Exclusive: President-elect Trump is in a nasty slugfest with U.S. intelligence agencies as they portray him as a Russian tool and he blasts their attempt to delegitimize his election, says ex-British intelligence officer Annie Machon.
By Annie Machon
The clash between plutocratic President-elect Trump and the CIA is shaping up to be the heavyweight prize fight of the century, and Trump at least is approaching it with all the entertaining bombast of Mohammed Ali at the top of his game. Rather than following the tradition of doing dirty political deals in dark corners, more commonly known as fixing the match, Trump has come out swinging in the full glare of the media.
President-elect Donald Trump
In that corner, we have a deal-making, billionaire “man of the people” who, to European sensibilities at least, reputedly espouses some of the madder domestic obsessions and yet has seemed to offer hope to many aggrieved Americans. But it is his professed position on building a rapprochement with Russia and cooperating with Moscow to sort out the Syrian mess that caught my attention and that of many other independent commentators internationally.
In the opposite corner, Trump’s opponents have pushed the CIA into the ring to deliver the knock-out blow, but this has yet to land. Despite jab after jab, Trump keeps evading the blows and comes rattling back against all odds. One has to admire the guy’s footwork.
So who are the opponents ranged behind the CIA, yelling encouragement through the ropes? The obvious culprits include the U.S. military-industrial complex, whose corporate bottom line relies on an era of unending war. As justification for extracting billions – even trillions – of dollars from American taxpayers, there was a need for frightening villains, such as Al Qaeda and even more so, the head choppers of ISIS. However, since the Russian intervention in Syria in 2015, those villains no longer packed as scary a punch, so a more enduring villain, like Emmanuel Goldstein, the principal enemy of the state in George Orwell’s 1984, was required. Russia was the obvious new choice, the old favorite from the Cold War playbook.
The Western intelligence agencies have a vested interest in eternal enemies to ensure both eternal funding and eternal power, hence the CIA’s entry into the fight. As former British MP and long-time peace activist George Galloway so eloquently said in a recent interview, an unholy alliance is now being formed between the “war party” in the U.S., the military-industrial-intelligence complex and those who would have previously publicly spurned such accomplices: American progressives and their traditional host, the Democratic Party.
Yet, if the Democratic National Committee had not done its best to rig the primaries in favor of Hillary Clinton, then perhaps we would not be in this position. Bernie Sanders would be the President-elect.
Two-Party Sham
These establishment forces have also revealed to the wider world a fact long known but largely dismissed as conspiracy theory by the corporate mainstream media, that the two-party system in both the U.S. and the U.K. is a sham. In fact, we are governed by a globalized elite, working in its own interest while ignoring ours. The Democrats, openly disgruntled by Hillary Clinton’s election loss and being seen to jump into bed so quickly with the spooks and the warmongers, have laid this reality bare.
Barack Obama and George W. Bush at the White House.
In fact, respected U.S. investigative journalist Robert Parry recently wrote that an intelligence contact told him before the election that the intelligence agencies did not like either of the presidential candidates. This may go some way to explaining the FBI’s intervention in the run-up to the election against Hillary Clinton, as well as the CIA’s attempts to de-legitimize Trump’s victory afterwards.
Whether that was indeed the case, the CIA has certainly held back no punches since Trump’s election. First the evidence-lite assertion that it was the Russians who hacked the DNC emails and leaked them to WikiLeaks: then the fake news about Russia hacking the voting computers; that then morphed into the Russians “hacked the election” itself; then they “hacked” into the U.S. electric grid via a Vermont utility. All this without a shred of fact-based evidence provided, but Obama’s expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats last month solidified this dubious reality in Americans’ minds.
All this culminated in the “dirty dossier” allegations last week about Trump, which he has rightly knocked down – it was desperately poor stuff.
This last item, from a British perspective, is particularly concerning. It appears that a Washington dirt-digging company was hired by a Republican rival to Trump to unearth any potential Russian scandals during the primaries; once Trump had won the nomination this dirt-digging operation was taken over by a Democrat supporter of Hillary Clinton. The anti-Trump investigation was then sub-contracted to an alleged ex-British spy, an ex-MI6 man named Christopher Steele.
The Role of MI6
Much has already been written about Steele and the company, much of it contradictory as no doubt befits the life of a former spy. But it is a standard career trajectory for insiders to move on to corporate, mercenary spy companies, and this is what Steele appears to have done successfully in 2009. Of course, much is predicated on maintaining good working relations with your former employers.
CIA seal in lobby of the spy agency’s headquarters. (U.S. government photo)
That is the aspect that interests me most – how close a linkage did he indeed retain with his former employers after he left MI6 in 2009 to set up his own private spy company? The answer is important because companies such has his can also be used as cut-outs for “plausible deniability” by official state spies.
I’m not suggesting that happened in this case, but Steele reportedly remained on good terms with MI6 and was well thought of. For a man who had not been stationed in Russia for over 20 years, it would perhaps have been natural for him to turn to old chums for useful connections.
But this question is of extreme importance at a critical juncture for the U.K.; if indeed MI6 was complicit or even aware of this dirt digging, as it seems to have been, then that is a huge diplomatic problem for the government’s attempts to develop a strong working relationship with the US, post-Brexit. If MI6’s sticky fingers were on this case, then the organization has done the precise opposite of its official task – “to protect national security and the economic well-being of the UK.”
MI6 and its U.S. intelligence chums need to remember their designated and legislated roles within a democracy – to serve the government and protect national security by gathering intelligence, assessing it impartially and making recommendations on which the government of the day will choose to act or not as the case may be.
The spies are not there to fake intelligence to suit the agenda of a particular regime, as happened in the run-up to the illegal Iraq War, nor are they there to endemically spy on their own populations (and the rest of the world, as we know post-Snowden) in a pointless hunt for subversive activity, which often translates into legitimate political activism and acts of individual expression).
And most especially the intelligence agencies should not be trying to subvert democratically elected governments. And yet this is what the CIA and a former senior MI6 officer, along with their powerful political allies, appear to be now attempting against Trump.
Chances for Peace
If I were an American, I would be wary of many of Trump’s domestic policies. As a European concerned with greater peace rather than increasing war, I can only applaud his constructive approach towards Russia and his offer to cooperate with Moscow to stanch the bloodshed in the Middle East.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 23, 2015 Tehran. (Photo from: http://en.kremlin.ru)
That, of course, may be the nub of his fight with the CIA and other vested interests who want Russia as the new bogeyman. But I would bet that Trump takes the CIA’s slurs personally. After all, given the ugliness of the accusations and the lack of proof, who would not?
So, this is a world championship heavy-weight fight over who gets to hold office and wield power, an area where the U.S. and U.K. intelligence agencies have considerable experience in rigging matches and knocking out opponents. Think, for instance, Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq in 1953; Chilean President Salvador Allende in 1973; Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2003; and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is wobbly but still standing, thanks to some good corner support from Russia.
However, it would appear that Trump is a stranger to the spies’ self-defined Queensbury Rules in which targets are deemed paranoid if they try to alert the public to the planned “regime change” or they become easy targets by staying silent. By contrast, Trump appears shameless and pugnacious. Street-smart and self-promoting, he seems comfortable with bare-knuckle fighting.
This match has already gone into the middle rounds with Trump still bouncing around on his toes and still relishing the fight. It would be ironic if out of this nasty prize fight came greater world peace and safely for us all.
Annie Machon is a former intelligence officer in the UK’s MI5 Security Service (the U.S. counterpart is the FBI).
There might be a lot of truth in this article but still, not much
to back up the logic. It kind of falls into conspiracy theory
as it does not come up with enough hard core facts. We know
that the CIA is capable of using hitmen and that is something
that Trump is worrying about. We don’t need the wolves guarding
the hen house. Perhaps Trump needs to be behind a bullet proof
glass podium set up. The CIA is the most dangerous organization
on the planet. I know that it is and they cannot be trusted.
So there is a lot here to consider. Remember, JFK said he wanted
to break up the CIA into a thousand pieces and then Robert Kennedy
loses his life as well to a hitman. Anyone that bucks the
shadow elite is in danger. Pray for Trump and that he would
also do God’s will and not his own. Here is going to need God’s
protection wherever he goes so let’s pray for a hedge of protection
to surround Trump as he navigates though a very corrupt government.
truly outstanding and well-written insights and analysis from a courageous open-minded ex-spook/love the reference to Emmanuel Goldstein
“Shout! Shout! Shout out his name!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KeX5OZr0A4
The deep state is alive and well and on steroids. I recall many years back, 1980 election Carter was battling the poles. Reagan finally managed to take the republican ticket. Not similar to trump for Reagan ex white california democrat was a seasoned governor of California at the time. Iran-contra affair. That whole administration should have been charged for treason. No such thing ,most republicans still longing for those years and this is where the term Reagon democrats was invented . White blue collar workers in the heartland of the industrial belt (now rustbelt) of USA. Trump has capitalised on that white under class employee. Stats, half of US citizens r oscillating around the poverty rate. All this occurred under OBAMA, THE REPUBLICAN PROGRESSIVE, calling Obama democrat makes Jimmy Carter a scandinavian leftist. Obama was Nixon in color. The deep state will do everything and anything to make sure Trump fails. They will not assassinate him its would be to obvious and socially it would raise quite a storm in the socially and economically unstable US.
I might add a few tidbits . Trump on some issues has been the most left of center politico in the USA since Jimmy Carter. The fact he is against trans national trade deals that just gut out any sovereignty of any one country might have. The way he is attacking big pharma. IE: Publicly stating that he will try to save the general public circa 16 billion dollars per annum on prescription drugs. Also the fact that he publicly stated that he would like to make a deal with the Russians on nuclear weapons, reducing them or outrite eliminating them tells me that this guy is more left than Bernie. I am not a Trump apologist but when in this day in age when our fourth estate is so obviously compromised and beating the drums to war with anybody and so biased towards Hitler in drag (Clinton), I have come to read the MSM like this if they say its black then I know its white. If it wasn’t for the like’s of Consortium and many other reputable alternative news sources one would think the we were all living in George Orwells 1984, or Animal Farm.
YESTERDAYS NEWS GETS WRAPPED IN TODAYS FISH.
falcemartello – “Trump on some issues has been the most left of center politico in the USA since Jimmy Carter.” I agree, yet a lot of people don’t see this at all. Many on the left are pummeling him, and yet he’s more to the left than Hillary’s left ankle. If he reduces nuclear weapons, goes after big pharma, ends the multinational trade deals, big smiles ought to be bursting out all over. Let’s hope he can pull it off.
I myself doubt it. The deep state and all its players have to much at stake. This racket that has been manifesting itself since 9/11has been one hell of a cash cow. They will try to hamstring his administration thru out his first 100 days. Another impending event will be the forever waiting market correction. The world stockmarket at the moment is over leveraged to the tune of circa 600 trillion dollars actual value is more in the area of 60 to 70 trillion dollars. That is one hell of a correction in the waiting. If these cabalist get pushed enough that crash might happen earlier than we expect. Mind u it should have happened in 2015 . Last collapse 2007-2008 hence historically it has been happening since the 50’s every 7 years.
interesting and volatile time we r living.
Of course the international “military industrial complexes”
are to blame for the “endless wars” situation. And, Trump, for all his failings, is to be admired for challenging the agencies standing in their support. He heralds the ‘Change’ Obama could not bring about – if he doesn’t suffer the same fate as Kennedy.
A very good article indeed by Annie Machon. Full of truth. Unfortunately I am troubled by the fact that Machon has in the past endorsed the unsustainable and delusional theories of the 9/11 “Truthers”. A couple of her videos from 2007 and 2010 are still available on You Tube. She defines the Al Qaeda coordinated attacks as a false flag operation, and to me that should be a big alert to us as readers .
“FobosDeimos” demonstrates a propaganda troll signature smear tactic: the “9/11 Truther” conspiracy theory label.
Annie Machon participated in a forum to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
The 2008 PressTV forum addressed the question, “Is there any truth to the 9/11 conspiracy theories?”
Annie Machon precisely stated:
“I’m not taking a view on this. I’m just saying we need new inquiries. Because the victims, the survivors, the victims across the world in the illegal wars which were based on the lie that is 9/11, require justice. So let’s have a new inquiry. Let’s not go in with presumptions about what might have happened. Let a proper independent, international, and impartial inquiry to get to the truth at last.”
VIDEO minutes 3:30-3:50
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rVvKzzOuQc
Abe – exactly. All she is asking for is an independent inquiry with all of the facts – all of them.
“FoboDeimos” projectile vomits ad-hominem arguments and flat-out falsehoods: a big alert to us as readers.
How is British intelligence’s involvement in digging up dirt on Trump less a case of interference by a foreign government in the US election than Russia’s alleged hacking? Shouldn’t the US now be expelling 35 British diplomats?
The problem for US intelligence is that the ex-MI6 agent, Christopher Steele alerted the FBI to his fairy tale months ago. As is was ‘sat on’ it could be deduced that the agency was offering support to Trump’s campaign, which would implicate it in a conspiracy against the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, especially seen in the light of James Comey re-opening of the investigation into the Podesta days before the election. And that’s exactly how Clinton and the DNC saw it.
That the FBI has done a complete U-turn since the election of Trump and has lent its support to the Putin ‘dunnit’ hoax could be seen as circumstancial evidence of a plot against the seat of government itself, as the agency is now implicated in attempts to undermine both Clinton and Trump. I believe the legal term for that is treason.
It will be intetesting to read Ray Mc Govern’s take on this day to day unfolding drama. X-CIA and X-MI6 in Trump’s corner and the CIA, FBI, NSA and the entire alphabet of American spooks with their 5 eyes allies in the corner of the military industrial complex.
Fight of the century indeed!
Je crois que le futur president des etats unis est a son meilleurs lors qu il doit affronter les difficultes contre ce panier de crabe je lui souhaite bien du courage
Hank
Author of The Essence of a Unified Universe
I voted for Clinton, but I’m so happy that Putin did my job for me.
I wished Donald Trump all the best, maybe his only chance is because HE don’t understand who he is up against.
It is NO deference then if this fight TOOK place during the Spanish Inquisition, and he was going up against the Knights of Columbus.
That is if you understand your history the Knights of Columbus on the same type of extension of government as the CIA.
The real CIA under President Truman first operation was to get a Christian Democrat party elected in Italy in 1947.
Being the jew boy I don’t give him a chance. He has about the same chance as the communist party did against Hitler
In the 1930. One last note President Kennedy was in Germany in 1937 he said that the fascist government there was
better for Germany than the communist party.
I always behind the under dog, (comon Trump)
Reporting from the Philippines….
During the last election here, the American Embassy and the local MSM did everything possible to defeat President Duterte. It was a battle between the oligarchs and the tech savy public and for the first time since President Andre Bonifacio, almost 120 years ago this nation has a president that has introduced a foreign policy independent of the USA.
What is going on here?! The only reason Trump wants better relations with Russia is purely a financial one for himself and others who are tied to the fossil fuel industry. He has absolutely no skill or patience for foreign policy and to claim he wants better relations for some humanitarian reason is absurd. To pit him against the spy agencies because of the military complex need for power and profit is even more far fetched. Trump knows to stop that machine is a huge job killer. This is all about lifting sanctions to enable a $500 billion oil deal between Russia and Exxon. If that deal does go through and he nullifies the Paris agreements he will unleash the biggest security threat to world peace with a unconscionable acceleration of climate change to our planet.
What is your point? – The MIC is in despair because the WWIII seems to be postponed?
Pentagon is not able to account for $6 trillion dollars (just for the last few years). – Does this bother you at all?
The petty Obama has decided to send more US troops on the borders with Russia. – Is this what the US citizenry truly desires, a conflict with a nuclear power?
How come that all scoundrels, the worst scum have been congregating around Clintons – the despicable Morrell, Hayden, Kristol, Kagans’ clan, Ash Carter the Ziocon, and, of course, Monsanto. Do you believe that Monsanto is perfect for “our planet?”
What about fracking that the current administration has been promoting for years?
Anna the attached link is the DOD Inspector Generals report where 6.5 trillion dollars can’t be accounted for…
http://www.dodig.mil/pubs/documents/DODIG-2016-113.pdf
There is no greater threat to the climate than war.
Nuclear, obviously, but also conventional war and military maneuvers are climate and civilization killers.
Better an oil deal than constant wars, if that is the choice.
The one benefit of non-MIC business influence upon foreign policy is reduced superpower warmongering: they prefer trade deals to war and do not like to pay for unprofitable wars. Otherwise they are ignorant, selfish, hypocritical, and malicious punks and idiots, with all the virtues that succeed in business, happy to secretly attack social democracies around the world and call it democracy promotion.
So when Israel/KSA/MIC controls the Dems and MSM, the Reps get their first or second chance in history to be less destructive, like a broken clock with the right time twice a day..
No new thoughts ever enter this arena. It’s a big Trump lovefest. Three cybersecurity firms have said it was the Russians. Oh, they don’t count. Thomas Rid, an expert in this area gave a detailed account of how they did it but, oh he doesn’t count. No one is against a better relationship with Russia but Trump is giving them everything they want with no pre conditions. My fear is he wants to undermine our allies as Putin wants him to. It Trump and Putin form an alliance, it will be an alliance of the two most powerful nations in the world and will be the most dangerous alliance since Germany, Italy and Japan. Notice his first visit will be to Putin, not to allies.
Get Trump to release his tax returns so we understand just how deeply in bed he is with the Russians. Don’t any of you wonder why he won’t release them?
“Three cybersecurity firms have said it was the Russians.”
The most influential among the firms is CrowdStrike run by Jewish emigre from Moscow (and an obvious Russophobe) Dm. Alperovitch. Mr. Alperovitch is in service to Atlantic Council, the same sewage plant that employs Eliot Higgins – and expert in selling ladies underwear and in everything that is anti-Russian. Higgins has no college degree, no military or engineering training – nothing, just the experience in selling ladies underwear. This is the face of “experts” at Atlantic Council. Alperovitch is just a regular presstitute/ opportunist; expect more amazing things from him.
Your suggestion that RT was able to subvert the mighty machinery of MSM is laughable – and disrespectful to the US citizenship. Still believe that Russkies are to blame for DNC fraud against Bernie?
As a self-proclaimed truth seeker and US patriot, why don’t you want to learn more about Clintons’ connections to Saudis? The sponsors of 9/11 (“support the troops?”) have been giving millions of dollars to Clintons’ Foundation (and were rewarded with nice weapon deals). But even more interesting is the Israelis’ access to all and any personal information of the US citizens: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/11/nsa-americans-personal-data-israel-documents – on Obama’ watch.
Eight years of Obama and not a single day without a war against 7 countries. – Who got the loot? (in trillions)
Or you still want to talk about other people’s taxes? Well, what about the banksters and the looting the US treasury? – On Obama watch. Still not interested? Still believe that the pure and innocent US has been subverted and corrupted by a country that is thousands miles away and has its own problems?
Cash won’t reply to your points of contention Anna, because he can’t. He’ll just come back on another thread on another article with the same old thoughts about Trump and the Bear.
Crowdstrike is in the employ of the Nazis in Ukraine.
Even so, neither it, nor any of the others have expressed certainty (merely “high confidence” at most, which means no actionable information to back their claim.
John McAffee (the big guy between McAffee security) has publically stated that there is no way Russia is behind the hacks.
For that matter, NOONE has stated how Russia got the hacks to Wikileaks, who denies having got it from Russia (and stated they were insider leaks).
You say “noone is against a better relationship with Russia”, yet we know Kerry’s deal to share information with them in Syria was intentionally killed by rogue (?) Elements in the military. We know that US intelligence services rigged the election of Yeltsin, and bragged about it on the cover of Time. We know that Hillary’s pick for Undersecretary of State for Europe, Victoria Nuland, and John McCain were actively handing out cookies to Pravi Sektor (Nazi) militants in the leadup to the Maidan coup.
In other words, you are either completely ignorant or intentionally lying when you make that claim.
Most likely, Drumpf has not realeased his tax returns will show his bank accounts to be as vacuous as Hillary’s pretense at being a progressive was revealed to be when her speeches were partially released.
I wonder, were you as bothered by Hillary’s authourization of the sale of 20% of the US Uranium mines to Russia, in exchange for bribes, I mean “donations” to her foundation?
What about her approval of massive arms transfers to Saudi Arabia, who is no more an ally than Russia is, and unquestionably far worse on human rights and violations of International Law. (In diplomacy, “Ally” means a nation with a formal alliance. Neither Saudi Arabia nor Israel are “Allies”.) Did these bother you?
Or is it just that you are blatantly partisan, and grasping at straws?
You are so right! When I visit this site I am so amazed at the majority of people who are involved in this Trump lovefest. They so hated Hillary and Obama that they can’t see beyond the end of their nose. Hillary and Obama are gone and maybe they will now look at Trump and see what he is. Surely the intelligence people have seen his taxes and know what is in them. The American people should be demanding their release. If there are no Russian ties in the taxes then the stories will vastly subside. The Republicans who want Trump to be impeached will probably “arrange” their release. Look for this to happen not too far into his Presidency. Keep up with your comments, they are a shining light in the darkness of what should be a good site considering the past work of Robert Parry.
This post is a reply to that of Bill Cash.
What possible “Russian ties” could be in taxes?
Do you think Trump’s taxes would contain a record of all of the bribes he took from Putin? Oh, wait, it is the other way around: All of the money Trump paid TO Putin to get Putin to swing the election???
It is Putin’s taxes we have to see!!!
Ir all sounds like Alice in Wonderland and through the Looking Glass
Trump lovefest? Hating Hillary and Obama? I hadn’t realized the preponderance of thought here had become so emotionally colored. I could politely call your statements mischaracterizations, but prefer instead to refer to them as ruminations of utter nonsense. To be critical of particular “attacks” against someone is something entirely different from uncritically defending that person. Some comments reflect a more positive or hopeful view of Trump’s understandings and intentions in certain respects than my own, but they certainly do not constitute a “lovefest”. You should also realize, as has been explained, that we know why these particular attacks are taking place and we don’t like it.
“…can’t see beyond the end of their nose”. This site’s comments predominately express “worldviews” steeped in historical understanding and broad-based human concerns that go well beyond pettiness. Criticism of Clinton and Obama has not been ad hominem, but is directly tied to their deeds.
An excellent article. If only the general public were exposed to such well-stated truths instead of the propaganda and slop from MSM.
Yes, anything’s possible but I’m throwing my hat into the ring for Trump. We have endured so much murder and mayhem from the intelligence agencies that I’m hoping they will make DT so furious that he will endure, and then decapitate them all.
The spy agencies have shown themselves to be more than worthless for many long years. The world, and the historians who will hopefully survive to write about it, will thank Trump for uprooting this dark blemish once and for all. We can then have a NWO of, by and for the people… In that NWO, there will be no place for spies.
Great article. but “The Spooks” don’t play by Marquis of Queensbury rules. Their gloves are off and they are using Weapons of Massive Disinformation (WMD).I believe,this is going to end badly. (I hope not) But the betting favors those that own the money system, and they play for keeps.
Thanks for a well written article.
I feel a little momentum building for Trump also and look forward to next week when the real show starts.
I believe a positive outcome to the Obamacare conundrum should get things off and running and leave Dems freaking out in the rear view mirror. Much is riding on this first major initiative. I doubt they will repeat the Dem’s 2009 debacle when they were in total control.
Americans should watch carefully the war party’s attempt to manufacture a crisis to suit their needs. All new Presidents are tested early and the Trump administration’s response (not just his tweets) will be crucial to gain perspective on the road ahead.
Trump wants a moratorium on lobbying for five years after a politician leaves government. Speaker Paul Ryan disagrees, saying that a former politician might want to work for the Cancer Society and their noble endeavor might be thwarted. Tough! Get a regular job for five years, and then you can be noble all you want. The words “noble” and “politician” in the same sentence? Like oil and water.
No lobbying the government for five years after leaving office. Sounds good to me.
The American Cancer Society is a front for the chemical industry, and has actively suppressed and obstructed research into environmental causes of cancer (i.e. pollution, use of carcinogenic chemicals in household cleaners, cosmetics, and even food.)
This is VERY well documented.
John – somehow I don’t doubt at all what you’re saying. Also they don’t want cures; there’s no money in that. Thanks, John.
Annie Machon – a breath of fresh air. Well done, Annie!
“However, it would appear that Trump is a stranger to the spies’ self-defined Queensbury Rules in which targets are deemed paranoid if they try to alert the public to the planned “regime change” or they become easy targets by staying silent. By contrast, Trump appears shameless and pugnacious. Street-smart and self-promoting, he seems comfortable with bare-knuckle fighting.”
He IS shameless and pugnacious. They cut him, he cuts them back. Trump is a master at going on the offensive. They have met their match. If anyone can take these “intelligence” scum down, it will be him. He will take no prisoners. Half the population will say, “Oh, he is so rude.” Too bad! Right now the country needs “rude” in order to rid itself of the dark forces running it into the ground.
As Paul Craig Roberts said:
“If Trump intends to survive, he must break the CIA into a thousand pieces as President John F. Kennedy intended before the CIA assassinated him. Trump must arrest for treason the neoconservatives and put them on trial. Trump must curtail NSA’s spying, which is in complete violation of the US Constitution, on all communications of all Americans. Trump’s oath of office is to the Constitution, not to war on the American public. Trump must ban all presstitute print and TV media from White House press conferences and only give credentials to the alternative Internet media. The print and TV media are operatives of the CIA and are totally devoid of integrity. Indeed, perhaps the presstitutes should be arrested for treason and put on trial along with the neoconservatives and the CIA.”
That seems extreme, but is probably what needs to happen. The press have been out to vilify Trump.
Prosecution for treason should proceed in the dark agencies and the judiciary and Congress. More than 99 percent of them ignore the Constitution all of the time. Unfortunately, the penalty must match the severity of the crime and the difficulty of catching the corrupt, or it will have no deterrent effect at all: only executions will teach the lesson. Executing a thousand utterly corrupt judges, congressmen, and other oligarchy subversion agents is a very small price to pay indeed for freedom. The US kills many times that number every year elsewhere as the price for more corruption, and few object. “The tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants.”
Perhaps this would be done in China, with long term imprisonment rather than execution. But of course corruption is the source of all present US power, and is the US national ideology and most sacred value. There is no apparent mechanism of reform other than destabilizing effects like Trump, and little grounds for optimism.
The intelligence community’s heavy handed approach to an elected president who might, say might, fight back does present an opportunity to examine the utility and functionality of the community. Why is there an operating arm who plans coups and plants lies when the obvious and sole value should be intelligence, advising policy makers of what is happening and perhaps suggesting strategic options, although I would be wary of the latter.
There is a sense abroad that politicians and other policy makers are at the mercy of the CIA. Is that really inevitable, immutable?. Will anyone or anything thing defang the monster? Should not such power, if it exists, by exorcised from our government. Maybe Trump will perform the exorcism.
It should be remembered that the American Revolution was against corporate control of commerce, not against the Crown itself, which also was controlled by the corporations. Now we are even more under the thumbs of corporations as the government is in service to them, and government agencies have become departments of the corporatocracy (not a word yet, apparently). This is the intention of the great ones who insist upon a world government in which nations are mere figures of speech and the rulers are unaccountable to their subjects. It’s natural. It’s normal. This is what always happens, and it is never stopped. It’s just taken to a higher level.
Word Origin and History for corporatism
n.1890, from corporate + -ism. Used over the years in various senses of corporate, in 1920s-30s often with reference to fascist collectivism.
Online Etymology Dictionary, ©
Thanks for a great article! I applaud Donald Trump for his willingness to jump into the fray on our behalf. It takes a lot of courage to do what he’s doing, which is to openly defy the established order repeatedly. I hope he is able to carry out his desire for cooperation and better relations with Russia. Someone had to do something. The past 16 years of neocons running our foreign policy have been something I hope the world will eventually forgive us for, provided Trump can pull this off and bring an end to their endless war ideology.
As a former deep cover CIA intelligence officer I commend the sincere attempt of Ms. Machon to try and keep tabs of CIA activities under the new Trump administration. But I think any attempts by her or others to tie Mr. Trump as part of some sick or inappropriate involvement with Russia or the Russian KGB is far-fetched and ridiculous. — Please forgive me if I have misunderstood her remarks.
I think you have completely misunderstood her remarks.
Given op-ed articles like Ms.Machon’s, and the Time Magazine July 15, 1996 issue heralding how experienced US political operatives secretly helped elect Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin to his final term, its becoming increasingly obvious that the Big 17 Intelligence Agencies pretty much run US Foreign Policy and the Presidents are relegated to the Domestic Stuff. Isn’t this a tad unconstitutional?
Only 5 % of our main media time and space is “international” and 95% is “local” (cf. Bernie Sanders and other lucrative political campaign, plus the sports and entertainment). Yet over half our budget goes to floating the international (military) side, the second half being social security and medicare, and “discretionary”. The President manages his half, and speaks for the very knowledgeable “dark” half really holding the reins of war and peace. Isn’t this unconstitutional?
Go get ’em Donald, if we get it right with Russia, we may have a little money left to run the show at home! Don’t get “boxed in.”
Ms. Machon,
Thanks for this wonderful analysis. Pardon me for tooting my own klaxon, but my past comments on this site have inferred many of your observations. First and foremost, the alacrity with which supposedly “progressive” Democrats have embraced their ideological enemies in an effort to subvert the Trump candidacy. I said something to the effect that, “The mask is off, the fraud is revealed” regarding the charade of our two-party/one oligarchy duopoly. Nobody listens. Thankfully, you have a British accent, so maybe some of my fellow citizens will pay attention.
I note that, whenever the American corporate media wants to sell something – especially something preposterous – they get somebody with a British accent to do the narration. There’s that old fart on Fox News, whose name I can’t remember. CNN has Jonathan Quest. Despite the fact that he’s a bona fide geek, he seems to succeed with an American audience. Whenever they do a documentary about flying saucers and alien abductions, they get somebody like Roger Moore. Then there was the ultimate con-job, Tony Blair helping to “fix the intelligence around the policy”. I never understood why Australian John Pilger doesn’t get much traction. Americans aren’t sophisticated enough to discern a well-spoken Aussie from a standard Brit.
When the Peepeegate story broke with attribution to an MI6 agent, I couldn’t help but note the clever choice. If they had gotten a Canadian to float this scam, it would have been a big flop.
Ms. Machon, you are armed with two devastating weapons: the TRUTH and a British accent. You could do us a lot of good, so please keep speaking out. Thank-you for your service to my pitifully misinformed country.
Speaking of UNTRUTH and a British accent, Ms. Machon could do us a lot of good by speaking out about efforts to “fix the policy around the intelligence” provided by “open source information and verification” scammers like Eliot Higgins and Bellingcat.
F.G. Now I understand why there is a Geico Gecko.
Trump has quite the job cleaning out the Intelligence Agencies in the US. First of all there is no plausible reason to have 17 different Agencies all running around with their own Agenda. Trump will win this fight that is why he is top heavy with Generals in his Cabinet, a smart business man is always many steps ahead, plus he has the advantage of the fighting between them all for top dog status, not to mention the “White Hats” & “Black Hats” at war internally with each other inside each Agency. Clean them out and pick the Best of the Best and pair it down to a couple Top Notch Agencies! Homeland Security needs to be broken up and redundancy needs to be eliminated… That is for Another Post. The biggest problem Agency that will require major changes will be the State Department, they have the most rogue elements running their own Agenda no matter who is President! Out them and since firing is hard, transfer them to Siberia and they will resign of their own accord!
Love the blame. It’s always those guys over there. What happened to a energetic congress working to help the needy and the need to protect our borders from invasion of military forces. All our elected reps. Making idealistic sacrifice for the good of all. The Blame Game is a failure!!
What happened to a energetic congress working to help the needy …
The Marshall Plan was probably the last time Congress did something to help the needy, but that was a bi-product of a program with a main purpose of keeping the needy from going communist. Congress helped pass civil rights legislation to meet the needs of the oppressed, but Congress had to be pushed before its members would do the right thing. When it comes to taking care of their constituents’ needs members of Congress check to see how much they donated to their re-election campaigns before they do anything. No bribes – no help.
Congress only represents Israeli interests as was apparent from the questioning of Trump nominees. American public only gets lips service.
Could that possibly have anything to do with all of us , we the people , not being able to work to bring uplift for all , not just those who we deem deserving. By the way , the Marshall Plan , was not all that good. More spoils given the spoiled. I have a relative who attended the meetings in Italy. Really. Haunted her the rest of her life.
Yet, if the Democratic National Committee had not done its best to rig the primaries in favor of Hillary Clinton, then perhaps we would not be in this position. Bernie Sanders would be the President-elect.
John Lewis, according to his criteria, considers Donald Trump to be an illegitimate president. If he had been paying attention to what was going on in his Democratic (sic) party glass house and not been a blind party loyalist, he would have recognized that Hillary Clinton was the illegitimate presidential candidate representing the Democrats.
Great point!!! I have thought the same.
And Hillary Clinton plans to attend Trump’s inauguration which John Lewis intends to boycott.
Odd.
The fact that the Democratic party ran an incompetent campaign cannot be laid at Mr. Lewis’s feet. The Dem’s leadership was responsible. And Mr. Trump was the only “illegitimate” candidate, if you look at how the election was stolen.
You have been drinking democrat party’s kool-Aid or are totally ignorant. Trump won the Republican primary against 16 other candidates without any help from the Republican Party establishment. So how could he be illegitimate.
What stolen election? The only thing stolen in this election was Hillary’s nomination.
The fact that the Democratic party ran an incompetent campaign cannot be laid at Mr. Lewis’s feet.
How and why did you come up with this nonsense about blaming John Lewis for the party’s incompetent campaign? Mr. Boyce, you are out of your league here. Either keep quiet and read and learn or go troll elsewhere.
It seems clear to me that nothing has changed. Remember this…
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jul/16/david-kelly-death-10-years-on
Excellent essay, and I’d like to add a prediction that Obama’s “legacy” is going to steadily dwindle unless Trump totally converts to the Church Of Paul Ryan And Mike Pence. No wonder Obama wanted Hillary to follow him!
Amen to that. We Americans had a choice between crazy domestic polices + near-certain war vs crazy domestic policies + the possibility of avoiding war. I didn’t vote for either of them mostly on account of the “torture” business, but was vastly relieved when Hillary lost.
Trump will have to play his “You’re fired” act.
http://www.unz.com/article/an-obituary-of-the-new-york-times/
clueless in America, now clueless in the white house. My crowd is bigger than your crowd? What’s the point.
https://theintercept.com/2017/01/11/the-deep-state-goes-to-war-with-president-elect-using-unverified-claims-as-dems-cheer/
Well said….nothing is black and white….it was a choice between two evils. For now it seems lesser has won….