One of the most damaged individuals from the various controversies surrounding President Donald Trump has been his National Security Adviser, General H.R. McMaster. McMaster of course replaced the most damaged individual, General Michael Flynn who is now the subject of multiple investigations. McMaster was brought in to bring professional and credibility to the position. He was an excellent choice. However, the use of McMaster to try (unsuccessfully) to deflect concerns of Trump’s disclosure of highly classified information to the Russians destroyed much of his reputation in Washington. Now, what remains of that reputation seems to be rapidly evaporating with McMaster’s dismissive “not concerned” response to a high-level advisor (Jared Kushner) reportedly asking the Russians to create a secret, secure communications line through their embassy or other location. While that allegation does not appear a criminal violation in and of itself, it would a highly disturbing addition to an already troubling story on the close relations between the Trump officials and the Russians. The former head of the NSA and CIA under Bush said that such a back channel would be both uncommon and dangerous.
McMaster’s problems began with the President’s bizarre decision to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. This Russian meeting was been a cascading scandal that has grown worse by the hour. First, many felt that things could not get worse after Trump inexplicably met with the very Russian – Kislyak – at the heart of the Russian influence scandal on the day after he fired FBI Director James Comey. The world was debating whether Trump (who publicly denounced the Russian investigation) had canned Comey to try to curtail the investigation. The next morning, American woke to pictures of Trump laughing in the Oval Office with Lavrov and Kislyak.
Then Politico reported that the meeting occurred at the request of Vladimir Putin and the Russians released the photographs without notice to the White House – sending the administration into another tailspin.
Then it pulled out McMaster who walked out in front of the White House and denied something that no one alleged: that the President had released sources and methods. The allegation was that the President told the Russians that he had read intelligence reports on the terrorist threat over computers and then inexplicable told them the name of the village that the information came from. Later the Israelis would confirm that it was their human intelligence and that they did not approve its disclosure — and had to quickly take steps to address the disclosure. McMaster’s statement (with no questions) was viewed as overtly misleading and calculated by many neutral observers. Obviously the release of shared intelligence from Israel (exposing an agent within ISIS) is a serious breach of protocol. Indeed, the White House has never explained why it was necessary for the President to even give the geographic location of the intelligence.
This however is much much worse than the disclosure of the Israeli intelligence. Once again, I have grown weary of those on both ends of this political debate in either assuming the worst about Trump or blinding themselves to real problems. The Russian controversy at a minimum should cause concern for all Americans. It does not make it criminal but it is astonishing to see conservatives making excuses for disclosures of highly classified information to the Russian and such allegations of secret back channels. It is all worthy of detached and dispassionate investigation. On that we should all be able to agree.
McMaster insisted that “We have back-channel communications with any number of individual (countries). So generally speaking, about back-channel communications, what that allows you to do is communicate in a discreet manner.” He added “we’re not concerned about it.” If that last statement is true, we all have reason to be concerned. Various national security experts have disagreed with that statement for obvious reasons.
I have worked around national security field for a couple decades, including holding and maintaining a TS/SCI clearance for much of that time. I have represented officials accused of leaks and others accused of national security violations. It is certainly true that back channels are often used as was the case in the Cuban missile crisis. However, this is different. Kushner could have easily asked for the creation of a secure line for discussions with the Russians from the Obama Administration. Obama had shown a significant level of deference to Trump’s team after the election, including asking them to approve the campaign on arming the Kurds (which Flynn reportedly blocked initially).
This is different. The allegation is the Kushner went not to the American intelligence but to the Russians to create a secret line of communication. The key would be whether Kushner told American intelligence. If he did, my concerns are reduced (though not eliminated). I expected the White House to come out with that type of statement but it has remained virtually silent for days beyond McMaster’s statement. The most pressing question is whether Kushner shared his plans with Flynn or some other national security adviser or official. The Trump camp was already receiving regular national security briefings and had a staff of national security personnel assigned to it after the election.
I am not sure how Kushner could complete the SF-86 and other standard forms without disclosing such an effort as well as the undisclosed meetings with the Russians. It is one thing to claim (rather implausibly that these meetings were insignificant and thus unworthy of disclosure) but entirely another thing to claim that an effort to create a secret communication channel did not have to be disclosed. This is a very big deal for people who guard our secrets.
I have heard that national security experts are appalled by the role being played by McMaster to deflect these scandals. Most of the top officials have conspicuously removed themselves from these controversies. McMaster looks like the “designated defendant” for the White House. His stated lack of concern over releasing Israeli intelligence to the Russians coupled with his lack of concern of secret Russian communications has left many wondering what would concern him. The problem with being a political human shield is that it leaves little credibility in your dealings with Congress or other countries or even the U.S. military and intelligence organizations.
Once again, the lack of response from the White House has again served to magnify this latest controversy. The White House seems to have taken a largely pedestrian view of scandals — watching the fires with the hope that they will burn themselves out. The problem is that there are too many fires and they are beginning to combine into a runaway firestorm. McMaster has put himself dead center in that firestorm and his credibility is rapidly melting away.
Hillary Clinton, Oct. 21, 2016
“There’s about four minutes between the order being given and the people responsible for launching nuclear weapons to do so,” Clinton said, explaining the quick decision-making required of a commander in chief and questioning Donald Trump’s fitness for the job.
Chinese, Russian and North Korean defense ministries, “thank you, Hillary, that’s good to know.”
They knew it already. This is easy physics for those who think.
“They knew it already.”
That too is good to know. Intelligence is good to know. Secret intelligence and hacked intelligence; it’s all good to know. Thank you. And thank you once again, Hillary.
OT – just watched “War Machine” – it got low ratings, but I thought it was excellent. Stop funding the Military Industrial Complex and bring our troops home from Afghanistan! Allocate more funding for Veteran’s healthcare.
Michael Hastings, the reporter who helped bring down Gen. McChrystal, died mysteriously after publishing too much about all pro war factions.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/03/09/hastings-m09.html
“Michael Hastings, the reporter who helped bring down Gen. McChrystal, died mysteriously after publishing too much…”
Did JFK, MLK, RFK and every person on the Clinton Body Count “die mysteriously?”
http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2016/08/10/the-list-of-clinton-associates-whove-died-mysteriously-check-it-out/
TNash, they need to work it out. It’s their country and if it implodes so be it. Also the only reason that the US forces were pulled out of Iraq is because they refused to sign a SOFA so Obama had no choice. The war machine is sucking so much money from tax payers – monies that are needed here.
Autumn,
– They “worked it out” in Iraq after we completely withdrew.
As to SOFA, neither Obama nor Maliki were interested in extending/renewing it.
It takes at least one party to even begin negotiations, and Obama wanted out, and Maliki was glad to see the American troops go.
The narrative leading up to the 2012 election was “I ended the war in
Iraq”, not “I couldn’t get the SOFA”.
That narrative change when Iraq fell apart with the invasion of ISIS.
Then, the narrative was that Obama HAD TO withdraw all U.S. forces.
If one does not view takeover of countries like Iraq and Afghanistan by groups like ISIS, the Taliban, or Al Qaeda as a problem, then there’s no problem with bringing all of our troops home from both countries.
And see how well these countries “solve” the problems without a U.S. presence for support.
We had 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, and that’s been drawn down to under 10,000 currently.
I don’t anticipate a total withdrawal of American forces from either country, so we probably don’t know with absolute certainty what would happen if we completely pulled out.
I think the experience in Iraq, where the benefits of the surge were undone, and ISIS took over huge areas of Iraq, gives a pretty good preview of how things would go of the U.S. completely withdrew.
“Monies” are not needed here. What America needs is the complete annihilation of the wholly
unconstitutional redistributionist and socially engineered welfare state.
What is needed in America are the freedoms and rights provided by
the Preamble, Constitution and Bill of Rights.
What is needed is the impeachment of the Imperial Judiciary.
Another DNC-related killing?
Trolls must be getting paid overtime now that Jared is going down.
Thanks, Autumn.
“Bring our troops home from Afghanistan”.
Why not? Things worked out so well in Iraq after we pulled all U.S. Forces out, let’s go for a replay and see what “the JV teams” in Afghanistan do when we pull the plug there.
Since you claim “I have worked around national security field for a couple decades, including holding and maintaining a TS/SCI clearance for much of that time,” you have put that credential at grave risk by writing and posting this article. Were I your special-security officer, I’d pull your security clearance and work to make sure you never got another one at any level. You’ve definitely shown your willingness to spread rumors and innuendo, and that makes you a major security risk. People cleared for TS/SCI access know, or ought to know, to keep their mouths shut and their fingers off keyboards. At its root, those who talk don’t know, and those who know don’t talk.
So, by inference, no one who posts on this blog knows anything !
Jay S – we do deduction here, not inference. 😉
Fear not. Stand fast. The power of the lord works wonders.
Adam,
funny yes, but notice the shirt sleeve as you watch again.
Hilarious – thanks for sharing!!
https://static.infowars.com/politicalsidebarimage/deadhorse_large.jpg
Mueller.
Angel Merkel makes it clear today, if it wasn’t already, that she, not DT is the leader of the free world. Blessings to her.
How is it possible that so many people would not recognize Trump Inc’s incompetence and thuggery nor would they face the meaning of their financial connections to the Russian government through the oligarchs. Did they really want an oligarchic, Russian backed kleptocracy in America? If so, shame on them.
Yes, McMaster is giving his long earned integrity away for a man of absolutely no character or redeemable qualities. Resignation with honor was there as an option and he refused. Perhaps there is another story that we don’t know yet and he is still an honorable man. I’ll give him benefit of the doubt, as a fellow Philadelphian. For now.
On a lighter note, at least world leaders caught on quickly to Mr. Trump’s pathetic alpha male handshake faux dominance. The pictures on camera were marvelous. When he is gone, perhaps phony “real man” dominance, crony capitalism, and intoxicating celebrity will be destroyed with him and we can start anew. If world war 3 and climate change don’t take out too many of us first.
What a disastrous moment in history. Mr. Turley, if you did write this, it is a relief to see you finally writing sensibly. I was worried about you for the last few months.
Well then, Merkel won’t mind the US giving the middle finger to Europe Re. NATO then, right?
I mean, like, NATO is an absolutely FANTASTIC deal for Americans, right? Check it out! Putin finishes breakfast tomorrow, and decides to roll his tanks through Luxembourg, a NATO nation. “An attack on one is an attack on all.” A nation of 600k people. Either:
A) Luxembourgians that don’t already speak Russian must learn it…………….OR
B) The USA launches nuclear winter v. Russia, causing the end of life on planet earth, except for the proverbial cockroaches (not the DC kind).
Everyone knows, B is a far better choice!
And it’s such an awesome deal the way US taxpayers pay the military cost of NATO, so that NATO nations have so much extra money for luxuries Americans don’t have, like single payer health care, etc, etc.
/sarc off
First of all the US has a military greater than all others put together because if it didn’t the US economy would collapse. The US economy depends on millions of jobs making weapons and exporting same. Secondly, the single payer health care programs in all the other countries cost on average a third of what America enjoys at 37th place. The US is next to Algeria for last place vis a vis efficiency of dollars spent for services rendered in health care. It has nothing to do with NATO and everything to do with America the oligarchy. The fear of millions of workers in the armaments industries and health care insurance industries hitting the unemployment lines is what keeps us backward. America is way down the line in the rankings for quality of life. This is because somehow it has become sacred in this country to worship the top five percent as they sell our birthright(s) globally. Also, the US is missing the boat on the alternative energy industry windfall. China is exporting thousands of $10 mil a pop heavy wind turbines to the US. Americans are getting the low paying servicing jobs. The Chinese are making all the profits. Ask yourself why American companies are not leading this industry. The answer is Trump and coal and fossil fuel oligarchs. This Trump BS is a distraction for dupes, and it works. There you go and I have a bridge in Brooklyn that has just come on the market.
Merkel is a pathetic leader. Once the Deep State made it understood that they had capabilities the Stasi couldn’t even have imagined she fell in line (google Obama cell phone spying). A total corporatist selling out her nation to the globalists.
Angela Merkel is a twisted, barren, communist woman from East Germany.
Merkel was not only “influenced” by Russia, Merkel was brainwashed, indoctrinated and trained by Russia.
Merkel has contributed to Germany’s population going into a “death spiral” by not having any babies, indeed, increasing Germany’s population through incongruous importation of foreign babies and people (does that remind you of comrade Hillary Clinton who had precisely one child for political purposes, allowing her, in her own mind, to lay claim to being a “family” woman and contributing to America’s birthrate falling into a “death spiral” while increasing America’s population by importing every foreign baby and fraudulent “refugee” she and Obama could find, from Guatemala and Indonesia to Syria).
Merkel wants no German borders, no German country, no German births, no German families and no German freedom.
Merkel is ecstatic over the dissipation and extinction of the German Caucasian race.
Merkel’s goal is borderless, worldwide communist dictatorship; just like Hillary.
What happened to Germans, Germany and the German vote?
Germans must rue the day that Ronald Reagan enjoined Michael Gorbachev to “tear down this wall!”
Trumpies favor Duterte and House of Saud.
Where has Merkel ever claimed that she wants a communist government for Germany?
Communism was better for Germany than what she has planned for it.
… and I’m a bit confused as to what Merkel is supposed to do about Germans “not having enough babies.” State-sponsored porno films?
She’s openly anti-German and wants Germans replaced by Muslims and Sub-Saharan Africans. The Dalai Lama spoke out against her policy and said “Germany must be Germany.”
“Once again, the lack of response from the White House has again served to magnify this latest controversy” – Professor Turley
__________
The world according to Professor Turley.
There IS a controversy because folks in D.C. SAY there is a controversy.
Build the freakin’ wall.
The Trump administration has absolutely nothing controversial in the view of the electorate who voted Trump into the presidency.
The only controversy originates with the direct enemies of America which are the one-world, globalist, collectivist, anti-sovereignty, anti-constitution media captains who rule the democ-rat party.
If you have the votes, impeach him. If not, go talk with your pastor.
Ben Franklin, we gave you “a republic, if you can keep it.”
Karl Marx, 59 years later, “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”
George – there seem to be a high number of anonymous sources who nobody has talked to, but they have documents they won’t show anybody. I smell rotten fish.
At least President Trump is only dealing with leaks and lies; so far.
Look what the MIC, “deep state,” “shadow government” Warren Commission lied about,
and the FBI, CIA, Lyndon Johnson, Carlos Marcello et al. did to JFK, MLK and RFK.
Wait, all those “executive actions” were simply coincidences, right?
It’s called coup d’ etat and it’s happening now.
“If voting made a difference, they wouldn’t let us do it” – Mark Twain
Jared Kushner has a problem. It’s daddy. And McMaster is ordered to get mop & bucket to clean up the slop.
Just like daddy, Tony Provenzano or John Gotti.
This was how a group of mobsters, meeting over lunch at a restaurant in Kenilworth, NJ three years ago, described Nicholas “Nicky Skins” Stefanelli, a soldier in the Gambino crime family who was sitting with them that day.
“If you don’t know the families, the grandmothers, the grandfathers, forget it,” said Joseph “Scoops” Licata, a capo who ran a North Jersey crew for the Philadelphia mob.
“Only way to survive,” added John Gambino, a leader of the New York family that bears his name. “You only need quality, not quantity.”
“…while allowing in the Russian state-run Tass organization into the Oval Office…” – Professor Turley
__________
In Russia, the state runs the media.
In America, the media run the state.
In America, the democ-rat party is the political operations arm of the liberal, globalist media.
CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, PMSNBC, AP et al. issue the marching orders to the democ-rat party.
The liberal, globalist media deny the Constitution and American sovereignty, preferring globalism.
The liberal, globalist media are the enemies of the Trump administration and conservatives.
Press conferences are battle grounds.
Just ask Donna Brazille and her allies.
I don’t suppose Fox has any connection to the Republicans …..
“LEAK-PROOF”
American collectivist, globalist holdovers from the illegitimate and ineligible Obama debacle are the adversaries of America, the Constitution and the Trump administration. It is important for the White House to discuss and negotiate in confidence with every nation including Russia. It is the liberal, leftist American “intel” and “deep state” that are leaking profusely weaponized data on the Trump administration. It is important for the administration to make all of its lines of communication “LEAK-PROOF.”
Professor Turley, please tell us if the Trump administration broke a law.
General H R Haldeman
Backdoors are valuable especially in times of crisis, which we seem to be having with the Russians. I applaud the attempt at a secure line, knowing that Obama was taping all Trump’s foreign calls. In my day, we had the “Red Phone” which was a backdoor secure line between the two heads of government. Why not now?
Trump can have phones of any color he likes. Why did he feel the need to have a separate foreign policy in play and in place, **before he was sworn in as President** ? Whatever happened to “one President at a time” ?
I’m confused. McMaster is taking orders from Jared Kushner or his daddy. Convicted felon Charles Kushner?
Anyway, I found out how the backdoor channel works. It’s the doggy door. And you won’t believe who is using it. Here’s the surveillance video to prove it.
Did the president put sources and methods in danger by telling the Russian ambassador about a confirmed threat or did the NYT and the WaPo put sources and methods in danger by publishing a story based on leaked information?
And if an attack had been carried out, what would have happened if Russia found out that the US knew about the threat and didn’t share the information?
Conservatives don’t like it when the facts interfere with their opinions, therefore Trump supporters, a fair process is one that gives them the answer that they already know they want.
a fair process is one that gives them the answer that they already know they want.
I would say 30% on the left and right extremes have already formed their conclusion before all the facts are in. This doesn’t mean the middle 40% are the only critical thinkers. It just means they won’t have as much conflict in shifting their paradigm.
Back channel is bad, but secure line is good? I don’t get it. What’s the difference in the end? One is opened behind the scenes, but the other is opened after telling the intelligence committee tells me that the one that is opened in public isn’t secure and is being monitored.
I am glad that I am not a gypsy. They will probably get rounded up too. Maybe they will even round up Mitt Romney. He is a gypsy.
The end is near. The terrorists will take out some fancy dancy place in America and the troops will be called out. It will be a day which lives in infamy. Then we can close the border, vet the perps from the muddle east who are already in here and round up certain groups and put them in those concentration camps which we built for the Jap Americans in WWII.
…. and get the Jews and the blacks while we’re at it?
Again the writing of this story does not reflect the style of JT; more like one of his interns that has the duty over this holiday weekend.
It does not make it criminal but it is astonishing to see conservatives making excuses for disclosures of highly classified information to the Russian and such allegations of secret back channels. It is all worthy of detached and dispassionate investigation. On that we should all be able to agree.
Then be astonished (whoever you are). What is astonishing is a law professor writing an “attached and passionate” post intended to condemn legal conduct (to date). With all the forces currently working to undermine President Trump and his administration, I’m disappointed a constitutionalist would place blog clicks ahead of logical analysis,. Conservatives are perfectly capable of using critical-thinking skills. We should all be able to follow the evidence (or lack of it) to the most logical conclusion. On that we should all be able to agree.
You look at the evidence through a pro Trump Kushner prism.
<emYou look at the evidence through a pro Trump Kushner prism
You of course would say that because I don’t look at evidence and come to your conclusion.
Anyone who reads Olly knows he his not “pro” any person. He is pro Constitution in EVERY comment he makes and in every cell in his body. So is our host.
The biggest losers in all this sky is falling hysteria are people like Tribe, who get way out over their skis and besmirch themselves because of hatred. JT has avoided that pathology. The real test for JT is when Trump pulls out of the Paris Evangelical Global Warming Church edict.
The biggest losers are the fools that want sell the country out to the Trump Kushner dynasty.
In the past
Thanks Nick.
Larry Tribe is a top
Con
Law prof and he thinks Trumpie should be impeached ASAP.
Good for him. Fortunately I don’t rely on other people to do my thinking for me.
Francesca – Larry Tribe is a Deep State Liberal who wants to get rid of Trump because Hillary wasn’t elected. For him, the Constitution makes it a legal coup. Get a grip on reality, girl. 😉
There will be a wonderful comedy someday that will be called The Deep State.
https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/868588330300133376
EXCELLENT assessment, Olly! I am also surprised that JT would write something so biased!
I’m not surprised JT wrote something biased. I’m surprised he was able this one time to see past his usual allowances for the worst of behavior.
While I admit my own bias (backed up by documentation) against many in the Trump administration. I did accept McMaster at face value based on all the hype surrounding him. His earliest public statements seemed intelligent and grounded and I accepted him as an adult in the room. All his recent justifications of all the bizarre inexplicable things that have been revealed. Show me that he’s substituted appeasement and being an apologist for good judgment.