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American diplomacy, American Intelligence Community, American National Security, Donald Trump, John Bolton, Russia Russia Russia!
On his first day in office, President Trump not only revoked the security clearance of his former National Security Adviser John Bolton, but also his U.S. Secret Service protection.
This was not the first time Trump had stripped the advisor turned critic of the Secret Service detail. In September 2019, after Trump ousted Bolton from his position, he suspended the protection within hours. Bolton was subsequently granted security by former President Joe Biden.
Mentions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Vindman; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Coats; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Vindman; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Sondland; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._R._McMaster; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Maguire; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Yovanovitch; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_M._Gordon.
Add former Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson for whom I had no notes until a few minutes ago: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/us/politics/michael-atkinson-inspector-general-fired.html.
In addition to removing John Bolton’s modern day layer of armor–that’s what personal state-detailed security comes to–President Trump has moved to revoke the security clearances of 51 former intelligence officials. In more prudent Administrations less suspect of malfeasance or malicious intents, the same former officials may be tapped for their greater experience and expertise when necessary and with a minimum of reorientation.
The signatories of the letter wrote that they didn’t know whether the emails were authentic or not but that their emergence has “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”
But Trump’s director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe — also his current pick to lead the CIA — contradicted that assessment by saying there was no intelligence to support the idea that Russia had anything to do with Hunter Biden’s laptop. The FBI, which was conducting its own criminal investigations into the younger Biden, seemed to back up Ratcliffe’s statement by telling Congress in a letter it had nothing to add to what he had said.
Related Online: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/01/20/donald-trump-inauguration-day-news-updates-analysis/trumps-revenge-on-intel-officials-00199589;
Related Involving the Last Trump Administration
Donald Trump’s shake-up of America’s Intelligence and National Security Communities bodes ill for response to threats to American Democracy–but that would seem to be the point. He has been consistent in his passions, foremost the elimination of the American Election Process–for once, he appears to have said exactly what he meant. The retelling of “The Snake“–one might expect some MAGA to have known what he was when they voted for him . . . or colluded with his “Stop The Steal” big lie. The electric battery or shark question: those might be for the drug dealers whose money his operations haven’t been laundering. And the references to Hannibal the Cannibal from The Silence of the Lambs . . . . Think about that. He sells fear through fabrication — the 2020 election hadn’t been stolen, full stop — and xenophobia through exaggeration . . . perhaps telling more about himself than any true state of affairs.
Now as President Trump, he has targeted our most critical government services in law enforcement and justice and national security, especially the Intelligence Community (IC) though which American Military and State Department leaders may see both present situations and future real threats.
I’ve commented on Donald Trump’s earlier Great Replacement (in Government) behavior: “Maria Yovanovitich–The Kind of Person President Trump Fires From His Administration” (BackChannels, November 17, 2019).
Today, we know the kind of unqualified persons he’d rather have for their sycophancy.
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