‘Trump Has Put Nat Sec in Hands of Crackpots and Fools’

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

CIA historian Tim Weiner: Trump has put national security in the hands of crackpots and fools' The longtime chronicler of the spy agency on his Legacy of Ashes follow-up and what keeps him up at night

Posted by Corky at 02:27 PM | 4 COMMENTS | permalink

It may seem perverse to pity the Central Intelligence Agency. The powerful spy organization's history is rich with failures and abuses " from the Cuban missile crisis to the post-9/11 torture program to its role in the overthrow of a long string of democratically elected leaders.

But among the many consequences of Donald Trump's open hostility toward America's intelligence community is that no less a CIA critic than Tim Weiner now sounds like a defender.

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"To understand why, Weiner " author of the unsparing history of the agency, the 2007 bestseller Legacy of Ashes " suggested a thought experiment in a recent interview:

imagine spending years as an intelligence officer, working diligently to subvert the Kremlin, only to watch the US stand with Russia, Iran and North Korea, as it did in February when it voted against a UN resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine.

In that moment, Weiner said: "You come to the realization, if you hadn't already:

My God, the president of the United States has gone over to the other side. He has joined the authoritarian axis.'"

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Excellent article.

#1 | Posted by Corky at 2025-07-15 02:29 PM