Sen. Jeanne Shaheen: Trump "doesn't seem to understand the enormity of the Russia hack"

[DonViejo]

Source: Vox

Updated by Jennifer [e-mail] Jan 7, 2017, 9:30am EST

Back in September, New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen became the first senator to call for a hearing about Russia’s interference in the US presidential race.

On Thursday morning, she got that hearing — or at least, the first of many. The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing with the country’s top spies — Director of National Intelligence James Clapper; Adm. Mike Rogers, head of the US Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency; and Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Marcel Lettre.

They met to address what Clapper described as President-elect Donald Trump’s "disparagement" of the intelligence community over its assessment of Russia’s attempt to boost Trump’s chances of winning the White House.

In a phone interview on Thursday shortly after the hearing, Shaheen — the rare lawmaker to sit on both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — told me that it is “very disappointing” to watch Trump take the unprecedented step of publicly disparaging the American intelligence community. Trump, she added, simply “doesn't seem to understand the enormity of what's going on here.”



Read more: http://www.vox.com/world/2017/1/7/14183800/senator-shaheen-russia-interference-election-trump-intelligence

[tanyev]

1. Donald is incapable of understanding anything other than how he is personally affected.

[Sunlei]

6. The man has never had a public medical check or a basic security clearance, Thanks to Republicans!

[chelsea0011]

11. Yes. No question about it.

[TNNurse]

19. I believe you have captured the entire problem in one sentence.

[Wounded Bear]

2. To Trump, nothing is bigger than he is....

Given that he probably owes Russian interests millions, if not billions of dollars, my first thought is that he is a wholly owned subsidiary of Putin, Inc.

[2naSalit]

20. +1

[Sunlei]

3. Mr Trump is unfit. Republicans need to help Pence more, he has to do all trumps transition work.

[PSPS]

4. He understands it very well. His "winning" was just another con job.

[PearliePoo2]

5. Oh, I think he understands alright and he's starting to sweat.

He probably thought he could pull this traitorous coup off.
I hope the forthcoming investigations put a microscope up his flabby, Orange anus.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. Yup

[StrictlyRockers]

7. The question in my mind is whether Twitler is a full blown Russian agent or just a greedy sociopath.

Does he work on Russia's behalf constantly, or only when it benefits him directly?

These are the only options I see extant.

[woodsprite]

8. Even if it's the latter, Putin will change the terms the minute Trump & Co are sworn in.

If he doesn't come through for his puppet master, he'll be "Litvenko'd".

[2naSalit]

21. +1

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

31. Trump is a useful idiot; I don't think he's smart enough to be a real agent.

He is a greedy sociopath who went to Russia to get financing when U.S. banks cut him off as a bad credit risk. Now he's into the Russian oligarchs, controlled in turn by Putin, for God knows how much money. It's like being indebted to a mob-controlled loan shark, except that a couple of guys named Guido and Vinnie aren't going to show up at his door to break his kneecaps if he doesn't pay up. It's worse: Now he does have to work on Russia's behalf whenever Putin tells him to, because if he doesn't the Russians will call those loans and then the whole world will know that Trump is broke. To him that would be much worse than broken kneecaps.

[NRaleighLiberal]

9. Yes, he understands...and supports. This is a completely visible coup.

[2naSalit]

22. +1

[colorado_ufo]

36. +1

[Arkansas Granny]

12. DT can't admit the enormity of the intervention because that would cast doubt on his "victory ".

To accept the findings of the intelligence community would question just how wonderful and magnificent he is.

[SammyWinstonJack]

15. Nailed it!

[bucolic_frolic]

13. Everything he says is an exercise in projection

Make America Great Again - For Vlady

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. Or he does and won't admit it.

[Eyeball_Kid]

16. On the other hand, Trumpy may clearly understand the enormity of the hack.

Trumpy seems unphased by Russian intervention, and indeed may privately welcome it.

We're dealing with a whole new world view from Trumpy: one in which the uber-wealthy are destined to rule, regardless of government structures or political philosophies. None of the normal boundary considerations are functional for Trumpy. He knows that Putin is worth at least 80 billion dollars. Trumpy sees that figure as a testament to Putin's right to do whatever he wishes. Trumpy appreciates the power of money. Trumpy, indeed, is promoting a New Royalty, of which he is a founding member, along with his love interest, Vladimir.

New Royalty is based not upon bloodlines, but upon financial strength. While Trumpy publicly celebrates his populist "Movement", privately, Trumpy treasures his inclusion into a tightly held, but growing view that extreme wealth equates with extreme privilege.

Constitutional structures are window dressing to Trumpy. They really don't matter. What matters is strength, wielded by massive amounts of money. Trumpy's Fanboys in the US were mere tools used in his ascendency to the World Stage. He'd mow them all down with tanks if they got in his way. Let's wait until his Fanboys discover the color of the yellow rain falling on their heads. Whatever will they do?

[LisaL]

39. Privately? Before the election, he very publicly told Russia to "find" Clinton's deleted emails.

[Pharlo]

17. Ya know, "some people are saying" Melania Trump is a Russian sleeper spy.

She came to America (illegally), insinuated herself into a position of influence with a man who would be a Russian patsy when the time came, and persuaded him to run for the Puppet Presidency. I have no proof of this, it's just something I've heard people saying...

[radical noodle]

25. Wasn't her father in the Communist Party?

I think I read that on InfoWars.

[2naSalit]

28. I have been

saying it for over a year, and not only the wife #3 but wife #2 is suspect as are the three kids and their spouses. I think he has been managed by Pooty since he took all those illegal loans.

[tblue37]

30. Marla Maples was wife #2. I think you mean wife #1. nt

[2naSalit]

32. Thanks...

I thought it was the other way around... obviously I don't follow the chump saga.

[Solly Mack]

35. ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8370696

[Vinca]

18. Trump doesn't seem to understand much about anything.

Malcolm Nance referred to him this morning as a "useful idiot" when it came to Russia interfering in the election.

[Richard D]

23. Or he understands it perfectly. n/t

[radical noodle]

24. I think he does understand

I think he just doesn't want the rest of the country to understand.

[moreland01]

26. Neither does the Justice Department!

I'm still shocked and appalled that the Justice Department sees no cause to invalidate the entire election due to outside foreign interference. If we saw that happening in another country, our government would be all over it! This election needs to be invalidated immediately. If what the Russian's did doesn't meet the test for a fraudulent election, then what does, for God's sake??????? As long as you win, it doesn't matter how you did it? Is that where we're at now?

[2naSalit]

29. INdeed... what's up with DoJ sitting on their hands?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

27. Dear Senator Shaheen:

Wouldn't yesterday have been a good time to bring this up?

[dhill926]

33. he won't understand...

until his feet are held to the fucking fire...and who is going to do that?

[leftyladyfrommo]

34. It helped him win.

So it was a good thing.

[YOHABLO]

37. He doesn't care. That hack gave him an election. Why should he?

He will run the country and the state department like a crime syndicate.

[LisaL]

38. I think he understands it well enough, he just pretends he doesn't.

He benefited, after all.

[Rex]

40. Wrong assesment and that is dangerous.

He understands and dismisses any and all evidence with the wave of his tiny hand. The Emperor is not pleased, it didn't happen. That is how he thinks.

They better get their heads out of the sand and realize he just doesn't give a shit about what they think.

[Cha]

41. Duh.. that's our Dump Dump rigged select..

In a phone interview on Thursday shortly after the hearing, Shaheen — the rare lawmaker to sit on both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — told me that it is “very disappointing” to watch Trump take the unprecedented step of publicly disparaging the American intelligence community. Trump, she added, simply “doesn't seem to understand the enormity of what's going on here.”

Be nice if he found out when he's charged with treason.

[riversedge]

42. Trump only understands and comprehends what is beneficial to him. Period!!