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Let's Play Spy Games


Let's Play Spy Games

     We've recently learned that a US asset inside the Kremlin had to leave Russia and come to live in the US.  This started me thinking in the most simplistic terms about international intelligence activities.  Of course, I have no credentials in this area, so this is just the speculation of a curious citizen.
     We know that Vladimir Putin was formerly head of the KGB, one of the main intelligence agencies of the former Soviet Union.  As such, I would be surprised if he did not surveil everyone in his administration.  I'm guessing that this would entail giving false information to select people, then seeing if any of that info later turned up in some other countries' news, thus pointing directly to a particular person in his confidence. 
     Of course, US intelligence agencies are aware of this type of play, and have ways of countering it, or using it to our advantage.  But . . .
     Imagine that Putin gives this type of info to one of his underlings, and that the information is extremely flattering or is of monetary interest, or both, to Donald Trump.  Then imagine that Trump meets secretly with Putin, with no advisors, no secretary, perhaps not even an American translator.  Then imagine that in that meeting Putin asks Trump a seemingly innocuous question which would reveal to Putin that Trump heard the false information.  Does any rational person think that Trump would be savvy enough to realize what was going on and keep his mouth shut?  Or do our intelligence agencies have to pull their informants out of danger, not knowing if they have been compromised?
     I'm sure that the intelligence games that are being played are much more complicated and sophisticated than this, so you can imagine my concern every time Trump opens his mouth in private or in public.  I have no confidence that Trump, who refuses briefings, who brags about doing things his way, who denigrates our intelligence organizations, and who has shown himself to be far, far less than a "stable genius" can be trusted to play this kind of game.
     Just one more argument that being a danger to US interests is impeachable, regardless of whether or not a crime has been committed.

PeteBarkett.blogspot.com
September 9, 2019

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