President Donald Trump on Wednesday attacked the U.S. intelligence services as “naive” and “wrong” on the threat he says is posed by Iran.
“Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school!” Trump said in a blistering series of tweets.
“The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong!” Trump tweeted.
The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong! When I became President Iran was making trouble all over the Middle East, and beyond. Since ending the terrible Iran Nuclear Deal, they are MUCH different, but….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2019
….a source of potential danger and conflict. They are testing Rockets (last week) and more, and are coming very close to the edge. There economy is now crashing, which is the only thing holding them back. Be careful of Iran. Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2019
Why This Matters
Although especially vehement, it was not the first time Trump has publicly criticized his own intelligence services.
The broadside, which included separate tweets where Trump praised the success of his policies in Syria and North Korea, followed testimony Tuesday by top intelligence chiefs that were widely seen as contradicting the president’s rosy assessments.
What's truly frightening about this tweet is that is spotlights the apparent disconnect between what our intelligence agencies assess and what President Trump is hearing–presumably from Bolton and Pompeo. And there's every reason to believe that disconnect extends beyond Iran. https://t.co/abHK8fXlpx
— Ned Price (@nedprice) January 30, 2019
In a hearing on global threats at the Senate Intelligence Committee, the top officials took issue with Trump’s assertion that the Islamic State group has been defeated, and that North Korea can be convinced to forego its nuclear weapons.
They also challenged the president’s claim that Tehran is actively seeking nuclear weapons, the justification Trump gave for withdrawing last year from a multilateral treaty on Iran.
They underscored again that they believe Russia meddled deeply on Trump’s behalf in the 2016 presidential election — which he has repeatedly denied — and can be expected to do the same in 2020.
The hearing took place weeks after Trump cited a victory over Islamic State to justify his sudden announcement of an immediate pullout from Syria, a move that alarmed the U.S. defense establishment and allies in the Middle East.
And it came just weeks before Trump plans a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to negotiate a hoped-for denuclearization of the deeply isolated state.
Trump vs. The Intelligence Community pic.twitter.com/c1DhahLqUD
— Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) January 30, 2019
More on the Subject
In an interview with The Globe Post, Michael Carpenter, Senior Director of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, said President Trump has very little understanding of geopolitics and prioritizes his business and family interests over everything else.
Michael Carpenter: Trump’s Worldview Puts Private Gain Above all Else
