Wednesday, December 1, 2021

CIA Book Says The US Intelligence Community 'Struggled' To Brief President Trump In 2016

Clapper, who served under Barack Obama and resigned in 2016, made the claims in a new CIA-sanctioned book, Getting to Know the President, which chronicles the relationships between US presidents and the intelligence community (IC) since 1952 

Daily Mail: Trump was 'fact free' during intelligence briefings and prone to flying off the handle, says former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper 

* Clapper said Trump was prone to 'fly off on tangents' during briefings 

* Ex-Director of Intelligence worked with Trump during the transition period 

* He said hour-long meetings may contain just 'eight minutes of real intelligence' 

* Clapper said Trump 'was fact-free — evidence doesn't cut it with him' 

Donald Trump was 'fact free' during intelligence briefings and prone to 'fly off on tangents,' according to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. 

Clapper, who served under Barack Obama and briefly under Trump during the transition, made the claims in a new CIA-sanctioned history, Getting to Know the President, written by retired spy John L. Helgerson. 

Clapper noted that he found the president 'could be courteous, affable and complimentary of the IC [intelligence community]' but claims he was loose on substance.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I remember the leaked criticisms to the press that President Trump was difficult to be briefed when it came to intelligence reports. This blog covered it extensively. 

The number one reason why they had a problem was that the former President was always questioning their intelligence and analysis. IMHO that is a good thing, and what all leaders should do. But a position that the former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper clearly did not appreciate, nor this CIA analysis/book.  

Update: The CIA book "Getting to Know the President" and the chapter on President Trump can be read here .... Getting To Know The President: Chapter 9: Donald J. Trump—a unique challenge by John L. Helgerson (CIA).

CIA Book Says The US Intelligence Community 'Struggled' To Brief President Trump In 2016  

US intelligence community 'struggled' to brief Trump in 2016, CIA review shows -- The Hill 

It's no secret: A CIA book looks at fraught relations with Trump -- NPR  

US intelligence community 'struggled' to brief Trump, CIA study says -- CNN  

Trump was unprepared for the 2016 transition because his team didn't think they'd win the election, CIA-published book says -- Business Insider  

Trump’s ‘fact-free’ approach caused briefing challenges, CIA report says -- The Guardian  

Trump's 'Fact-Free' Approach Posed Great Challenge to Presidential Intel Briefings, CIA Says -- Sputnik  

Trump didn’t receive an intelligence briefing after 6 January, book claims -- The Independent

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another case of not understanding who works for who.

Seeeyea said...

The 45th president’s chaotic and freewheeling style, and his disinclination to read anything put in front of him, resulted in the presidential daily briefing, or PDB – a crucial security update including information about potential threats to the US – being delivered more regularly to Vice-President Mike Pence instead, the report states.

By the middle of Trump’s term in office, his briefings were reduced to two weekly sessions of 45 minutes each. Briefings were discontinued altogether after the deadly insurrection of 6 January, which was sparked by Trump urging his supporters to march on the US Capitol in a failed attempt to overturn his defeat by Joe Biden.

The analysis comes in a 40-page unclassified update to the CIA’s Getting to Know the President, a publication that chronicles efforts to brief presidents-elect through transition periods and into office for every administration since 1952.

“For the intelligence community (IC), the Trump transition was far and away the most difficult in its historical experience with briefing new presidents,” the new chapter, posted to the CIA website, concludes.

“Trump was like [Richard] Nixon, suspicious and insecure about the intelligence process, but unlike Nixon in the way he reacted. Rather than shut the IC out, Trump engaged with it but attacked it publicly.”

Nixon, who resigned in 1974 after the Watergate scandal, refused to accept any intelligence from the CIA and received briefings instead from trusted insiders such as his national security adviser and later secretary of state, Henry Kissinger.

Trump regularly assailed intelligence officials and famously chose to believe the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, over agencies including the CIA which concluded that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.

The CIA report’s author, retired career intelligence officer John L Helgerson, said briefers achieved “only limited success” in their mission to deliver timely and relevant intelligence to Trump and to establish a working relationship with him.

Anonymous said...

The problem with Trump was he wasn't on the payroll, and he couldn't be bought.

#illuminati

Anonymous said...

what is there to buy from intel reports that are given to a president daily?

Anonymous said...

"Donald Trump’s “fact-free” approach to the presidency created unprecedented challenges for intelligence officials responsible for briefing him, according to a newly released account from the CIA."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/29/donald-trump-fact-free-presidential-briefings-cia-report

Article from the ultra-leftwing Guardian was posted by a person who always defends the Democrats and always blames the Republicans.

WNU made a good point and 1:43 chose to ignore it and since 1:43 is virtually brainless, he copied and pasted the Guardian article.

Clapper aka The Gnome was criticized heavily before Trump. Citing The Gnome is not likely to sway anyone. Nor is citing Brennan or Hayden.

Anonymous said...

You don't understand the concept of who works for who, do you?

Anonymous said...

@2:10 you're a moran, do you understand that?

Anonymous said...

a sworn oath to the US AND THE CONSTITUTION IS NOT THE SAME AND (PARDON) TRUMPS ORDERS FROM A BOSS.
If you do not know about that or understand it, then please do not further comment

Anonymous said...

2:20 if you're going to insult please properly spell. You still don't understand the concept do you?

Adam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

It's Freddy!

Anonymous said...

No, I understand quite well. The Constitution is the agreement of the people with those that would govern but not rule. I suggest you get a better education.

Anonymous said...

"a sworn oath to the US AND THE CONSTITUTION IS NOT THE SAME AND (PARDON) TRUMPS ORDERS FROM A BOSS."

1) Could you fix your grammar?

2) You lay out you statement as if by itself it is a winning argument. How is Trump questioning the intel against the Constitution?

If you can never question the intel report by a person who may or may not have bad analysis and/or may or may not have ulterior or partisan motives, then you concede American policy to the CIA or whoever heads it.

Have a special day and pay attention to your special ed teacher today.

Anonymous said...

y teach
one comment says the boss, ie trump, should be obeyed. the comment in rebuttal is that no, the oath is sworn not to the leader but to the constitution and the nation and that is above an order from one person. The Nurenburdg trials indicated that taking orders from above was not an excuse. Now if what intel says about Trump is accurate, then they are simply saying he paid little heed to what they did daily.

I am done with this issue now. Say what you will.

Anonymous said...

You still don't understand the Constitution or the "people", you've said twice you're done with this issue, when are you going to live up to your own statements?

Anonymous said...

No one said Trump was the "Boss". Where do you get this? Do you even read?

Anonymous said...

I would vote for Trump, flaws and all, over anything that came from the prior administration.

Anonymous said...

2:49

That first comment that said "BOSS" was probably you @ 2:26.

So let us summarize. You posted 2 comments, registered your disapproval of Trump based on nothing and then begged off of giving a real answer or comment.

Anonymous said...

Given the track record of the "intelligence community," I'D QUESTION THEM TOO.

fazman said...

Trump encouraged no such thing, pity the same vant be said about Biden and the BLM and ANTIFA riots .
A couple of broken windows and you lose your mind, cities ablaze, stores looted, innocents beaten and its meh.

fazman said...

Exactly, good to see Trump learnt from the WMD reports fiasco.

Dave Goldstein said...

Clapon, clapoff