Trump's Vainglorious Affront to the C.I.A.

[Tactical Peek]

Trump’s Vainglorious Affront to the C.I.A.

By Robin Wright January 22, 2017


. . . On his first full day in office, President Trump spoke at the C.I.A. headquarters in front of the hallowed Memorial Wall, with Ames’s star on it. Since his election, Trump has raged at the U.S. intelligence community over its warnings about Russian meddling in the Presidential election. After CNN reported on, and BuzzFeed published, an as-yet unsubstantiated dossier about Trump’s ties to Russia and personal behavior, the President erupted on Twitter, “Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to ‘leak’ into the public. One last shot at me. Are we living in Nazi Germany?”

On Saturday, speaking to about four hundred intelligence officials, Trump blamed any misunderstanding on the media. “They are among the most dishonest human beings on Earth,” he said. (The official White House transcript notes “laughter” and “applause” here.) “They sort of made it sound like I had a feud with the intelligence community. And I just want to let you know, the reason you’re the No. 1 stop is exactly the opposite—exactly.”

Trump vowed greater support for America’s sixteen intelligence agencies than they had received from any other President. “Very, very few people could do the job you people do,” he said. “I know maybe sometimes you haven’t gotten the backing that you’ve wanted, and you’re going to get so much backing. Maybe you’re going to say, Please don’t give us so much backing. Mr. President, please, we don’t need that much backing.” Trump said he assumed that “almost everybody” in the cavernous C.I.A. entry hall had voted for him, “because we’re all on the same wavelength, folks.”

In his remarks, Trump made passing reference to the “special wall” behind him but never mentioned the top-secret work or personal sacrifices of intelligence officers like Ames and the others who died in Beirut, including the C.I.A. station chief Kenneth Haas, and James F. Lewis, who had been a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, and his wife Monique, who was on her first day on the job at the Beirut embassy. Nor did the President refer to any of the dozens of others for whom stars are etched on the hallowed C.I.A. wall of honor. It was like going to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and not mentioning those who died in the Second World War.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trumps-vainglorious-affront-to-the-c-i-a

[Stuart G]

1. Oh...my....a new word..."Vainglorious"....never seen that one before...

Amazing what one can find at DU....

please excuse the sarcasm...couldn't help it.....



and welcome to DU...

[Leghorn21]

2. "you people" - "folks" - I can't bear it

Plus the media-bash over a feud HE started - cheezus

Now here's what I don't get...like an idiot, I check his tweets. And the one from 4ish this morning is one of the most appalling ever, yet I've seen no references to it anywhere today?

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

Had a great meeting at CIA Headquarters yesterday, packed house, paid great respect to Wall, long standing ovations, amazing people. WIN!
4:35 AM - 22 Jan 2017

Besides the usual "long standing ovations" self-glorification (long, honey, not just a regular standing ovation, plus, it's pluralized, so there were lots of them!!!) and the sophomoric "WIN!"- - what the hell is "paid great respect to Wall"?? Was he not spanked repeatedly yesterday for his lack of respect as regards the CIA Wall of Honor, and for barely even mentioning it as he mindlessly bloviated about his inaugural head count??

Forgive me, I should not write all this, but to me it's just of his more egregious lies, "paid great respect to Wall", plus that phrase is so stupidly written..almost as badly as this post!!

Thanks for posting Tactical Peek!

[Cha]

4. Compelling article! We heard bits about what happened

but this really brought it home.

Now the CIA knows in person what a LOSER blotus is.. wonder if they miss President Obama?

[LeftInTX]

8. It looks like his crazy tweeting is going to start again!!!

I know Obama had his private twitter, which of course, was always professional. However, I don't Trump @realDonaldTrump can contain himself for much longer, unless they start sedating him.

[Cha]

3. Trump blamed any misunderstanding on the media. They are among the most dishonest human beings on

earth"

No asshole.. that belongs to you.

Trump’s remarks caused astonishment and anger among current and former C.I.A. officials. The former C.I.A. director John Brennan, who retired on Friday, called it a “despicable display of self-aggrandizement in front of C.I.A.’s Memorial Wall of Agency heroes,” according to a statement released through a former aide. Brennan said he thought Trump “should be ashamed of himself.”

“As he stood there talking about how great Trump is, I kept looking at the wall behind him—as I’m sure everyone in the room was, too. He has no understanding of the world and what is going on. It was really ugly.”

LOSE!

At 7:35 A.M. on Sunday, Trump responded on Twitter to the negative reactions to his comments. “Had a great meeting at CIA Headquarters yesterday, packed house, paid great respect to Wall, long standing ovations, amazing people. WIN!”

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trumps-vainglorious-affront-to-the-c-i-a

Thank you for this, Tactical Peek

So now the CIA knows in person what a Big Fat Loser FAKE blotus is.

[Leghorn21]

5. Yes, up close and "in person" the CIA's got this mofo clocked now, eh, Cha?

And omg, he is "really UGLY."

[Cha]

6. Can you imagine the inevitable

bio-pic that will come out about him and his admin! Gaslighting the American People and how we Withstood it!

Because we have to! The Dems in Congress are going to be subjected to this type of bullshit too.. as if they haven't been already.. only more so.

So glad he went there and stood in front of the Wall with his vainglorious egomaniacal self.

[Leghorn21]

7. Ha, no bio-pic for moi, thank you! Living it will do just fine!

Well, no, living it is an actual hell on earth, non?

But yes, all power to our CongressDems, may they get and stay ornery!!

[Cha]

9. "But yes, all power to our CongressDems, may they get and stay ornery!!"