Opinion: Trump administration needs to get handle on White House leaks
May 17, 2017, 12:27 PM
The White House is seen in Washington, Tuesday night, May 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Let’s be real: The White House does not have a leak problem, the White House has a fire hose of unauthorized information shooting from its wings.
Usually, administrations use leaks strategically, so I first concluded this was President Donald Trump’s administration doing the same.
Now? Not so much.
This is a huge problem, but think about it: Should it be surprising to us that there are anti-Trump employees in both the White House and in Congress? No.
In most cases, I would think this is just a cost of doing business but this is different. The information is coming out so fast and furious (you see what I did there?) that we are starting to talk about national security issues.
Those that want Trump out of office or want him to look bad are joining in such numbers that they might be compromising the security of our nation at the same time.
And speaking of compromising national security, let’s address the issue of Trump’s Russian pals and if he spilled classified information.
First, there are several levels of classified.
Did he share classified information? Most likely. Did he share classified top secret information? That’s another story.
So let’s say, for the sake of argument, that we are 100 percent sure that it was top secret and we are 100 percent sure that it came from Israel.
One of the biggest concerns is that, because of this, Israel will stop or seriously limit information and intelligence that they share with the United States.
This is a silly notion that is just fodder for cable news networks. We are Israel’s biggest, most powerful ally. Israel is our biggest most powerful ally in the Middle East. They are not going to stop sharing intelligence with the United States because of a conversation Trump had with Russian officials.
They need us. We need them. We will continue to share information despite any slip-ups that may occur.
It’s just as silly of a notion that Mexico will stop trading with United States if we build a wall. Mexico will not stop trading with its largest trading partner. They will not cut off their nose to spite their face.
But I digress. Can we just get a handle on the White House leaks? Good grief.
