Consider our unverified report after reading this report we received from the Quad City Times (QCT) earlier today. It was thought so significant as to rate a special dispatch headlining the matter to email recipients. It was an AP story about a Washington Post report, outlets of the same chromatic spectrum, both taken as primary gospel by the QCT.
It is a real study in yellow journalism, bias, credulity regarding anything intended to embarrass Trump. Note that the article is based on an anonymous source, a prime source for yellow outlets like the AP/WaPo/QCT and which is more likely to be of the “straw” “chartreuse”, “crocus”, “gilded” or “fallow” shade than canary. Posted here in italics for critical evaluation with our annotations:
Report: Trump shared secret info with Russians about IS
President Donald Trump revealed highly classified information about Islamic State militants to Russian officials during a meeting at the White House last week, The Washington Post reported Monday. (Washington Post)
One would think at the very least the original source should be immediately identified. Reporting on a report is just a technique of spreading the narrative as if unassailable, avoiding an important disclaimer regarding credibility
The newspaper cited current and former U.S. officials who said Trump shared details about an Islamic State terror threat with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The threat was related to the use of laptop computers on aircraft.
The White House denounced the report.
“This story is false. The president only discussed the common threats that both countries faced,” said Dina Powell, deputy national security adviser for strategy, who attended the meeting.
National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, who also participated in the meeting, downplayed the report as well.
“The president and the foreign minister reviewed common threats from terrorist organizations to include threats to aviation,” McMaster said. “At no time were any intelligence sources or methods discussed and no military operations were disclosed that were not already known publicly.”
That should pretty much make it a suspect story — nothing on the record not even an indication that the anonymous source was actually in the meeting and did not instead surmise something
The anonymous officials told the Post that the information Trump relayed during the May 10 meeting had been provided by a U.S. partner through an intelligence-sharing arrangement. They said it was considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and tightly restricted even within the U.S. government.
The Post said the intelligence partner had not given the United States permission to share the material with Russian officials. By doing so, Trump jeopardized cooperation from an ally familiar with the inner workings of the Islamic State group.
Afterward, White House officials took steps to contain the damage, placing calls to the CIA and the National Security Agency, the newspaper said.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters Monday evening that the Trump White House “has got to do something soon to bring itself under control and order.”
He said he would have more to say when he knows more about the news report.
But don’t let anything stop him from presuming the veracity and commenting straight away
“The shame of it is there’s a really good national security team in place and there are good, productive things that are under way through them and through others,” Corker said. “But the chaos that is being created by the lack of discipline — it’s creating an environment that I think makes — it creates a worrisome environment.”
Corker, always the Corker, nevertheless continues. We agree about the problem with malcontents running to the press with leaks and lack of discipline, which in our opinion includes Senators. Trump needs discipline and so does Corker.
The story prompted Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., to tweet: “Protip: Don’t give the Russians classified information. #Classified101.”
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., tweeted: “If true, this is a slap in the face to the intel community. Risking sources & methods is inexcusable, particularly with the Russians.”
“Risking sources & methods is inexcusable, particularly with the Russians.” Now that is just rich. Mark Warner is another Senator always good for a laugh. Facts about Russian collusion by Democrats risking sources / pricing of uranium by allowing the sale of a uranium producer to Russian interests (Hilary Clinton), the flexibility promise made by Obama to the Russians, well Warner had no comment.
With regard to all this, we offer our “reliably sourced” play on the propensity of local newspapers to grant credence to most any accusation against Trump by repeating it. This two paragraph lead from an occasionally reliable wire service of our own:
QC Times Publisher Deb Anselm revealed highly sensitive information about ITS militant editorial board to Democrat operatives during a meeting at the Brownfield* last week, The Dispatch and Argus** reported Monday.
The newspaper cited current and former QC Times officials who said Anselm shared details about editorial board’s cross-species proclivities with Rover Deep State Minister Sergeant Labrador and Rover Ambassador Corgi Kissup. The threat was related to time spent lap-clapping on the job.
R Mall
*The location of the QCT and Lee Enterprises in Davenport is on the site of a brownfield. We in essence subsidized the construction with tax breaks for rich corporate publishing interests. It is our guess they didn’t get rid of all the brain-tumor causing dirt.
** The Argus Dispatch (or is it the Dispatch – Argus) also ran the AP story. In spite of its corporate promise back in January to reduce its reliance on the AP, we have not noticed any primary reduction.
