QOTD -- Threat Assessment

“The only reason for the director of National Intelligence or the director of the CIA or the director of the FBI or the director of the National Security Agency to stay in their jobs after being publicly insulted by the president of the United States today is that they all recognize that the unstated threat to this country that did not appear in their written report is actually the president of the United States himself... And they are staying in those jobs to defend this country against the threat of the Donald Trump presidency.” -- Lawrence O'Donnell last night, after discussing Putin asset Donald "Rump" Trump's hostile reaction to the intelligence community's testimony yesterday on global threats to national security. O'Donnell also called out the effing New York Times for its pusillanimous treatment of Rump's reaction as "unusual." Our brave, truth- telling corporate media!

Trump's Continuing War With U.S. Intelligence (UPDATED)

Russian asset and Very Stable Genius Donald "Rump" Trump was embarrassed by his intelligence chiefs yesterday when they -- to a person -- contradicted his views on everything from Iran to ISIS to North Korea. Interestingly, not one chief took the opportunity to declare a national security crisis on the border with Mexico.

This morning, Rump lashed back at his own intelligence appointees in a petulant tweet, stating in part that they were "passive" and "naive" with regard to Iran's supposed threat. He also declared that there's a "decent chance of denuclearization" for North Korea, despite his own Director of National Intelligence and CIA Director saying the opposite:

"Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and CIA Director Gina Haspel, however, told the Senate Intelligence Committee that North Korea was committed to developing a nuclear missile capable of threatening the United States.  

North Korea is 'unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities because its leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival,' Coats said."

The Very Stable Genius apparently has intelligence sources that differ from ours (Russia?), and he's not about to have actual intelligence interfere with his comical photo ops with Kim, his fantasy "emergency" at the southern border, or his private talks with thug Vladimir Putin.

BONUS: Maybe he'd listen if the briefings were given with a Russian accent:

Senior intelligence officials have said that it's extremely difficult to convince Trump he is wrong about something, no matter how much evidence they can put in front of him. He believes what he believes.

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) January 30, 2019

BONUS II:

Incredible willful blindness by Trump to looming threats to US national security. He has denied the evidence of our own intelligence officials. He has concealed from his own Cabinet  and Congress private dealings with Putin and KJU. We are in trouble. https://t.co/Fy0Yev6LpH

— Barry R McCaffrey (@mccaffreyr3) January 30, 2019