The bond between Donald Trump and US intelligence services during his white house years showed clear signs of strain. He often went against intel findings openly criticized their work and got into hot water after sharing secret info with russian diplomats
I think its fair to say there is a good bit of apprehension in the IC about a potential second Trump term—starting with whom he would install in leadership positions particularly at CIA‚ ODNI‚ and the FBI
Former intel chief James Clapper who led US intelligence for 7 years in the Obama-era points to deeper issues ahead: his email suggests trumps distrust of spy agencies could grow even stronger than before. The veteran spy-master (who knows the system inside-out) sees potential leadership shake-ups at key agencies as a big worry
Looking back at trumps first term — which ended about 3 years ago — several red flags came up:
- Public attacks on intelligence findings
- Sharing classified materials with russian officials
- Using intel data for political goals
- Going against agency recommendations
Clappers view carries extra weight since he ran the whole intel machine; his warning about future agency heads and increased anti-intelligence attitudes shows real-world worries from those who know the system best