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Michael Picker stood in the freezing cold outside of the Environmental Protection Agency early Thursday morning passing out fliers that read, “Come work for California. Fight climate change.”
Picker was far away from his home in Sacramento, where he is the president of California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), for meetings with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. He decided to try to recruit demoralized EPA staffers, who are facing deep program cuts and controversial new leadership. The EPA's new administrator, Scott Pruitt, has a long record of opposing the agency's work.
Picker hopes to entice them to work for a state government with one of the most ambitious climate goals in the country. California is looking to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. The flyers pointed people to a webpage to sign up for more details.
Picker's timing was good: The White House had just unveiled cuts of 31 percent to the agency's budget, the smallest proposed budget in 40 years. In Michigan, Trump had announced his plan to roll back the EPA's fuel efficiency standards for cars. And, any day now, the president's executive orders gutting EPA's climate change work are expected to be announced.
"I don't agree with the president and certainly am not going to shy from an opportunity to give people good work to pursue their goals," Picker told Mother Jones. He's hoping to find a handful of DC-based federal workers willing to move west to work for the utility energy regulator and add some fresh insight and much-needed talent to the CPUC.
Picker squeezed in the EPA visit—and another one at the Department of Energy—because the CPUC faces a hiring problem. CPUC needs to replace about 60 percent of its staff in the next three to five years because its older workforce is approaching retirement. Two other government agencies that work on helping the state cut greenhouse gases—the California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission—are also recruiting for the same reason. But CPUC was the only agency targeting EPA employees; Picker joked representatives from the other regulators probably just didn't want to wake up that early.
The unusual hiring drive isn't a political stunt, argues the California energy regulator, even if it might appear to be another example of California's antagonism towards Trump. Gov. Jerry Brown (D), who appointed Picker, promised after the presidential election, "If Trump turns off the satellites, California will launch its own damn satellite." Trump has opened the door to weakening the EPA and Department of Transportation's fuel efficiency standards, and lawmakers in California are poised to fight if the administration rescinds the waiver that gives California the freedom to pursue tougher standards on automotive emissions.
California still has a way to go to meet its climate goals. It will have to tackle the transportation sector, its single-largest source of emissions, and compensate for ditching nuclear power, which cuts down on carbon emissions, after its last nuclear plant closes in the next decade. Still, the electricity sector has made strides, with solar, wind, and natural gas now comprising a majority of electricity generation. (Prior to the prolonged drought, large hydropower projects accounted for a lot of generation too, at 18 percent). "Who would've thought [a few years ago] you'd have wind and solar so competitive with hydropower?" Picker asks.
So far, Picker's unconventional recruiting drive has resulted in some interest from federal workers. When he went through the same exercise in front of the Department of Energy from 7 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, one staffer even helped him pass out fliers. CPUC's executive director texted him later that day, excited to inform him that one other federal worker found his contact information on the website and expressed interested in a job.
The verdict is still out on if this approach is the most effective solution for the state's recruitment challenges. But after his long day on Wednesday, Picker seems to have sympathy for the federal workers in DC. "I feel bad for them," Picker says about the Department of Energy staffers. "I noticed some folks coming in late."
Source
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On March 17 2017 21:51 LightSpectra wrote:Show nested quote +On March 17 2017 16:46 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 11:43 Doodsmack wrote:On March 17 2017 09:23 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 09:20 IyMoon wrote:On March 17 2017 09:11 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 08:51 Doodsmack wrote:The ranking member of the House intelligence committee says it appears President Trump revealed classified information during a Fox News interview on Wednesday while refusing to disclose evidence that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower.
In the interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, Trump said that the Central Intelligence Agency had been hacked during Obama’s tenure.
“I just want people to know, the CIA was hacked,” Trump said. “That was during the Obama years. That was not during us.” Yahoo He probably was referring to the Wikileaks matter. Which is public knowledge. The problem with Trump is we don't know if he's leaking classified information or his media viewing habits. It is public knowledge that Wikileaks released info that it SAID was from the CIA. If it is or isnt, is/ WAS classified until trump blurted it out. Look up every single time Spicer is asked if the leaks are from the CIA. "It is policy not to confirm or deny leaks" (Or something like that) While he didn't leak it, because the act of a president saying something declassifies information. He still did confirm that it is information from the CIA. It was already all but confirmed. And Trump more likely than not only found out from the media. Was it public knowledge that the CIA was hacked during the Obama years? I would like to note that hacking and leaking are two different things and this seems to be the latter. And while the confirmation isn't official that the CIA stuff is real... well important people have acted in ways that basically confirm that the stuff comes from the CIA. Trump offers no new insight and I genuinely wonder if he's even told about all that classified stuff he's apparently not supposed to leak. As you said, the "Vault 7" release of the CIA hacking tools wasn't a result of the CIA being hacked, it was a leak. The question is whether Trump doesn't understand the difference, or he's referring to a completely separate event. Right now it's not clear. Considering Vault 7 was all over the news, I'd wager on the former.
Conspiracy theory:
+ Show Spoiler +Trump knows about the hack through his own means, outside of the US government; most likely from Wikileaks/Russia. Trump doesn't have the attention span for the daily brief or intelligence briefings; he's not likely to know or care in his capacity as president when the CIA has been hacked.
This is similar to Trump knowing very quickly about the terrorist attack in NYC during the campaign. He got off a plane at a rally and was telling the rally about it a mere 15 minutes after it happened and before the media had confirmed it was a terrorist act. The bombs almost seemed like they were designed NOT to kill anyone; located inside a dumpster on a random side street. The local Muslims were contacted by team Trump to carry out a terrorist attack, to help his presidential bid.
It's also similar to team Trump member Roger Stone knowing about certain Wikileaks leaks before they came out during the campaign. Team Trump was willing to do anything to win.
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On March 17 2017 22:35 ShoCkeyy wrote:What are your guys thoughts on Salon articles? Ehh, these are the news stories circulating now http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/bannons-dangerous-undermining-nscShow nested quote +Less than a month after much-admired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster took over from Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser, Trump’s alter-ego Steve Bannon appears to be more in control of U.S. foreign policy than ever.
There is little sign McMaster will be able to restore traditional U.S. foreign policy commitments to NATO and the European Union, and every indication that Bannon’s shadowy Strategic Initiatives Group, denounced by two national security experts as “dangerous hypocrisy,” is driving U.S. policy.
McMaster, a lieutenant general with a reputation as an intellectual, was perhaps the last-gasp hope of Washington’s foreign policy professionals against the radical ambitions of the Trump administration. He was seen as a man who could speak unpopular truths to Trump and block Bannon’s improvisations while restoring a degree of continuity to U.S. foreign policy under Obama and Bush.
Damn. I really hoped it were the other way around with McMaster ousting Bannon. He seemed like a very decent and well read person. When will they start extreme vetting on this disaster that is Bannon.
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On March 17 2017 22:22 Plansix wrote:
Also, did the White House accuse the UK of spying on Trump? Because they are apologizing right now, so I assume someone was super stupid.
To answer this:
Mr Trump said that Trump Tower in New York was under surveillance, but has provided no evidence for the claim.
The allegations of GCHQ involvement were initially made by former judge Andrew Napolitano.
Mr Spicer quoted Mr Napolitano as saying: "Three intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command."
He said Mr Obama "didn't use the NSA, he didn't use the CIA, he didn't use the FBI and he didn't use the Department of Justice, he used GCHQ.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39300191
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It isn’t even the first 100 days and he is accusing our longest and closest ally of spying on him for the previous president.
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The scary thing is, there's absolutely nothing implausible about it. The Snowden leaks revealed that the Five Eyes countries had an informal agreement to spy on each other's citizens and share the intel, in order to circumvent the privacy laws in their own countries.
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I seen that and I’m not as worried as some are. It makes sense that long standing allies would have a system in place to share intelligence if one of them turned up someone on the other’s citizens. As long as they are not taking requests, which I haven’t’ seen evidence of, I’m not convinced it is as sinister as some make it out to be.
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What happens first: McMasters blows up publicly on Bannon or resigns in protest?
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On March 17 2017 23:58 On_Slaught wrote:
What happens first: McMasters blows up publicly on Bannon or resigns in protest?
In protest of what? Did I miss some spicy masters:bannon drama?
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United Kingdom13775 Posts
On March 17 2017 21:51 LightSpectra wrote:Show nested quote +On March 17 2017 16:46 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 11:43 Doodsmack wrote:On March 17 2017 09:23 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 09:20 IyMoon wrote:On March 17 2017 09:11 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 08:51 Doodsmack wrote:The ranking member of the House intelligence committee says it appears President Trump revealed classified information during a Fox News interview on Wednesday while refusing to disclose evidence that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower.
In the interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, Trump said that the Central Intelligence Agency had been hacked during Obama’s tenure.
“I just want people to know, the CIA was hacked,” Trump said. “That was during the Obama years. That was not during us.” Yahoo He probably was referring to the Wikileaks matter. Which is public knowledge. The problem with Trump is we don't know if he's leaking classified information or his media viewing habits. It is public knowledge that Wikileaks released info that it SAID was from the CIA. If it is or isnt, is/ WAS classified until trump blurted it out. Look up every single time Spicer is asked if the leaks are from the CIA. "It is policy not to confirm or deny leaks" (Or something like that) While he didn't leak it, because the act of a president saying something declassifies information. He still did confirm that it is information from the CIA. It was already all but confirmed. And Trump more likely than not only found out from the media. Was it public knowledge that the CIA was hacked during the Obama years? I would like to note that hacking and leaking are two different things and this seems to be the latter. And while the confirmation isn't official that the CIA stuff is real... well important people have acted in ways that basically confirm that the stuff comes from the CIA. Trump offers no new insight and I genuinely wonder if he's even told about all that classified stuff he's apparently not supposed to leak. As you said, the "Vault 7" release of the CIA hacking tools wasn't a result of the CIA being hacked, it was a leak. The question is whether Trump doesn't understand the difference, or he's referring to a completely separate event. Right now it's not clear. Considering Vault 7 was all over the news, I'd wager on the former.
A historical evaluation of Trump's habits suggests that making shit up is more likely than leaking as-yet unknown classified information.
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He doesn't make shit up so much as he reads/sees something on FOX or Breitbart and repeats it without fact-checking.
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On March 18 2017 00:30 LegalLord wrote:Show nested quote +On March 17 2017 21:51 LightSpectra wrote:On March 17 2017 16:46 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 11:43 Doodsmack wrote:On March 17 2017 09:23 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 09:20 IyMoon wrote:On March 17 2017 09:11 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 08:51 Doodsmack wrote:The ranking member of the House intelligence committee says it appears President Trump revealed classified information during a Fox News interview on Wednesday while refusing to disclose evidence that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower.
In the interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, Trump said that the Central Intelligence Agency had been hacked during Obama’s tenure.
“I just want people to know, the CIA was hacked,” Trump said. “That was during the Obama years. That was not during us.” Yahoo He probably was referring to the Wikileaks matter. Which is public knowledge. The problem with Trump is we don't know if he's leaking classified information or his media viewing habits. It is public knowledge that Wikileaks released info that it SAID was from the CIA. If it is or isnt, is/ WAS classified until trump blurted it out. Look up every single time Spicer is asked if the leaks are from the CIA. "It is policy not to confirm or deny leaks" (Or something like that) While he didn't leak it, because the act of a president saying something declassifies information. He still did confirm that it is information from the CIA. It was already all but confirmed. And Trump more likely than not only found out from the media. Was it public knowledge that the CIA was hacked during the Obama years? I would like to note that hacking and leaking are two different things and this seems to be the latter. And while the confirmation isn't official that the CIA stuff is real... well important people have acted in ways that basically confirm that the stuff comes from the CIA. Trump offers no new insight and I genuinely wonder if he's even told about all that classified stuff he's apparently not supposed to leak. As you said, the "Vault 7" release of the CIA hacking tools wasn't a result of the CIA being hacked, it was a leak. The question is whether Trump doesn't understand the difference, or he's referring to a completely separate event. Right now it's not clear. Considering Vault 7 was all over the news, I'd wager on the former. A historical evaluation of Trump's habits suggests that making shit up is more likely than leaking as-yet unknown classified information.
This isn’t guess work in the dark though. The ranking member of the House intelligence committee raised the concern that Trump leaked classified information during an interview. The “He likely made it up” argument doesn’t hold when the guy is receiving classified information in briefs on a daily basis.
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On March 18 2017 00:27 Mohdoo wrote:Show nested quote +On March 17 2017 23:58 On_Slaught wrote:
What happens first: McMasters blows up publicly on Bannon or resigns in protest? In protest of what? Did I miss some spicy masters:bannon drama?
I posted two articles pertaining to this in the previous page.
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On March 18 2017 00:41 Plansix wrote:Show nested quote +On March 18 2017 00:30 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 21:51 LightSpectra wrote:On March 17 2017 16:46 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 11:43 Doodsmack wrote:On March 17 2017 09:23 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 09:20 IyMoon wrote:On March 17 2017 09:11 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 08:51 Doodsmack wrote:The ranking member of the House intelligence committee says it appears President Trump revealed classified information during a Fox News interview on Wednesday while refusing to disclose evidence that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower.
In the interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, Trump said that the Central Intelligence Agency had been hacked during Obama’s tenure.
“I just want people to know, the CIA was hacked,” Trump said. “That was during the Obama years. That was not during us.” Yahoo He probably was referring to the Wikileaks matter. Which is public knowledge. The problem with Trump is we don't know if he's leaking classified information or his media viewing habits. It is public knowledge that Wikileaks released info that it SAID was from the CIA. If it is or isnt, is/ WAS classified until trump blurted it out. Look up every single time Spicer is asked if the leaks are from the CIA. "It is policy not to confirm or deny leaks" (Or something like that) While he didn't leak it, because the act of a president saying something declassifies information. He still did confirm that it is information from the CIA. It was already all but confirmed. And Trump more likely than not only found out from the media. Was it public knowledge that the CIA was hacked during the Obama years? I would like to note that hacking and leaking are two different things and this seems to be the latter. And while the confirmation isn't official that the CIA stuff is real... well important people have acted in ways that basically confirm that the stuff comes from the CIA. Trump offers no new insight and I genuinely wonder if he's even told about all that classified stuff he's apparently not supposed to leak. As you said, the "Vault 7" release of the CIA hacking tools wasn't a result of the CIA being hacked, it was a leak. The question is whether Trump doesn't understand the difference, or he's referring to a completely separate event. Right now it's not clear. Considering Vault 7 was all over the news, I'd wager on the former. A historical evaluation of Trump's habits suggests that making shit up is more likely than leaking as-yet unknown classified information. This isn’t guess work in the dark though. The ranking member of the House intelligence committee raised the concern that Trump leaked classified information during an interview. The “He likely made it up” argument doesn’t hold when the guy is receiving classified information in briefs on a daily basis.
Except that with Trump one cannot possibly know whether he is repeating it from Fox News/Breitbart/Infowars, from an intelligence briefing, or some weird mishmash which he invented himself after briefly listening to all of the former.
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On March 18 2017 00:41 ShoCkeyy wrote:Show nested quote +On March 18 2017 00:27 Mohdoo wrote:On March 17 2017 23:58 On_Slaught wrote:
What happens first: McMasters blows up publicly on Bannon or resigns in protest? In protest of what? Did I miss some spicy masters:bannon drama? I posted two articles pertaining to this in the previous page.
My bad. After looking, I don't see much. Salon is just so far out there. I don't think they have a shred of credibility. Salon just tells liberals what they want to hear.
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On March 18 2017 00:46 Acrofales wrote:Show nested quote +On March 18 2017 00:41 Plansix wrote:On March 18 2017 00:30 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 21:51 LightSpectra wrote:On March 17 2017 16:46 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 11:43 Doodsmack wrote:On March 17 2017 09:23 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 09:20 IyMoon wrote:On March 17 2017 09:11 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 08:51 Doodsmack wrote:[quote] Yahoo He probably was referring to the Wikileaks matter. Which is public knowledge. The problem with Trump is we don't know if he's leaking classified information or his media viewing habits. It is public knowledge that Wikileaks released info that it SAID was from the CIA. If it is or isnt, is/ WAS classified until trump blurted it out. Look up every single time Spicer is asked if the leaks are from the CIA. "It is policy not to confirm or deny leaks" (Or something like that) While he didn't leak it, because the act of a president saying something declassifies information. He still did confirm that it is information from the CIA. It was already all but confirmed. And Trump more likely than not only found out from the media. Was it public knowledge that the CIA was hacked during the Obama years? I would like to note that hacking and leaking are two different things and this seems to be the latter. And while the confirmation isn't official that the CIA stuff is real... well important people have acted in ways that basically confirm that the stuff comes from the CIA. Trump offers no new insight and I genuinely wonder if he's even told about all that classified stuff he's apparently not supposed to leak. As you said, the "Vault 7" release of the CIA hacking tools wasn't a result of the CIA being hacked, it was a leak. The question is whether Trump doesn't understand the difference, or he's referring to a completely separate event. Right now it's not clear. Considering Vault 7 was all over the news, I'd wager on the former. A historical evaluation of Trump's habits suggests that making shit up is more likely than leaking as-yet unknown classified information. This isn’t guess work in the dark though. The ranking member of the House intelligence committee raised the concern that Trump leaked classified information during an interview. The “He likely made it up” argument doesn’t hold when the guy is receiving classified information in briefs on a daily basis. Except that with Trump one cannot possibly know whether he is repeating it from Fox News/Breitbart/Infowars, from an intelligence briefing, or some weird mishmash which he invented himself after briefly listening to all of the former.
And in a lot of other jobs we could accept that, but not the President. He can’t be shooting off claims that the CIA was hacked and expect no one to follow up on those claims.
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On March 18 2017 00:46 Acrofales wrote:Show nested quote +On March 18 2017 00:41 Plansix wrote:On March 18 2017 00:30 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 21:51 LightSpectra wrote:On March 17 2017 16:46 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 11:43 Doodsmack wrote:On March 17 2017 09:23 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 09:20 IyMoon wrote:On March 17 2017 09:11 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 08:51 Doodsmack wrote:[quote] Yahoo He probably was referring to the Wikileaks matter. Which is public knowledge. The problem with Trump is we don't know if he's leaking classified information or his media viewing habits. It is public knowledge that Wikileaks released info that it SAID was from the CIA. If it is or isnt, is/ WAS classified until trump blurted it out. Look up every single time Spicer is asked if the leaks are from the CIA. "It is policy not to confirm or deny leaks" (Or something like that) While he didn't leak it, because the act of a president saying something declassifies information. He still did confirm that it is information from the CIA. It was already all but confirmed. And Trump more likely than not only found out from the media. Was it public knowledge that the CIA was hacked during the Obama years? I would like to note that hacking and leaking are two different things and this seems to be the latter. And while the confirmation isn't official that the CIA stuff is real... well important people have acted in ways that basically confirm that the stuff comes from the CIA. Trump offers no new insight and I genuinely wonder if he's even told about all that classified stuff he's apparently not supposed to leak. As you said, the "Vault 7" release of the CIA hacking tools wasn't a result of the CIA being hacked, it was a leak. The question is whether Trump doesn't understand the difference, or he's referring to a completely separate event. Right now it's not clear. Considering Vault 7 was all over the news, I'd wager on the former. A historical evaluation of Trump's habits suggests that making shit up is more likely than leaking as-yet unknown classified information. This isn’t guess work in the dark though. The ranking member of the House intelligence committee raised the concern that Trump leaked classified information during an interview. The “He likely made it up” argument doesn’t hold when the guy is receiving classified information in briefs on a daily basis. Except that with Trump one cannot possibly know whether he is repeating it from Fox News/Breitbart/Infowars, from an intelligence briefing, or some weird mishmash which he invented himself after briefly listening to all of the former.
If it was 100% complete BS would a member of the House Intelligence Committee not say that he knows nothing about a hack? You know, like they did with the Obama wire-tap alligation.
That fact he comes forward saying it might be Trump leaking sounds telling to me.
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On March 18 2017 00:46 Acrofales wrote:Show nested quote +On March 18 2017 00:41 Plansix wrote:On March 18 2017 00:30 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 21:51 LightSpectra wrote:On March 17 2017 16:46 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 11:43 Doodsmack wrote:On March 17 2017 09:23 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 09:20 IyMoon wrote:On March 17 2017 09:11 LegalLord wrote:On March 17 2017 08:51 Doodsmack wrote:[quote] Yahoo He probably was referring to the Wikileaks matter. Which is public knowledge. The problem with Trump is we don't know if he's leaking classified information or his media viewing habits. It is public knowledge that Wikileaks released info that it SAID was from the CIA. If it is or isnt, is/ WAS classified until trump blurted it out. Look up every single time Spicer is asked if the leaks are from the CIA. "It is policy not to confirm or deny leaks" (Or something like that) While he didn't leak it, because the act of a president saying something declassifies information. He still did confirm that it is information from the CIA. It was already all but confirmed. And Trump more likely than not only found out from the media. Was it public knowledge that the CIA was hacked during the Obama years? I would like to note that hacking and leaking are two different things and this seems to be the latter. And while the confirmation isn't official that the CIA stuff is real... well important people have acted in ways that basically confirm that the stuff comes from the CIA. Trump offers no new insight and I genuinely wonder if he's even told about all that classified stuff he's apparently not supposed to leak. As you said, the "Vault 7" release of the CIA hacking tools wasn't a result of the CIA being hacked, it was a leak. The question is whether Trump doesn't understand the difference, or he's referring to a completely separate event. Right now it's not clear. Considering Vault 7 was all over the news, I'd wager on the former. A historical evaluation of Trump's habits suggests that making shit up is more likely than leaking as-yet unknown classified information. This isn’t guess work in the dark though. The ranking member of the House intelligence committee raised the concern that Trump leaked classified information during an interview. The “He likely made it up” argument doesn’t hold when the guy is receiving classified information in briefs on a daily basis. Except that with Trump one cannot possibly know whether he is repeating it from Fox News/Breitbart/Infowars, from an intelligence briefing, or some weird mishmash which he invented himself after briefly listening to all of the former.
Maybe this will lead to those groups being more responsible in their reporting. Well, maybe just fox.
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EPT
