Kiriakou writes: "I've made a living the past several years criticizing the CIA. The Agency is easy to criticize. Its analysts have missed most of the major trends and events throughout post World War II history, as documented in Tim Weiner's excellent book Legacy of Ashes. Its operatives have committed crimes against humanity, including torture and extraordinary rendition. And its leaders lie every time they open their mouths. 'We don't torture prisoners.' A lie. 'We don't send prisoners to third countries to be tortured.' A lie. You get the idea."
Donald Trump, left, and CIA director John Brennan. (image: FT/Getty Images)
Now the CIA Will Rescue Us From Donald Trump
13 December 16
�ve made a living the past several years criticizing the CIA. The Agency is easy to criticize. Its analysts have missed most of the major trends and events throughout post World War II history, as documented in Tim Weiner�s excellent book Legacy of Ashes. Its operatives have committed crimes against humanity, including torture and extraordinary rendition. And its leaders lie every time they open their mouths. �We don�t torture prisoners.� A lie. �We don�t send prisoners to third countries to be tortured.� A lie. You get the idea.
But now the CIA � indeed, the whole �intelligence community� � is telling us that the Russian government somehow hacked into �the election� or �the electoral process,� apparently with the help of Wikileaks or other hackers, for the express purpose of aiding the Donald Trump campaign. The FBI apparently has come to a variation of the same conclusion, although the Washington Post says that the FBI is more circumspect about the accusation. Still, President Obama has ordered a governmental review of the allegations. And a bipartisan group in Congress, including senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), and John McCain (R-Ariz.), has announced hearings on the matter.
Let�s get some history out of the way first. The CIA�s first covert action program after its creation in 1947 was to work to swing the 1948 Italian elections to the (pro-American) conservatives. Testimony before the Church Committee, created in 1975 to investigate CIA crimes, showed that the CIA had given $1 million to Italian �centrist parties,� and published forged letters to discredit the Italian Communist Party. And just ask anybody from Iran, the Dominican Republic, Chile, El Salvador, Greece, and a dozen other countries about what the CIA has done in their elections over the years. Meddling in elections is wrong. It�s anti-democratic. The CIA shouldn�t do it and, if this new CIA report is accurate, the Russians shouldn�t be doing it either.
For the sake of argument, let�s say that the Russians did indeed conduct a covert action operation to influence the election in Trump�s favor. Where does that leave us? First, it means the election is (or ought to be) illegitimate. Russian intervention, coupled with the fact that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, makes Trump look like a usurper. The Washington swells� admonitions that we should all �pull together� for the sake of the country make them look like quislings and are just as anti-democratic as Trump's election.
With that said, the Constitution doesn�t include any mechanism whereby a newly-elected president can be removed because of interference in the election. We�re likely stuck with Trump for the next four years or until he�s impeached and removed from office for any number of reasons that already seem to be bubbling to the surface. In the meantime, though, we can resort to the courts to help get to the bottom of this mess. We can demand that the entire election be declared illegitimate. (It likely won�t be, but it could force changes in the system that might guard against future election-related security breaches.) We can push our members of Congress to investigate the allegations, with witnesses being subpoenaed and forced to testify under oath and under penalty of perjury.
Whatever the American people decide to do in response to Russian interference, if there was Russian interference, one thing is clear � we have to be a monkey on Trump�s back every day for the remainder of his presidency. We must not let up.
Oh, and by the way � the release of the CIA report, or information from the CIA report, is an act of espionage as defined by the Obama Justice Department: �Providing national security information to any person not entitled to receive it.� I wonder who�s going to be charged with that leak. Yeah, right.
John Kiriakou is a former CIA counterterrorism officer and a former senior investigator with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. John became the sixth whistleblower indicted by the Obama administration under the Espionage Act � a law designed to punish spies. He served 23 months in prison as a result of his attempts to oppose the Bush administration's torture program.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
|
THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community. |
Comments
We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.
General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.
Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.
- The RSN Team
He should be reminded of this fact that he demonstrates that he has forgotten, through his ignoring the police state tactics going on during HIS watch.
SHAME on you Mr. President.
Signed,
One of your most ardent supporters since day one.
I, too, encourage you to pick up your phones and call immediately to ask Mr. Obama to do the right thing, to ask him to speak out in favor of peaceful protests and against police brutality that has NO place in a democratic America.
The World is watching, and "WE cannot wait" for him to do the right thing. It must be now.
To President Obama, I beg you to do what you promised: be WITH the people, FOR the people, and be fearless about using your executive power to stop the madness NOW.
Sincerely,
Another of your most ardent supporters since day one.
N.
In this article, this is exactly what I am addressing.
Thank you for your support.
N.
The "cheating" by planting evidence and using infiltrators/ag ent provocateurs is SOP for U.S. government agencies.
Ask Native Americans.
Ask Iraqis.
Ask Afghans.
Do you actually think all IEDs are planted by Al Qaeda and Islamic extremists?
Realize we are confronting a collection of amoral sociopaths who will do anything to beat back genuine democracy.
Never forget the Kent State murders on 4 May 1970.
And the legal basis for this was the Patriot Act, which, you might recall, was brought to us George and Dick.
And? Your are saying that he had to keep it?
NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN
It's all of them, Barbara.
( is that feeling enough? ) I can go on. I've been watching for a long time.
As for congress, take a look back to the George W. administration. Review just how much the democrats handed to them. Most of what you see is entertainment, regardless. The show is directed by that 1% we're all protesting.
What you see is not necessarily the reality.
We can only hope that this will be the case, as no amount of "shame on you" seems to be doing the job.
N.
Everyone knows there were slave in North than as the land expanded, slaves went with..south, NorthWest and Southwest.
And many were treated well, many were treated horrendously.
Thomas Jefferson and our Forefathers never said they had no Slaves or House Persons. It is in their memoirs. Many were trusted friends. It was with the growth did Power come and the Slaves treated poorly even killed.
Police didnot cause Slavery Merchants did. Bounty hunters were hired, local thugs to go bring back runaways. I do not remember North being quite so adamant as the South, or as cruel. But Slavery was wrong, and we can thank those Christians who believed those that were not of our color were Heathens and therefore, should be treated as such. Again not a Police Agenda. Police role had already started in Europe, most were to quell uprisings but upsurps, protect the well to do/Political some branched into security, money protection etc. We had the jolly constables most were Volunteer or Appointed in Colonies with Volunteers who later started Fire Brigades, Citizen Brigades etc. Crime was not so large, everyone knew each other. those who did something wrong was treated more with Puritan Cruelty and Mockery than enforcement as we know it.
If they are part of the 1% they don't need any money.
Eventually they will resort to hurting one of their own, in order to change the game. Don't let this happen without photo or video evidence. Be quick to protect the evidence, and be ready to offer copies to the media, the courts, and to lawyers for the defense of those of us who will be arrested.
Even Oakland I get different stories from my friends. supposedly Peaceful than a gorup start shoving the cops, that is not Peaceful.
I think reviews of all Brutality must be looked into, and then start seeing if the same faces in Oakland than went to Denver up to NY because they will, they are on someone's dime setting up to instigate and get publicity.
Take them out...put them in public shackles for what they are. But stay Peaceful, stay warm
NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN !!
Nations we are no better than you, we are being watched daily, listened to, our accounts, lives are all being accounted for by Big Brother. We have Dictators in charge here and they want your Country, your riches, your Land....Do not believe OBama and the USA. We are not to be trusted. Nazis are alive and well here.
YOu see us destroying our water, our air, land. You see us killing our Animals. You see us poisoning towns. You see us selling our jobs overseas. We are Prisoners just like you. Democracy is a Dream. Nazis, Fascists are the Voice in our System not Democratic Ideals. We Kill anything, anyone for whatever reason the Man Tells us to. You are next, first your Leaders than You
But remember: We the People voted in all these cretinous, traitorous politicians, including feckless Obama, who is a slave working for Wall St.
Most important, Scott Olsen is a man of courage and remarkable character. He and the other true OWS patriots remind us that such qualities still exist among us.
Second, yes, each OWS group will be infiltrated by "plants"--under cover cops, people trying to distort the message, and saboteurs. Stay true, know your colleagues, and identify the others.
Third, rubber bullets, tear gas, and batons are NOT "NON-LETHAL" as reported. All have been and can be lethal. In fact, many police and military are taught lethal applications. Believe me, if you teach safeguards to prevent death, many see this as direct lethal instruction.
Stay safe. Stay true. And begin framing your message.
They pretend to help you but they are giving you poisoned candy. Stop taking anything from American Business and their Partners. Your Land is goin to be their Land....
They kill you and your children, they kill us and our children with no food, no clean water, no housing, no jobs, no health care. They Poison our air, Our Water, Our Food, Our Bodies with disease.
they take our homes, our land, our rights.
They go in pretending to protect you, to help you, they pretend to give you money for rebuilding but they are buying you out.
One Day you will no longer be Iraq, Iran, Libya ... you will Be MonsantoLand, KochLand, GELand. Beware the Powers of the USA are playing with their Puppet Politicians to wipe you out just like your leaders. You will either work for them or die of some new disease, or dumping their chemicals, bad food seeds. Welcome to Democracy the New Wave