Former Director of Central Intelligence, John O.
Brennan, published a column in The New York Times aptly
titled “Trump's Claims Are Hogwash”. Brennan, in
position to know the ways of the 'gumshoe', put the chicanery in
context:
“Before,
during and after its meddling in our last presidential election,”
wrote the former C.I.A. Chief,
“Russia shaped political events abroad through its active
measures program, which employs an array of technical capabilities,
information operations and human intelligence spycraft. Electoral
politics in Western democracies present an inviting target, as
politicians, political parties, media outlets, think tanks and
influencers are readily manipulated, wittingly or unwittingly, or
even bought outright by Russian operatives....
“Having
worked with the F.B.I. For years on counterintelligence
investigations, I was well aware of Russia's ability to work
surreptitiously within the United States, cultivating relationships
with individuals who wield actual or potential power. .. (W)ell
trained in the art of deception. They troll political, business and
cultural waters in search of gullible or unprincipled individuals who
become pliant in the hands of their Russian puppet masters. Too often
those puppets are found.
“In
my many conversations with James Comey, the F.B.I. Director, in the
summer of 2016, we talked about the potential for American citizens,
involved in politics or not, to be Russian pawns. We knew that
Russian intelligence services would do all they could to achieve
their objectives, which the United States intelligence community
publicly assessed a few short months later were to undermine public
faith in the American democratic process, harm the electability of
Hillary Clinton, and show preference for Mr. Trump. We also assessed
that Mr. Putin's intelligence services were following his orders.
Director Comey and I, along with the director of the National
Security Agency, Adm. Michael Rogers, pledged that our agencies would
share, as appropriate, whatever information was collected...
“Mr.
Trump's claims of no collusion are, in a word, hogwash.” (1)
Brennan
was in a position to know. Citing the myriad contacts and alluding
to the personalities involved, Brennan laid out his
suspicions—including tRUMP's direct call to the Rooskies to purloin
those “thirty thousand missing emails”, (a directive, it has been
pointed out, that the Russians acted upon immediately). While
couching his accusations with the usual caution that “(T)he
only questions that remain are whether the collusion that took place
constituted criminally liable conspiracy, whether obstruction of
justice occurred to cover up any collusion or conspiracy, and how
many members of 'Trump Incorporated' attempted to defraud the
government by concealing the movement of money into their pockets.”
(2) Brennan is here being the
usually cautious intelligence operative, for Gates and Flynn have
already plead guilty to conspiracy against the United States. But
what stands out here is not only the flat assertion of 'collusion'
which is another word for conspiracy if not—in the context of
working with a hostile foreign power—sedition, but that he invoke
the mafia-tinged reference to 'Trump Incorporated'.
Disgustus retaliated by revoking the Director's security
clearance. He did this, Brennan asserts, to direct attention from
the Mueller investigation, to create new narratives to
replace—however temporarily—the ongoing narrative of deeply
disloyal and unpatriotic behaviors. This much is true, but the
revocation of Mr. Brennan's credentials had been in the works for
weeks, for Brennan has been a harsh critic of this bastard
presidency, even to the point of using the word 'treasonous'.
Disgustus would have done it sooner, but what tipped the scales were
the release of tapes by former White House adviser Omarosa Manigualt
Newman, and the personal attorney to Caesar Disgustus Michael Cohen,
both or whom have been dominating the news cycles.
Meanwhile it was announced at a White House press
briefing that a list—an 'enemies list' of sorts—including former
F.B.I. Director Comey, and other heads and functionaries of
intelligence and law enforcement agencies had been drawn up to
similarly receive punishment. Such punishments will be meted out not
by some criteria like national security but, it was announced,
whenever Disgustus needs to change the subject and take command of
news cycles—as in the latest revelations by his former aides. In
any case, like Nixon, Caesar Disgustus using his office to punish
'enemies', real or imagined but, unlike Nixon, is seriously damaging
the “institutional memory” of our law enforcement and
intelligence communities making this country even more vulnerable to
manipulation and attack.
“an'
Br'er Putin, he jus' laugh and laugh”
Impeach and Imprison.
_____________________
- Brennan, John O. “Trump's Claims Are Hogwash” The New York Times. Friday, August 17, 2018: Page A25
- Ibid.
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