The U.S. intelligence community is not a “deep state” conspiracy. It is a political faction, clad in official secrecy, and protected by general friendly media coverage.
The intelligence community, in general, loathes and fears President Trump for his ignorance and impulsiveness and now his desire to get control of U.S. intelligence agencies, starting with the Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
One sign: an intelligence briefing in which a senior official from the Office of DIrector of National Intelligence exaggerated the threat posed by Russia in the 2020 election. Both Democrats and Republicans who heard the briefing thought it was overstated.
The intelligence community also sees the rise of Bernie Sanders and fears him for a different reason. Sanders rejects much the national security agenda that the intelligence community has pursued both in the Cold War and the war on terror. In the era of endless war, Sanders’ position is increasingly attractive and thus increasingly threatening.
The IC’s hostility to Sanders was signaled by the leak to the Washington Post. On Friday, the Post reported that “U.S. officials” had briefed Sanders a month ago on alleged Russian efforts to help his campaign.
The leak about a supposedly confidential meeting on the eve of the Nevada caucus signaled hostility from official sources.
If you study the data on the Russian social media campaign in 2016, the IRA efforts on behalf of Sanders were little compared to their support for Trump. The leak generated the headlines that implied d Russia’s help for the Vermont senator was somehow comparable, which is false. The leaked story, in short, was a smear.
Sanders was rightly dismissive.
“I don’t care, frankly, who [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants to be president,” Sanders said in a statement. “My message to Putin is clear: Stay out of American elections, and as president I will make sure that you do.”
But the IC efforts to delegitimize Sanders are sure to continue.
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