{"id":34290,"date":"2017-03-30T17:47:19","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T00:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=34290"},"modified":"2017-03-30T18:28:19","modified_gmt":"2017-03-31T01:28:19","slug":"former-fbi-agent-on-trumps-loyalties-its-trump-1st-russia-2nd-and-the-rest-of-america-3rd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=34290","title":{"rendered":"Former FBI Agent On Trump’s Loyalties: It’s Trump 1st, Russia 2nd and the Rest of America 3rd"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clint Watts, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. The former FBI agent was called to give testimony about the unfolding allegations of collusion between Russia and Donald Trump. His testimony addressed many of the most troubling aspects of Trump’s unsavory connections to Russia during the 2016 election.<\/p>\n

\"Trump\/Putin\"
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After his testimony, Watts was interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on CNN. He affirmed much of what he told the committee and described the objectives of the Russian operatives. Watts was straight forward with this assessment of the situation:<\/p>\n

Blitzer:<\/strong> What was Putin’s objective in all of this?<\/p>\n

Watts:<\/strong> The ultimate objective is to destroy democracies from the inside out. What he wants to do is erode trust and sow divisions in the U.S. electorate.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Watts went on to say that intelligence operatives saw hacks and leaks that were “synchronized”<\/em> with the Trump campaign. “That tends to lead to the belief that there was coordination,”<\/em> he said. He also spoke about the “trail of dead Russians”<\/em> that could lead to the confirmation of allegations raised by the infamous “Trump dossier<\/a><\/strong>.”<\/em><\/p>\n

This is about as close as any witness has come to asserting a direct relationship between Trump’s campaign and the Russians. The CIA has already confirmed<\/a><\/strong> that Russian operatives were working to help Trump get elected and to hurt Hillary Clinton. The risks facing Watts for his testimony were on his mind during the Senate hearings. He told Blitzer that:<\/p>\n

“If I speak today, my bank account could be compromised, I could be discredited through compromising materials, some true some false, but I think the biggest concern is I\u2019m not confident right now that the U.S. government would actually come to bat for me. I\u2019ve seen President Trump call for Russia to leak emails against a political opponent, I\u2019ve seen him discredit the U.S. intelligence community to cite conspiracies that he\u2019s seen on his Twitter feed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“So, if I say things that the Trump administration doesn\u2019t like or that is counter to Putin, I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s not Trump first, Russia second and the rest of America third.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That description of Trump’s loyalties should send chills down the spine of every American. Watts’ career has put him in dangerous positions around the world. He is no shrinking violet. But his doubts amount to an indictment of Trump’s patriotism. Watts added that the Trump White House could not be relied on for anything but its own self-interests. “They will push falsehoods to achieve political objectives,”<\/em> he said, “before they will push the truth for the American people.”<\/em><\/p>\n

That has been borne out many times as Trump and his spokespersons disseminate “alternative facts”<\/em> and cast false accusations at critics and the press. It is part of a grand strategy to discredit anyone who dares to find fault with the President. But as the Russian scandals compound, Trump is finding it increasingly more difficult to defend himself and his cohorts.<\/p>\n

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How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
\nFox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.<\/a>
\nAvailable now at Amazon.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n