Wednesday, September 7, 2016

On MSNBC program, Trump violates presidential briefing confidentiality

[Updated with the transcript] On the MSNBC military issues Town Hall tonight, Donald Trump said he had learned something that shocked and alarmed him in the confidential presidential briefings he has been given.

What had he learned, via the briefers' body language, he suggested?

That President Obama, and Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry had failed to take intelligent experts' advice.
Trump at lectern before backdrop with elements of logo "TRUMP DonaldJTrump.com"
Trump is supposed to say nothing about what goes on in these briefings - - from the words used to his weird inferences from the briefers' body body language - - and hinting in dire tones about things so terrible undermines President Obama - - the incumbent Commander-in-Chief - - and smears his opponent, Hillary Clinton, too.

She doesn't know what Trump was referring to  - - except that he shouldn't be talking about the briefing - - and she wouldn't answer or debate it with Trump because that would be the wrong thing to do.

What disqualifying behavior from a loose cannon. Cut off the rest of Trump's  briefings. He can't be trusted with them, except to abuse the privilege.

Here is the transcript of this stunning episode:


LAUER: You recently -- you recently received two intelligence briefings.
TRUMP: Yes, I did.
LAUER: Did anything in that briefing, without going into specifics, shock or alarm you?
TRUMP: Yes. Very much so.
LAUER: Did you learn new things in that briefing?
TRUMP: First of all, I have great respect for the people that gave us the briefings. We -- they were terrific people. They were experts on Iraq and Iran and different parts of -- and Russia. But, yes, there was one thing that shocked me. And it just seems to me that what they said President Obama and Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, who is another total disaster, did exactly the opposite.
LAUER: Did you learn anything in that briefing -- again, not going into specifics -- that makes you reconsider some of the things you say you can accomplish, like defeating ISIS quickly?
TRUMP: No, I didn't learn anything from that standpoint. What I did learn is that our leadership, Barack Obama, did not follow what our experts and our truly -- when they call it intelligence, it's there for a reason -- what our experts said to do. LAUER: Hallie?
TRUMP: And I was very, very surprised. In almost every instance. And I could tell you. I have pretty good with the body language. I could tell they were not happy. Our leaders did not follow what they were recommending.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is the ugliest election I have seen in my life (50+ years) and neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump is held accountable for anything, though I admit the media is more likely to hammer Hillary Clinton over inexcusable conduct.

This is going to be a low-turnout election and will be a toss-up for that reason. The democratic party had an opportunity to put forward a candidate that had significantly higher approval ratings than Don the Con and they chose not to.

The democratic primary process was rigged, directly and indirectly, to put forward a candidate that has record unfavorables in her own right -- This says it all.