Sue Gordon, a career intelligence official with 30 years of loyal service to our country who had worked her way up to the No.2 intelligence post of our nation, was sacked by the Trump administration on Thursday while conducting a meeting on U.S. election security, which was interrupted by her boss, Dan Coats, Trump’s top intelligence official, to inform her in front of those present that her resignation was demanded. Read story here.
Trump’s animosity toward the intelligence community is well known, plus he’s probably the last person in Washington who wants to stop Russian meddling with the 2020 election, so it’s not surprising that competent people like Gordon whose loyalty is to the nation and American people rather than Trump personally are being shown the door. Gordon had known for some time that she was on the way out.
But the timing and manner of her firing is, well, not strange at all for this administration. This really is Trump’s style.
Photo: Sue Gordon, the latest faithful public servant to be fired by Trump
The real question is why is our national intelligence agents anywhere near the voting process or election process. Who cares about the Russians when it is good old American politicians of both parties that we should be concerned about. General distrust between our political parties goes much further and is more effective than our intelligence agencies. Though if intelligence agencies are hiring political science folks then I can make out like a dolphin and go “Thanks for all the fish.”
The decentralized nature of our election system makes it hard for the experts in either party to fix an election, although it sometimes might be happening in a local election in some district somewhere in the US. The Russians and most other foreign intelligence agencies are rank amateurs, though watch out for the Brits, and French as they have with the US meddled in foreign elections, sometimes successfully.
Even though she is a former power forward to Duke that may not overcome the perception she is close to John Brennan. True or not that perception is not going to ingratiate her with President Trump, and I would not think he would accepy anyone in that position with friendly and close ties to John Brennan. Wonder if she will keep her clearance on retirement.
“The real question is why is our national intelligence agents anywhere near the voting process or election process.”
The answer is because a foreign power is interfering in our elections, and that makes it our intelligence agencies’ proper business. Not that we, ahem, have ever messed with other nations’ leadership … I guess we had to expect that eventually someone would do to us what we’ve done to others for decades. But when we do it, it’s supposedly for a good cause …