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Trump begins getting same intelligence briefings as Obama

By Mark Sumner
Wednesday Nov 09, 2016 · 1:31 PM CST

It’s very, very difficult to write an article about Trump and intelligence without making a pun, but it’s also hard to dredge up much humor today … so just take it as a given.

Now that the results of the election are irrevocably carved into our minds in a way that will never, never leave us feeling safe or confident in the nature of reality again, Donald Trump is president-elect.
Which means he will now begin to receive the same detailed intelligence briefings as President Obama.

And that is causing a few concerns.
Intelligence Community On Edge As It Reckons With Uncertainty Of Trump
https://www.buzzfeed.com/alimwatkins/intelligence-community-on-edge-as-it-reckons-with-uncertaint?utm_term=.yhJyXPP2Z#.ttw16ppjZ

“Holy shit,” one US intelligence official said. Asked if they were dumbfounded, they said: “Find me someone who isn’t.”

Yes, that does seem to be an official with some intelligence. One problem with briefing Trump is that these briefings are usually shared with the national security team. Which for Donald Trump is … is … who would that be?

The problem with Trump, several officials pointed out, is that no one knows who his team would be if he indeed took office. Obama, they said, at least had a deep bench.

“Obama himself may not have [known the issues], but he’d been being tutored an entire year by various people,” said a former Bush Administration official involved in the Obama transition. “They were people who previously had security clearances, knew the issues. These were seasoned centrists, pretty much up-to-speed NatSec hands. On a Trump team, unlike the Obama people, none of us have any idea who might serve on a transition team.”

Trump, of course, has not bothered to learn thing one. Why should he? With his great brain, he already knows more than both the intelligence officers and the generals. In fact … shouldn’t he be briefing them?

Even Wednesday, rumors were thin on who Trump might tap to lead his intelligence community. Reports swirled about possible cabinet appointments, but there was little to indicate who Trump would choose to fill key intelligence posts, including the Director of National intelligence, the Director of the CIA and the Director of the DIA.

Why not James Comey? Sure, FBI Director isn’t usually in line for international intelligence spots, but Trump should at least give Comey the option.

After all, he owes the man.

As for the days ahead, there’s optimism, the intelligence official said, that Trump’s lack of experience may leave him open to guidance and advice, and allow more experience minds to “reign in” some of the President-elect’s more extreme ideas.

One tip for intelligence officials: make sure you get that “guidance and advice” on InfoWars or Breitbart, or at the very least deliver it to Trump under a big red flashing light. That’s how he’s used to receiving serious news about the world.

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/11/9/1594769/-Trump-begins-getting-same-intelligence-briefings-as-Obama#read-more