Trump working on plan to cut CIA, restructure intelligence

[Blue3]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-officials-frown-on-donald-trumps-dismissal-of-u-s-intelligence-1483554450

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He shall have his revenge.

[Crumpets]

What could possibly go wrong?

[publicunofficial]

Immediate scenario that popped into my head:

1 - Trump guts the CIA, making a big public show about it.
2 - ISIS-linked terrorist attack hits US, at least on level of Pulse nightclub shooting
3 - Media narrative begins to form that Trump has made America less safe, egged along by disgruntled CIA agents leaking that the attack could have been prevented.

[Beet]

Immediate scenario that popped into my head:

1 - Trump guts the CIA, making a big public show about it.
2 - ISIS-linked terrorist attack hits US, at least on level of Pulse nightclub shooting
3 - Media narrative begins to form that Trump has made America less safe, egged along by disgruntled CIA agents leaking that the attack could have been prevented.

Doubt it. Homeland Security and the FBI are more responsible for preventing domestic attacks. All ISIS attacks benefit Trump anyway, since he has positioned himself as the "law and order" candidate.

What I'm more worried about is the CIA is purged of professionals who won't become syncophants to Trump, and it starts churning out politically motivated intelligence to match up with Trump's views. This then leads to the same situation as when they said Iraq had WMD in 2002 and 2003.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

If Trump wants to do this, I say let him. It might be the sort of thing that could backfire enough for Republicans to support impeaching him.

[Green Line]

If Trump wants to do this, I say let him. It might be the sort of thing that could backfire enough for Republicans to support impeaching him.

Did the Nazis try to impeach Hitler because of the enabling act?

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

If Trump wants to do this, I say let him. It might be the sort of thing that could backfire enough for Republicans to support impeaching him.

Did the Nazis try to impeach Hitler because of the enabling act?

Irrelevant. The republicans are not the Nazis.

[Green Line]

If Trump wants to do this, I say let him. It might be the sort of thing that could backfire enough for Republicans to support impeaching him.

Did the Nazis try to impeach Hitler because of the enabling act?

Irrelevant. The republicans are not the Nazis.

And I'll call you Zentrum.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

If Trump wants to do this, I say let him. It might be the sort of thing that could backfire enough for Republicans to support impeaching him.

Did the Nazis try to impeach Hitler because of the enabling act?

Irrelevant. The republicans are not the Nazis.

Of course not. They're fake Christians, not fake pagans. And they follow a TV actor with a funny hairdo, not a former corporal with a funny moustache. And they wear crappy ball caps instead of spiffy Hugo Boss uniforms (with ugly arm-bands).

I think that covers the major differences.

[Hermit For Peace]

If Trump wants to do this, I say let him. It might be the sort of thing that could backfire enough for Republicans to support impeaching him.

Why do you think they would impeach someone of their own party? Doesn't compute.

[Sumner 1868]

The CIA does indeed need total rebuilding, but since he apparently has no reform plans for the FBI or the NSA it is pretty obvious this is just revenge.

[EnglishPete]

If Trump wants to do this, I say let him. It might be the sort of thing that could backfire enough for Republicans to support impeaching him.

And if Hillary had won and had purged the FBI leadership because she was unhappy with their actions during the election would that have merited impeachment? Or would that have been different?

Impeachment doesn't happen because of a specific wrongdoing. Nixon's involvement in the Watergate cover up was far from the worst thing that recent Presidents have done. Nixon was forced to resign because powerful interests in both parties wanted him replaced as President and found (or manufactured) the pretext for doing so.

[pbrower2a]

I doubt that anyone not privy to classified information can assess how good a job the CIA does. It  can work well with a President who gives it a purpose and trusts it to achieve its purpose. After all, the CIA honed in on Osama bin Laden and allowed Special Forces the chance to whack him.

It is already on bad terms with the President-Elect, who would prefer to have a CIA-like organization to spy on his political enemies and opponents.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I mean, the CIA definitely needs to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch, but I certainly don't trust T***p to do that.

[Sir Mohamed]

LOL, the congressional GOPers won’t approve it. Just forget about it.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

What are the odds that the people Trump appoints to head any of this are actually willing to see their own turf hemmed back?

[MasterJedi]

We all know Trump would love to create his own NKVD, and he has his buddy Putin to show him how to do it.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

We all know Trump would love to create his own NKVD, and he has his buddy Putin to show him how to do it.

Not only that, but Putin would be happy to lend Trump a few people to run it for him.

[Deblano]

Yuck.

[Stranger in a strange land]

If Trump wants to do this, I say let him. It might be the sort of thing that could backfire enough for Republicans to support impeaching him.

And if Hillary had won and had purged the FBI leadership because she was unhappy with their actions during the election would that have merited impeachment? Or would that have been different?

Impeachment doesn't happen because of a specific wrongdoing. Nixon's involvement in the Watergate cover up was far from the worst thing that recent Presidents have done. Nixon was forced to resign because powerful interests in both parties wanted him replaced as President and found (or manufactured) the pretext for doing so.

If this is true (and I happen to believe that it is FWIW) this makes it even more likely a pretext to impeach Trump will be found