We previously discussed the alarming breach of an intelligence sharing agreement with the U.K. after U.S. officials released details given to them from British intelligence on the Manchester bombing, including the identity of the bomber. Now, British police have stopped sharing information with U.S. authorities after a series of leaks to American media. In the meantime, after Trump’s rational odd denial that he mentioned Israel in his giving highly classified intelligence to the Russians, Israel has acknowledged it was indeed their intelligence and they had to implement a “fix” and “clarify” their position with the U.S. on intelligence sharing after Trump’s disclosure. Update: Trump denounced the leaking of the information. Some have noted that the statement was rather belated and others have noted that it is equally ironic (given Trump’s personal disclosure of the highly classified Israeli intelligence to the Russians). Nevertheless, Trump is right to call for the FBI to investigate the leaking of the shared intelligence.
U.K. officials were irate that the Trump Administration leaked the information, which they deemed as harmful to their investigation and effort to arrest suspected associates of the bomber. Both the Prime Minister and the Greater Manchester Police were described as “furious” with the leak. The Prime Minister has made it known that the breach is so serious that she intends to personally raise the issue with President Trump.
As I previously discussed, this intelligence sharing agreements are absolutely vital to national security for the United States and, after President Trump’s bizarre disclosure of human intelligence from Israel to the Russians, the Manchester leak has further eroded confidence in our professionalism and reliability.
Top British and Belgian intelligence officials have made known their distrust and dissatisfaction to American intelligence officials. One former British intelligence chief described American officials as simply “blurting it out . . . for their own personal aggrandizement quite often.” He added that “They just blabbermouth it.”
This is the response to one of our closest allies in the world. While apologists for the Administration have again dismissed the concerns, this (and the Israeli disclosure) is a serious and dangerous breach for this country. I have grown increasingly weary of apologists and critics on both sides who put their political agendas ahead of this country’s obvious interests. Violation of shared intelligence agreements is a very big deal that should concern all citizens regardless of their political affiliations.
In the meantime, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (while reaffirming the close relationship with the US) confirmed that Trump’s disclosure to the Russians was not done with their approval and that Israel altered its understanding of intelligence sharing with the U.S. He said that Trump’s disclosure forced them to do a “spot repair” and “What we had to clarify with our friends in the United States, we did. We did our checks.”
This is more than politics. It is a pattern of gross negligence that threatens our national security. Moreover, after demanding investigations of leaks, the Trump Administration is relatively silent in calling for such an investigation of a violation of an intelligence sharing agreement. This latest scandal deserves a congressional investigation to determine how such a breach could have occurred.
‘Sorted’ by MI5: How UK government sent British-Libyans to fight Gaddafi
#LibyaCrisis
Fighters say government operated ‘open door’ policy allowing them to join rebels, as authorities investigate background of Manchester bomber
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sorted-mi5-how-uk-government-sent-british-libyans-fight-gaddafi-1219906488
I have grown increasingly weary of apologists and critics on both sides who put their political agendas ahead of this country’s obvious interests. Violation of shared intelligence agreements is a very big deal that should concern all citizens regardless of their political affiliations.
Just about all intelligence is shared so the above statement could be a blanket statement against leaks of any sort. If not, if something more specific is meant, then disregard the remainder of this comment. My fingers needed exercise.
The issue of intelligence leaks is a complex one which might warrant an extended discussion with posts in and off itself. A zero leak tolerance would mean we couldn’t even have this discussion, since the information regarding the violation of shared intelligence agreements has in effect been leaked out by the British in response to their information being leaked out by US. By rights, with NO leaks, we shouldn’t even know about the leak of the leak. But there are others who would suffer from such a policy.
US Presidents for one, (and VPs for another), would be crippled without being able to leak the name of their favorite to hate CIA agent such as Valerie Plame, or stories about how they heroically killed Osama bin Laden, or leaking lies about how Iraq is brim full of weapons of mass destruction as justification for going to war against Iraq with zero provocation on Iraq’s part (other than existing and having a brutal leader very similar to Duterte -a hero with this commentariat, and having oil reserves).
Then there is We the people. Wikileaks, wouldn’t be able to leak information about abuses of power such as the NSA and other spy agencies unconstitutionally mass collecting data on it’s own citizens or leaking information about political abuse such as the DNC’s ensuring Sanders had no chance to win the nomination.
Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes good and bad leaks, but leaks nevertheless, in one form or another, seem to be absolutely critical to the operation of the system as a whole.
Seems to me if they want to control leaks, they could start with chopping down the number of the 16 intelligence agencies, to say… ONE. That cuts out a lot of possible leaking leakers who apparently like to leak on each other. Not to mention a bonus for the budget.
It could simply be a reflection of the general competency of Trump and his mutts; along with the old America is beyond reproach, can do whatever it wants, never makes mistakes, is the toughest-strongest…., etc. Attitude based on reality plays a significant part in all this. If ever there was a megalomaniac oligarch, it is Trump. What sort consorts with this type?
As opposed to the smooth, hipster megalomaniac that dropped 29,000 or whatever bombs in the world and was credited with the most secretive administration in history???? Admit it, you, Anon, and the rest are A. OK. with amoral policy, just so long as the “style” is cool.
Mr. Drone has not quite left the building…
Leak, leak, bo beek.
Clearly, Bill Clinton’s wife, whatsername, was responsible for this leak–dripped directly to the failing New York Times and pathetic Washington post via her private email server from a secret sex bunker deep beneath a Papa John’s Pizza shop in a strip mall outside Poughkeepsie, New York.
Besides sex, I wonder if their pizza is any good?
Israel’s Jonathan Pollard spy operation was the most damaging theft of US secrets in US history barring the Rosenberg nuclear spy ring. Journalist Seymour Hersh (famous for his exposure of the My Lai incident) : “Pollard gave the Israelis vast amounts of data dealing with specific American intelligence systems and how they worked. For example, he betrayed details of an exotic capability that American satellites have of taking off-axis photographs from high in space. While orbiting the earth in one direction, the satellites could photograph areas that were seemingly far out of range.”…” A significant percentage of Pollard’s documents, including some that described the techniques the American Navy used to track Soviet submarines around the world, was of practical importance only to the Soviet Union. One longtime C.I.A. officer who worked as a station chief in the Middle East said he understood that “certain elements in the Israeli military had used it” — Pollard’s material — “to trade for people they wanted to get out,” including Jewish scientists working in missile technology and on nuclear issues.”
Israel was also known to have received the latest US def tech and resold it without US authorization to the Chinese. Maybe the worst case of Israeli malfeasance was the 1967 attack on the US intel ship, USS Liberty. The attack resulted in 34 dead and 174 wounded US serviceman. Israel knew it was a US ship, it was not a case of “friendly fire.” I could provide numerous links proving this, but you can find them for yourself.
As far as the UK govt is concerned, they have been waging war against their own people since at least the Blair Administration. The clearest proof of this is the decade long cover-up of the Muslim rape gang scandals (Rotherham is the most notable example) which reached the highest levels of the UK govt. For more detail on examples of what is in effect treason by UK ruling elites, see the various Peter Hitchens videos available on you tube.
Israel is not even an ally of the US in the formal sense-there is no agreement between between US and Israel anything like NATO. Not that NATO itself any longer serves any good purpose-they are facilitating the destruction of Europe through mass immigration while pretending to protect Europe against the non-existent menace of Russia. NATO has no responsibility to go to war over Ukraine or Crimea. The war in Ukraine isn’t much by former or current ME standards anyway- it’s been going on since 2014 and Kiev is under no threat and is still firmly in CIA-State Dept- Soros hands.
And another thing. JT’s retarded liberal Democrat student helper pointed out the “Israel leak” again in this article. I will remind readers that Trump did not leak any information to the public. Whoever the leaker is in his administration leaked it, and they are probably either a Democrat, or a never-Trumper type. Because the leakers are anti-Trump.
What a nice spin it is, to blame Trump for what the anti-Trumpers are leaking! Way to go Democrats!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
He leaked it to the Russians spys.
spies
No he didn’t. Look up who he talked to, if you care about the truth. You are just grabbing up huge handfuls of bullsh*t, and flinging it against the wall hoping some of it sticks. Well, some of it did. To your own hands.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/867172280350146561
Wow a replacement for the failed and phony Russia Connection and a better way to divert attentioin from the real Russian connection not to Putin but to the former leaders of the Soveit union.
Now how much of this information coming through not really well identified sources has been verified, how much is just repetitive quoting of the Blabbermouth party and it’s propaganda machine, and isn’t it wonderful to have yet another excuse to delay ‘our’ business which is economy, repealing and replacing Obamacare, constructing an on time budget containing something on balancing the budget and paying off the national debt, and redoing the tax system along with protecting the borders and the country from not just illegals but from importation of chemical/biological WMD such as opioids.
People who can’t focus on the real business of the country are indeed lame but those who intentionally obstruct the business of the country and have changed their allegiance to a foreign ideology have no business in the governing of OUR Representative Constitutional Republic and are pathetically incompetent.
Wow a replacement for the failed and phony Russia Connection and a better way to divert attentioin from the real Russian connection not to Putin but to the former leaders of the Soveit union.
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Nice try… assumes facts not in evidence…
Care to give it another go?
Btw… former leaders of the Soviet Union?
Uh… Putin’s an old KGB hand…
Seriously… you can’t make this stuff up…
Huh??? Whattayoumeen you can’t make this stuff up??? That is exactly what the Democrats are doing. Making stuff up. This whole article is bullsh*t. Mespo busted you guys out, above:
Probably de Blasio’s police department, if I had to guess. Not to mention, that the “sensitive information” was hardly sensitive, as pointed out yesterday. It was the death toll, the identity of the muzzie, and the fact that it was a suicide bombing.”
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Yep. Well said.
….the “sensitive information” was hardly sensitive…
Then why all the flap about Hillary’s email server?
My God, but you are thick. With this alleged “leak”, we know exactly what info came out, and it was not very sensitive info at all. Even the bomber’s name wasn’t sensitive. Because the people who helped him already knew who was was, and had already taken precautions.
With Hillary, we do not know what kind of info may have gotten out, or who got it. 30,000 emails were erased, and I promise you some of that stuff would subject her to blackmail. We have countless documents on Anthony Weiner’s laptop, and goodness who know what it was, or who got it.
What you have said is ridiculously stupid. You are comparing somebody stealing two quarters off your night stand, to someone lifting your wallet, with all the credit cards, and you not finding out until a few weeks later.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
https://twitter.com/OrinKerr/status/867587118331289600
Sub in Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Bush, Reagan, Clinton and Obama and you have the same story every election cycle. We just used not to panic over it until the name was Trump.
TRUTH ALERT:
Since facts matter when you’re casting aspersions on people, you should know the BBC reports that the leaks are from American Law enforcement and not the Trump Administration through the transatlantic ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence sharing agreement. For those looking for THE truth instead of affirmation for their ideas about things, here’s the money quote:
“BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera says UK officials believe that US law enforcement rather than the White House is the likely culprit for the leaks.”
But. hey, get to take an unjustified shot at Trump and it’s a done deal for the American anti-truth media.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-40040210
I think this is another story by JT’s student helper. That is why what you said, got missed, or intentionally overlooked. But it bears repeating:
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Squeeky:
I think it was his three-year-old nephew “student helper” on the keyboard. Or at least I hope it was. In any event, it did take me .43 seconds on Google to find it so it must be my sophisticated computer skills on display. :p
Again Squeeky I agree.
Top British and Belgian intelligence officials have made known their distrust and dissatisfaction to American intelligence officials.
So should the Trump Administration.
If you and Olly read the story, you will see that the body of the story is not in agreement with the headline.
The body of the story reads:
Whereas, the headline reads:
I would submit that “U.S. Authorities” and “Trump Administration” are not freely interchangeable, synonymous terms, at all. In other words, JT’s little helper was sooo interested in slamming Trump, that they either didn’t read their own article, or just didn’t care about the truth of it. Probably the latter.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Now that’s not fair mespo! Clearly Donald Trump is leaking this information to the press to embarrass hims… No, that’s not right. Clearly his administration is leaking this information to the press to embarrass his admini… No, that doesn’t make any sense either. Hmmm, clearly bad actors within the U.S. government are leaking this information to the media to embarrass the President and his administration with the emphasis on de-legitimizing his Presidency.
Considering British Intelligence didn’t stop the Manchester bombing in the first place loss of them sharing with us might have no affect. Europe’s immigration liberals have put them all at risk for sometime to come. We can only hope here in the US that the President will be allowed curtail the insurgence of radical Islamic terror and Sharia law.
Europe is the canary in the coal mine. Western civilization is committing suicide by Islamic Extremism and we will ignorantly follow them.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/25/politics/read-travel-ban-ruling/
Awesome catch, Mespo!
Prairie Rose:
Damn lawyer’s instinct for bs!
Elect a clown, expect a circus.
The mainstream news media, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the U.S. government–ALL ONE BIG CIRCUS! What would a circus be without a “clown”?
The mainstream news media, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the U.S. government–ALL ONE BIG CIRCUS!
This is a government of the People. The MSM sells what these People will buy. All in all, the clown in this circus are the People themselves. Suicidal, ignorant clowns at that.
During WWII, they were called “Booby Traps”. The Germans were the best. UK needs to stay ahead of the curve, not behind. Old news.
Like I previously said..If you don’t brag about how great you are, how is anyone ever going to know how great you are? Trump bragged about his big hands, he bragged about how he is the most maligned politician in the history of the universe, he brags about how rich he is. He brags, brags, brags. What an Ass.
Not only that, but he has never been wrong or made a mistake in all his 70 years. He’d be the first one to tell you this !
He’s either arrogant or not bright enough to be President. One incident is bad enough, but now we have a pattern, but no apology, explanation or promise to do better. Our allies have no choice other than to stop sharing information. Now, we’re at increased risk for terrorism, and its his fault.
Will give him an excuse to initiiate marshall law like his pal Duterte has.
“Will give him an excuse to initiiate marshall law like his pal Duterte has.”
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Does that mean we get $13 Billion to rebuild our infrastructure from the Philippines?
Natacha:
And if it’s not Trump’s administration that leaked the Manchester intell — as opposed to American law enforcement — will you retract your statement? No pattern, right?
Very first sentence of the article: “We previously discussed the alarming breach of an intelligence sharing agreement with the U.K. after Trump Administration officials released details given to them from British intelligence on the Manchester bombing, including the identity of the bomber.” The Brits know who they shared the intel with. Therefore, they know who leaked it. It looks a lot like a pattern.
Congratulations on the bootstrapping logic.
Perhaps you should inform him that the first sentence above has now apparently been edited to read:
It has apparently been changed from “Trump Administration officials” to “U.S. officials.”
Which, I am betting was the NYPD, but that is just a hunch.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Why cast pearls before swine when they’re so hard to come by. The pearls that is. Let’s let him arrive at the trough under his own intellectual horsepower. We’ve got a week or two. I’m betting somebody reads your comments, too.
https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/867694049851035648
Can we get this spamming troll ANON out of here?
No. Who do you think you are, CV? A Berkeley undergrad?
Maybe “anon” is a member of the Laurence “Tribe”…..
British Intelligence?
Eye think that’s what you blokes blood well call an oxymoron. Eh.
“I” is spelled “I”.
An “I” for an “eye”–an “eh” for an “eh”
More BS. The UK is in a death spiral, whether they recognize it or not. They are prepared to defend their banking institutions at the expense of their general population. Keep up the anti-Russian rhetoric, have to get them to submit to their world banking overlords. Apparently, they’ll just deal with these “aberrations” as their greater social justice war is grinding their country down, but keeping their (and our) bankers at the top of the heap. I bet they’re all afraid that Trump will blab the real game and let the cat out of the bag one day soon. “Intelligence” doesn’t have a great record going back over 20 years. Guess we’re at 16 “intelligence” agencies now? What are the taxpayers getting for the billions of dollars when our country gets the scoop on the Tsarnaev brothers, and none of all these 15 “intelligence” agencies were able to stop the bombing?? Ask yourself some questions… I hope he keeps putting his foot in his big mouth.
“More BS.”
The key points of this post seem to be:
GB is in decline due to its welfare state
The ruling class of GB is protecting interests of the banks at the expense of … [not stated]
The intelligence services of this country have not been effective during the past 20 years.
These points are interesting and might be worthy of extended discussion.
But what do any of these points have to do with whether Trump’s revelations of intelligence, derived from foreign intelligence agencies, are wise or appropriate to the situation?
I would say none – they are distractions form the important issue of whether Trump is doing a good job handing intelligence resources.
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/867545262063054849
I can only hope that the two incidents were misunderstood as to their gravity. Nobody and I mean nobody actually knows what was said or not said except those in attendance.
As to the Israeli event, I am confident that that glitch has been repaired.
Regarding the horrible Manchester event, I heard the name mentioned on Algiers news before I heard it here.
Not being down there any more, that’s all I’ve got.
The President is not a traitor. Certain minions in his arena, I’m not so sure.
I’m glad to learn that you mean nobody. With that in mind, however, it’s difficult to understand how you can be confident that “the glitch,” as you so euphemistically put it, has been repaired.
Gross incompetence on the part of the Trump regime can no longer be excused.
A demented dummy is running your country.