The very real danger here is that the 'shoot from the hip' and reckless Donald Trump represents a clear and present danger to our country's national security.
Trump is ignorant, undisciplined. You know he consults no one. Trump thinks he knows it all. Trump is placing our country and the people in our intelligence community who are tasked to protect it at serious risk.
US Officials know this quite well, hence these leaks.
www.washingtonpost.com/…
Hubris and rank amateurism are killing President Trump when it comes to his Russia problem. And that’s the most charitable explanation.
Needless to say, sharing information with the Russian government that isn’t even being shared with allies is a big blunder. Trump has broad authority to declassify information, so he was probably within his rights to talk about it. But this is something that can credibly be described as Trump doing damage to the fight against the Islamic State with his loose lips.
The officials The Post spoke with are clearly exasperated. Here’s a sampling of their reactions:
- “Trump seems to be very reckless, and doesn’t grasp the gravity of the things he’s dealing with, especially when it comes to intelligence and national security.” — a former senior U.S. official close to current administration officials
- “Russia could identify our sources or techniques.” — a senior U.S. official
- “I don’t think that it would be that hard [for Russian spy services] to figure this out.” — a former intelligence official who worked on Russia-related issues
- “He seems to get in the room or on the phone and just goes with it — and that has big downsides. Does he understand what’s classified and what’s not? That’s what worries me.” — a former U.S. official
"This is really the nightmare scenario for the intelligence community."