Trump's refusal to accept intelligence briefing on Russia stuns experts

[BainsBane]

Former senior U.S. national security officials are dismayed at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's repeated refusal to accept the judgment of intelligence professionals that Russia stole files from the Democratic National Committee computers in an effort to influence the U.S. election.

The former officials, who have served presidents in both parties, say they were bewildered when Trump cast doubt on Russia's role after receiving a classified briefing on the subject and again after an unusually blunt statement from U.S. agencies saying they were "confident" that Moscow had orchestrated the attacks

"It defies logic," retired Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency, said of Trump's pronouncements.. . . .

Several former intelligence officials interviewed this week believe that Trump is either willfully disputing intelligence assessments, has a blind spot on Russia, or perhaps doesn't understand the nonpartisan traditions and approach of intelligence professionals. . . .

"I don't recall a previous candidate saying they didn't believe" the information from an intelligence briefing, said John Rizzo, a former CIA lawyer who served under seven presidents and became the agency's acting general counsel. "These are career people. They aren't administration officials. What does that do to their morale and credibility?"

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-intelligence-briefing-russia-20161014-story.html

I think he is more than an unwitting tool of Putin. It is quite possible he is willfully conspiring with Russia.

[DonCoquixote]

1. I am sure Comrade Trump

is getting many many intelligence briefings from Russia.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

2. Trump cares about Trump. Russia is a "resource" for him.

He's received hundreds of millions of dollars from Russian oligarchs according to recent reports. They're his "friends" in that sense, but he'll turn against them in a heartbeat.

Russia views Trump as a pawn, in my opinion. It's very short-sighted because Trump would have the "nuclear football" as POTUS and he's impulsive egomaniac.

[Panich52]

7. Besides other evidence, Jr confirmed it in 2008...

TalkingPointsMemo

3. One example of this is the Trump Soho development in Manhattan, one of Trump's largest recent endeavors. The project was the hit with a series of lawsuits in response to some typically Trumpian efforts to defraud investors by making fraudulent claims about the financial health of the project. Emerging out of that litigation however was news about secret financing for the project from Russia and Kazakhstan. Most attention about the project has focused on the presence of a twice imprisoned Russian immigrant with extensive ties to the Russian criminal underworld. But that's not the most salient part of the story. As the Times put it,

"Mr. Lauria brokered a $50 million investment in Trump SoHo and three other Bayrock projects by an Icelandic firm preferred by wealthy Russians “in favor with” President Vladimir V. Putin, according to a lawsuit against Bayrock by one of its former executives. The Icelandic company, FL Group, was identified in a Bayrock investor presentation as a “strategic partner,” along with Alexander Mashkevich, a billionaire once charged in a corruption case involving fees paid by a Belgian company seeking business in Kazakhstan; that case was settled with no admission of guilt."
(Snip)
... As I noted above, Trump has been blackballed by all major US banks with the exception of Deutschebank, which is of course a foreign bank with a major US presence. He has steadied and rebuilt his financial empire with a heavy reliance on capital from Russia. At a minimum the Trump organization is receiving lots of investment capital from people close to Vladimir Putin.
(Snip)
4. Then there's Paul Manafort, ...

5. Trump's foreign policy advisor on Russia and Europe is Carter Page, a man whose entire professional career has revolved around investments in Russia and who has deep and continuing financial and employment ties to Gazprom. ...

More
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/trump-putin-yes-it-s-really-a-thing

And...

“Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross- section of a lot of our assets,” Donald Trump Jr.

Newsweek
http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-russia-putin-dnc-hack-bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-emails-483807

[Buckeye_Democrat]

8. Yep. I've seen that evidence, but it's good to keep reminding everyone...

... of Trump's ties to Russia.

[Panich52]

3. His cult members have fully accepted his denial of facts

Heard one say he needed to see the proof; didn't matter, it he seemed to just ignore, that releasing it might hamper further security efforts.

[Tom Rivers]

4. there's a reason why putin so desperately wants him in

he is an ignorant puppet easily played by putin, and his supporters should be terrified of this but they're so conned by trump and the right wing spin that they don't care.

[UCmeNdc]

5. Agree except I think Putin already has bought off some of Trumps staff

Hoping Trump wins and puts these people in high places within the US government.

[BainsBane]

6. It certainly looks that way

[bucolic_frolic]

9. Clearly

He's going to refuse to recognize the election results and declare himself
the winner and head to the courts.

Prepare. Think ahead.

[anamandujano]

10. He's heading to the courts alright but as a defendant. The National Guard is prepared.

Imagine a president dismissing the intel in a briefing. It's a recipe for disaster.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. He believes Russia, they're on his side

but he doesn't believe our side

Should tell you something about his allies

[arthritisR_US]

12. I hope during the Foreign Policy part of the debate that HC

brings this up.

[BSdetect]

13. How many warnings do we need to stay vigilant re drumph?

His stupidity is dangerous.

[keithbvadu2]

14. The Donald owes money big time to the Russian mob, no matter what you call them.

They don't take kindly to non-payment.

They'll demand other 'considerations' if not cash.

[Bette]

15. And...

I'm really thinking he paid those hackers in Russia and he cannot get tied to it in any way. So of course, his usual thing is to deny, deny, deny.....

[Achilleaze]

16. Comrade Casino (R) wants America to become sub to the Evil Empire's dom

Republicans have gone off the frikking sanity track and into a PSYCHIC TORTURE DUNGEON.

[Cha]

17. Doesn't trump owe Russia $$$$$$? Maybe putin has him

by the *****? He'd rather look stupid than buck putin.

"It defies logic.." It's trump.. of course it does.

Thank you, BB