you do best.

Bust-Out before too late to get the good stuff.

[harun]

49. Sounds great but don't think it will really happen.