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Arkansas Granny

(31,514 posts)
Wed Jun 21, 2017, 01:12 PM Jun 2017

FBI Official Wont Say Whether Trump Acted As an

“Unwitting Agent” for Russia

A top FBI official investigating the Russian cyberattacks on the 2016 election would not say Wednesday whether President Donald Trump acted as an “unwitting agent” of the Kremlin during his presidential campaign.

Bill Priestap, assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division, testified before the Senate intelligence committee that Moscow “employed a multifaceted approach intended to undermine confidence in our democratic process,” including efforts to “discredit” Hillary Clinton and help elect Trump.

Citing Priestap’s description of Russian efforts to “sow discord” in the United States, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) asked Priestap about the term “unwitting agent,” meaning an official duped into doing the bidding of a foreign power.
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The exchange recalled an August 2016 op-ed by former CIA Director Michael Morell endorsing Clinton. “Mr. Trump has also taken policy positions consistent with Russian, not American, interests—endorsing Russian espionage against the United States, supporting Russia’s annexation of Crimea and giving a green light to a possible Russian invasion of the Baltic States,” Morrell wrote. “In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation.”

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/fbi-official-wont-say-whether-trump-acted-as-an-unwitting-agent-for-russia/

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FBI Official Wont Say Whether Trump Acted As an (Original Post) Arkansas Granny Jun 2017 OP
Maybe he thinks Trump knew damn well who he was colluding with, Tanuki Jun 2017 #1
+ 1,000 Achilleaze Jun 2017 #10
A "willing agent" might be closer to the truth, or at least "knowingly" an agent if blackmailed. L. Coyote Jun 2017 #2
They are bound to have something on him or a really lucrative business deal that they are holding Arkansas Granny Jun 2017 #3
my opinion, he is not unwitting here. barbtries Jun 2017 #4
This BadgerMom Jun 2017 #5
I think so NewJeffCT Jun 2017 #8
"Russia, hack my opponent" is not exactly unwitting or unwilling bucolic_frolic Jun 2017 #6
I guess you could ask him yourself. Tommy_Carcetti Jun 2017 #7
As has been pointed out.....Trump will go down... Stuart G Jun 2017 #9
Ooh, you're a poet and didn't know it, Arkansas Granny Jun 2017 #11
Unwitting? Turbineguy Jun 2017 #12

Tanuki

(14,918 posts)
1. Maybe he thinks Trump knew damn well who he was colluding with,
Wed Jun 21, 2017, 01:16 PM
Jun 2017

and thus could not be described as an "unwitting" agent

L. Coyote

(51,129 posts)
2. A "willing agent" might be closer to the truth, or at least "knowingly" an agent if blackmailed.
Wed Jun 21, 2017, 01:19 PM
Jun 2017

Who knows what they have on Trump besides sex tapes.

Arkansas Granny

(31,514 posts)
3. They are bound to have something on him or a really lucrative business deal that they are holding
Wed Jun 21, 2017, 01:37 PM
Jun 2017

over him. Even after the entire intelligence community has stated, unequivocally, that Russia meddled in our election, he won't acknowledge the interference. Why would a President turn a blind eye to something like that?

NewJeffCT

(56,828 posts)
8. I think so
Wed Jun 21, 2017, 03:36 PM
Jun 2017

I keep expecting Trump to tweet out that something along the lines of Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men" -
Cruise makes some good points and asks Nicholson if he ordered the Code Red, and then after Nicholson gives his infamous "you can't handle the truth" speech, Tom Cruise asks him again if he ordered the Code Red and Nicholson says, "you're Goddamned right I did!"

I am waiting for that tweet "You're goddamned right I ordered Flynn to work with Russia!"

Stuart G

(38,414 posts)
9. As has been pointed out.....Trump will go down...
Wed Jun 21, 2017, 03:57 PM
Jun 2017

He is a stupid clown,
And I won't frown,
When, he ain't around....

thank you....

Turbineguy

(37,317 posts)
12. Unwitting?
Wed Jun 21, 2017, 04:12 PM
Jun 2017

A 71 year old man who grew up during the Cold War? If anything he should have been accused of being overly cautious.

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